UPSC Civil Services Prelims Exam 2023, General Studies – I, Question 1 : Jhelum River passes through Wular Lake

Answer: (b) Only two

Topic: Geography of India › Lakes and Rivers

Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct
The Jhelum River is an important tributary of the Indus River. The Jhelum River rises from a spring at Verinag situated at the foot of the Pir Panjal in the south-eastern part of the valley of Kashmir. The Jhelum River flows through Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir and passes through Wular Lake before entering Pakistan-administered Kashmir through a deep narrow gorge. It joins the Chenab near Jhang in Pakistan.

Statement 2 is incorrect
Kolleru Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in India, and is situated between the Krishna and West Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh. The Kolleru Lake is fed by two seasonal rivers, Budameru and Tammileru, which are tributaries of the Krishna River. It is not directly fed by the Krishna River.

Statement 3 is correct
Kanwar Lake is one of Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lakes, formed by the meandering of the Gandak River, a tributary of Ganga, in Bihar. Kanwar Lake, also known as Kabar Taal, is located in Begusarai in Bihar.

Source(s):

• NCERT Geography, Class IX, Chapter 3 – Drainage – See the map and content

Difficulty level: Moderate

Why this question came in the exam:

Wular Lake was in news in October – December 2022.
During the same time in December 2022, Kolleru Lake was also in news.
Kanwar Lake was also in many newspaper during the same period.

So, it seems the examiner took the help of newspapers and NCERT to frame the question.

Most important, there was press release by PIB on February 5, 2023, on “World Wetlands Day celebrated at all 75 Ramsar sites in India”, which mentioned celebrations at Wular Lake, Kanwar Lake or Kabar Taal.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1896499

Wular Lake
https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/kashmirs-wular-lake-crisis
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/encroachment-threatens-kashmirs-wular-lake-and-with-it-thousands-of-fishermen-1150196.html

Kolleru Lake
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/one-million-winged-visitors-expected-this-season-to-kolleru-lake-in-ap/article66273859.ece
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/andhra-pradeshs-kolleru-lake-is-a-wildlife-hotspot-heres-why/articleshow/96503892.cms

Kanwar Lake
https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/bihar/begusarai/begusarai-news-controversy-deepens-over-asia-largest-kavar-lake-located-in-bihar/articleshow/98248136.cms