RAS question
Alluvial soil in India covers approximately:
Correct answer: (C) About 40% of the total land area.
Alluvial soil covers about 40 per cent of India's total land area, making it the country's most widespread and agriculturally important soil type.
Explanation
The correct figure is about 40 per cent of India's total land area. Alluvial soil is depositional soil that rivers and streams transport and lay down. It is widespread across the northern plains and river valleys, including the Indo-Gangetic plains and the Brahmaputra valley. In Rajasthan, a narrow corridor extends into the plains of Gujarat; alluvial soil also occurs in peninsular river valleys, the deltas of the east coast and other coastal plains. Khadar is newer alluvium, made fertile by the fine silt deposited during floods, whereas bangar is older alluvium. Its broad distribution across major plains and valleys makes it India's most widespread and agriculturally important soil type.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) About 70 per cent overstates the coverage because alluvial soil covers about 40 per cent of India's total land area.
- (B) About 10 per cent is too low because alluvial soil is widespread across the northern plains, river valleys and coastal deltaic areas.
- (D) About 5 per cent is far below the actual coverage and does not fit a soil type that is India's most widespread and is agriculturally important; it covers about 40 per cent of the country's land area.
Concept
This concept belongs to Indian Geography: classifying soils by origin, distribution and agricultural significance. It recurs in RAS because the regional distribution of soils connects physical geography with agriculture and land use, while also placing Rajasthan within India's wider alluvial belt.