RAS question
How many hot springs has the Geological Survey of India (GSI) identified across India's geothermal areas?
Correct answer: (D) 381.
The Geological Survey of India has mapped and documented 381 hot springs across India's geothermal areas.
Explanation
The figure asked here is the GSI count of hot springs, not a general estimate of geothermal potential. The PIB release from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, citing the Geothermal Atlas (2022) issued by the Geological Survey of India, states that GSI has mapped and documented 381 hot springs across India. These springs are spread across 10 geothermal areas, including places such as Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. Option D is therefore the only number supported by the official source. A related but separate figure in the source is 42 geothermal manifestations identified as promising areas, so that should not be confused with the hot-spring count.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 220 understates the official GSI count, as the PIB release records 381 mapped and documented hot springs across India.
- (B) 150 is too low and is not supported by the GSI-linked figure cited in the PIB release.
- (C) 500 overstates the count; the official source gives 381 hot springs, not 500.
Concept
This tests Indian geography under geothermal resources and renewable-energy potential. It recurs in RAS because GSI mapping, resource distribution and official government figures are common ways to frame factual geography questions.