RAS question
How much area does the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary ESZ cover?
Correct answer: (D) 243 sq km.
The Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary Eco-sensitive Zone covers 243 square kilometres around the sanctuary boundary in Rajasthan.
Explanation
The official notification identifies the protected area as the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary Eco-sensitive Zone and fixes its spread at 243 square kilometres. It describes the ESZ as extending from zero to one kilometre around the sanctuary boundary, with the zero extent on the northern side because of the common border with Raoli Todgarh Wildlife Sanctuary. The same notification also attaches the list of 94 villages falling within the ESZ. That is why 243 sq km is the precise figure to remember, not a rounded estimate or the sanctuary area itself. In RAS terms, the question is testing the notified ESZ coverage, along with its administrative spread across Rajsamand, Pali and Udaipur districts.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 200 sq km is too low; the notification states the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary ESZ area as 243 square kilometres.
- (B) 150 sq km understates the notified ESZ area and does not match the official 243 square kilometre figure.
- (C) 310 sq km is higher than the notified ESZ area; the official figure for the ESZ is 243 square kilometres.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan environment geography, especially notified Eco-sensitive Zones around protected areas. Such figures recur in RAS because ESZ notifications connect conservation, district geography and regulated land use around wildlife sanctuaries.