RAS question
Kothari River is a tributary of which river?
Correct answer: (C) Banas.
The Kothari River is a left-bank tributary of the Banas River in Rajasthan.
Explanation
Kothari belongs to the Banas river system, not to the Luni, Mahi or Chambal systems as a direct tributary. The official Hydrogeological Atlas of Rajasthan for the Banas River Basin states that the Banas originates in the Khamnor Hills near Kumbhalgarh in Rajsamand district, flows through Rajasthan, and meets the Chambal near Rameshwar in Sawai Madhopur district. In the same basin description, Kothari is listed among the left-bank tributaries of the Banas, along with Khari, Dai, Dheel, Sohadra, Morel and Kalisel. This matches the standard Rajasthan geography fact that Kothari originates near Devgarh in Rajsamand and flows through Bhilwara before joining the Banas system.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Luni is associated with the western side of the Banas basin, while Kothari is listed in the Banas river system.
- (B) Mahi is associated with the southern side of the Banas basin, not with Kothari as its tributary.
- (D) Chambal receives the Banas, but Kothari is identified as a tributary of the Banas, so it is not a direct tributary of the Chambal.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan drainage systems, especially the tributary network of the Banas basin. Such questions recur in RAS because river-basin relationships are a compact way to test physical geography, districts and map orientation together.