RAS question
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is built on which river and located in which state?
Correct answer: (A) Krishna — Telangana/Andhra Pradesh border.
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is built across the Krishna River on the Telangana-Andhra Pradesh border.
Explanation
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is identified with the Krishna River, not with the Cauvery, Godavari, or Tungabhadra systems. It is located on the Telangana-Andhra Pradesh border, specifically around the Nalgonda/Guntur district side, while the official Nalgonda district page says Nagarjunasagar Dam in Nalgonda is built across the River Krishna. That is why the paired answer matters: the river is Krishna, and its location is tied to the Telangana-Andhra Pradesh border rather than to a single inland state label. The dam was completed in 1967, is among the world's largest masonry dams, and is named after the Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Cauvery-Karnataka points to the KRS Dam, whereas Nagarjuna Sagar is on the Krishna River.
- (C) Godavari-Maharashtra gives the wrong river system because Nagarjuna Sagar is built across the Krishna, not the Godavari.
- (D) Tungabhadra-Andhra Pradesh confuses Nagarjuna Sagar with the separate Tungabhadra Dam, which is associated with Karnataka.
Concept
This tests the Indian geography theme of major river-valley projects: matching a dam with its river and state location. RAS repeats such questions because dams connect physical geography, irrigation, power, and regional development in one fact cluster.