RAS question
Rihand Dam in Uttar Pradesh is built on which river?
Correct answer: (B) Rihand (tributary of Son).
Rihand Dam, also known with the Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar reservoir, is built across the Rihand River, a tributary of the Son or Sone River, in Uttar Pradesh.
Explanation
Rihand Dam is on the Rihand River, not on the main Son channel. The Central Water Commission's November 2021 newsletter describes Rihand as the largest and first concrete dam of Uttar Pradesh and states that it is constructed across the Rihand River. The same account explains the river relationship: the concrete dam plugs the exit of the Rihand, which is a tributary of the Sone, near Pipri. That is why the precise answer is Rihand, even though the Son appears in the drainage context. The reservoir is Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, one of India's largest artificial lakes and completed in 1962.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Ganga is too broad and not the dam river; the Central Water Commission Newsletter, November 2021 identifies the dam as constructed across the Rihand River, while only noting that the Sone ultimately feeds the Ganges.
- (C) Yamuna is not part of the dam location or river linkage; the Central Water Commission Newsletter, November 2021 places the dam on the Rihand River near Pipri.
- (D) Son is the parent river system, but the dam is specifically on the Rihand, which the Central Water Commission Newsletter, November 2021 describes as a tributary of the Sone.
Concept
This tests river-project mapping, a standard Indian Geography theme in RAS because dams are often asked with their exact river, reservoir and state. The trap is distinguishing a tributary from its parent river.