RAS question
Sardar Sarovar Dam provides water to which four states?
Correct answer: (A) Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan.
Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada benefits Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
Explanation
Sardar Sarovar Dam is a Narmada River project linked with water supply and wider river-basin management. The National Water Development Agency paper states that the dam was meant for the welfare of four states: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, and that the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal award defined the sharing and use of its water. Option A is therefore exact. Gujarat is the largest beneficiary, and the dam is linked to the Narmada Canal, which carries water to drought-prone Kutch and Saurashtra. For RAS, the important point is not just the dam's location, but the inter-state benefit pattern attached to the Narmada project.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand are not among the four states identified with Sardar Sarovar's Narmada water-sharing benefit.
- (C) Punjab and Haryana do not fit this Narmada project grouping; the supported beneficiary set is Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
- (D) Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are outside the Sardar Sarovar benefit set for the Narmada project.
Concept
This tests inter-state river projects and dam-benefit geography, a recurring RAS theme because Rajasthan's water supply depends heavily on projects beyond its own river basins. Sardar Sarovar is a high-yield example because Rajasthan appears as a beneficiary even though the dam is on the Narmada.