RAS question
The Chambal River is a tributary of:
Correct answer: (C) Yamuna.
The Chambal River is a tributary of the Yamuna River.
Explanation
The Chambal should be placed in the Yamuna river system, not treated as a direct tributary of the Ganga. India-WRIS describes Chambal as a tributary of the Yamuna and also calls it the biggest tributary of the Yamuna. It rises in the Vindhyan range near Mhow in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh, flows through Rajasthan, and ultimately outfalls into the Yamuna in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh. The river originates near Mhow, passes through Rajasthan, and joins the Yamuna. Familiar RAS recall points include Chambal being noted as India’s cleanest major river because ravines make its banks difficult to inhabit, and Gandhi Sagar, Rana Pratap Sagar, and Jawahar Sagar dams being on it.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Chambal is linked to the Ganga system through the Yamuna, but it is not a direct tributary of the Ganga.
- (B) Godavari belongs to a different river system, while India-WRIS places Chambal under the Yamuna river system.
- (D) Narmada is not the receiving river for Chambal; Chambal outfalls into the Yamuna.
Concept
This tests Indian drainage systems, especially the hierarchy of major rivers and their tributaries. It recurs in RAS because Chambal is central to Rajasthan geography, river basins, ravines, and major dam locations.