RAS question
The Chenab River passes through which Indian Union Territory/State before entering Pakistan?
Correct answer: (D) Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
The Chenab River passes through Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir before entering Pakistan.
Explanation
Chenab is not a Ladakh or Uttarakhand river. The Himachal Pradesh government's water-resources directory describes Chandrabhaga, or Chenab, as one of the state's major river systems and says it is formed by the meeting of the Chandra and Bhaga streams at Tundi in Lahul, flowing 122 km in Himachal before entering Kashmir. From Tandi in Lahaul-Spiti, the river runs through Jammu & Kashmir, including Doda, Kishtwar and Jammu regions, before entering Pakistan. The Indian course therefore combines the Himachal origin stretch with the Jammu & Kashmir passage, making Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir the correct answer.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Ladakh is tied to the Indus, while the Chenab route starts in Himachal Pradesh and then goes through Jammu & Kashmir.
- (B) Uttarakhand is associated here with the Ganga and Yamuna systems, not with the Chandra-Bhaga to Chenab route.
- (C) Punjab leaves out the Himachal Pradesh origin stretch and the Jammu & Kashmir passage that define the Chenab's Indian course.
Concept
Indian drainage geography frequently tests the Indus river system and the state-wise course of Himalayan rivers. RAS repeats river origin, route and border-crossing facts as standard map-based geography traps.