RAS question
The Narmada River flows into which sea/water body?
Correct answer: (C) Arabian Sea.
The Narmada River flows westward and empties into the Arabian Sea near Bharuch in Gujarat.
Explanation
The Narmada is a major west-flowing Peninsular river. Its course runs through a rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, moving west before emptying near Bharuch in Gujarat. The India-WRIS Narmada Basin report states that the basin is bounded on the west by the Arabian Sea and that the river flows between the Vindhya and Satpura hill ranges before falling into the Gulf of Cambay in the Arabian Sea, about 10 km north of Bharuch. That outfall makes Arabian Sea the precise answer. The key exam idea is direction: unlike most Peninsular rivers that drain eastwards, the Narmada is one of the major west-flowing rivers, along with the Tapti.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Bay of Bengal is not the outfall named for the Narmada; its mouth is on the Arabian Sea side near Bharuch.
- (B) Indian Ocean is not the specific sea or water body identified for the Narmada; the Gulf of Cambay in the Arabian Sea is the outfall.
- (D) Gulf of Mannar is not associated with the Narmada; the Arabian Sea/Gulf of Cambay near Bharuch is the identified outfall instead.
Concept
This tests Indian drainage patterns, especially the contrast between east-flowing and west-flowing Peninsular rivers. It recurs in RAS because river direction, rift valleys and outfall locations are standard map-based geography checks.