RAS question
The nuclear power station at Rawatbhata uses which river for cooling water?
Correct answer: (C) Chambal.
The Rajasthan Atomic Power Station at Rawatbhata uses the Chambal River, through the Rana Pratap Sagar Dam reservoir, for cooling water.
Explanation
RAPS at Rawatbhata is linked to the Chambal, because its cooling water comes from the Rana Pratap Sagar Dam reservoir. The AERB national report places Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Units 1 and 2 at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan and says the station is on the bank of Rana Pratap Sagar lake. It further describes that lake as lying between Gandhi Sagar Dam upstream and Rana Pratap Sagar Dam downstream on the Chambal River. That location detail explains the answer: the plant's reservoir source is part of the Chambal system, so the river asked for in the question is Chambal, not another Rajasthan river named in the options.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Kali Sindh is not the cooling-water answer here; the given clue is that it joins the Chambal nearby, while RAPS uses the Chambal-linked Rana Pratap Sagar reservoir.
- (B) Mahi is too far from Rawatbhata for this station's cooling-water source; the cited location ties RAPS to Rana Pratap Sagar on the Chambal.
- (D) Banas is also too far for this Rawatbhata station context; the reservoir identified with RAPS is Rana Pratap Sagar on the Chambal River.
Concept
This tests the Rajasthan geography habit of linking major industrial and energy sites with their river systems. It recurs in RAS because dams, reservoirs, river basins and power projects are often asked together rather than as isolated facts.