RAS question
The Tungabhadra River is a tributary of:
Correct answer: (A) Krishna.
The Tungabhadra River is a major tributary of the Krishna River.
Explanation
The Tungabhadra belongs to the Krishna River system, so the correct pairing is Tungabhadra-Krishna. India-WRIS identifies the Tungabhadra as the Krishna's most important tributary and notes that it is formed by the Tunga and Bhadra rivers, which originate in the Western Ghats. The exam-relevant location marker is that the Tunga and Bhadra meet in Karnataka, and the Tungabhadra Dam is also in Karnataka. The river also matters historically because Vijayanagara, now associated with Hampi, stood on its banks. For RAS Geography, the safest way to remember this is to place Tungabhadra within the peninsular drainage map under the Krishna basin, not under the Mahanadi, Godavari or Kaveri systems.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Mahanadi is a separate river system on the India-WRIS river-system list, while Tungabhadra is named under the Krishna system.
- (C) Godavari is listed as its own river system, and Tungabhadra is a Krishna tributary, not a Godavari tributary.
- (D) Kaveri, also listed as Cauvery by India-WRIS, is a separate river system; Tungabhadra is not placed there and is identified with the Krishna.
Concept
This tests Indian drainage systems, especially tributary mapping in peninsular India. RAS repeats such questions because river-basin linkages connect physical geography with irrigation, dams and historical settlements.