RAS question
Where does the Luni River finally terminate?
Correct answer: (A) Rann of Kutch (Gujarat).
The Luni River finally terminates in the marshy land of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
Explanation
The Luni is a classic inland drainage river of western Rajasthan: it does not continue as a normal river to the sea. The official Hydrogeological Atlas of Rajasthan for the Luni River Basin says the river rises near Ajmer, flows south-west across Rajasthan for about 495 km, reaches the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, and then disappears in its marshy land. This is why Rann of Kutch is the correct terminus. Luni water is sweet up to Balotra and becomes increasingly saline further downstream, which reinforces its arid-region, inland-drainage character rather than a direct outflow into the Arabian Sea.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Sambhar Lake has a separate catchment, while the official basin atlas places the Luni's end in the Rann of Kutch.
- (C) Jawai Dam is linked to a Luni tributary, but a tributary dam is not the final terminus of the main Luni River.
- (D) The Luni does not reach the Arabian Sea directly; the official basin atlas says it disappears in the marshy land of the Rann of Kutch.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan drainage systems, especially inland drainage in the arid west. It recurs in RAS because the Luni's course, salinity, tributaries and terminus are standard map-based facts for Rajasthan geography.