RAS question
Which Indian river is known as the 'Sorrow of Bihar'?
Correct answer: (B) Kosi.
The Kosi River is known as the 'Sorrow of Bihar' because it is prone to frequent, disastrous floods and shifting courses.
Explanation
The Kosi is called the 'Sorrow of Bihar' because its floods have been both frequent and destructive, and because the river has a marked tendency to change course. India-WRIS, Ganga Basin describes the Kosi as notorious for frequent and disastrous floods and shifting courses, and notes that it is known as the Sorrow of Bihar because of frequent floods in the river. The Kosi carries enormous amounts of silt from Nepal, and its channel instability has shifted its course westward by over 112 km in the last 250 years. The nickname, therefore, is not ornamental; it reflects a real pattern of flood hazard and river-course instability in Bihar.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Ganga is the main river of Bihar, but India-WRIS, Ganga Basin specifically applies the 'Sorrow of Bihar' label to the Kosi, not to the Ganga.
- (C) The Son flows from Madhya Pradesh to Bihar, but it is not associated here with the frequent destructive floods and course-shifting behaviour that define the Kosi's nickname.
- (D) The Gandak can cause flooding, but India-WRIS, Ganga Basin identifies the Kosi, not the Gandak, as the river known as the Sorrow of Bihar.
Concept
This tests Indian drainage and flood-prone river systems, especially the behaviour of Himalayan rivers in the Ganga basin. It recurs in RAS because river nicknames are often shorthand for geomorphic processes, disaster risk, and regional geography.