Key facts

  • 1960: CWC's National Register of Large Dams lists Gandhi Sagar on the Chambal as completed in 1960;
  • 1970: CWC lists Rana Pratap Sagar on the Chambal as completed in 1970;
  • 1972: CWC's National Register of Large Dams lists Jawahar Sagar Dam on the Chambal as completed in 1972.
  • 1999: CWC lists Bisalpur Dam on the Banas as completed in 1999;
  • Keoladeo Ghana National Park and Sambhar Lake are Rajasthan's older Ramsar anchors: the official Ramsar Sites of India list on the National Wetlands p...

Key Points at a Glance

  1. 1

    1960: CWC's National Register of Large Dams lists Gandhi Sagar on the Chambal as completed in 1960; the official Mandsaur district page also records that Gandhi Sagar power generation and distribution began in November 1960.

  2. 2

    1970: CWC lists Rana Pratap Sagar on the Chambal as completed in 1970; for CET it should be paired with Rawatbhata/Chittorgarh, the Chambal cascade and hydel-irrigation use.

  3. 3

    1972: CWC's National Register of Large Dams lists Jawahar Sagar Dam on the Chambal as completed in 1972.

  4. 4

    1999: CWC lists Bisalpur Dam on the Banas as completed in 1999; it is the practical Banas-river anchor for irrigation and drinking-water supply planning around Tonk, Jaipur and Ajmer.

  5. 5

    Keoladeo Ghana National Park and Sambhar Lake are Rajasthan's older Ramsar anchors: the official Ramsar Sites of India list on the National Wetlands portal gives Keoladeo's designation as 1 October 1981 with 2873 ha and Sambhar's as 23 March 1990 with 24000 ha.

  6. 6

    As of the official Ramsar Sites of India list on the National Wetlands portal, updated to 21 April 2026, Rajasthan has five Ramsar sites: Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Sambhar Lake, Menar Wetland Complex, Khichan wetland and Siliserh Lake.

  7. 7

    2024-2025: PIB records a 28 January 2024 MoU and a 5 December 2024 MoA for the Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link integrated with ERCP, keeping eastern Rajasthan water planning tied to the Chambal system.

  8. 8

    Ponds and conservation methods are part of the same syllabus bullet: johad, nadi, talab, tanka, kund, baori, khadin, anicut, percolation tank, check dam and farm pond must be read with Rajasthan's dry climate and local relief.

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Drainage frame and the Aravalli divide

Rajasthan's drainage is best understood from relief. The Aravalli range runs broadly from the south-west to the north-east across the state and works as the main drainage divide. East and south-east of the divide, rivers generally move towards the Chambal-Yamuna-Ganga system and finally the Bay of Bengal. South and south-west of the divide, Mahi, Sabarmati and the Luni-side drainage connect with the Arabian Sea side. In the north-west and desert interior, many streams do not reach the sea; they end in sand, salt flats, shallow depressions or seasonal lakes.

For CET Graduation Level, this three-fold frame is more useful than memorising rivers in a loose list. Chambal, Banas, Kali Sindh, Parbati, Banganga, Gambhiri and Mej belong to the eastern drainage picture. Luni, Mahi, Sabarmati and West Banas explain the western and south-western side. Ghaggar, Kantli, Sabi, Sota-Ruparel and desert basins explain inland drainage. Lake facts also fit into this frame: Sambhar, Didwana, Pachpadra and Lunkaransar are not random salt lakes; they belong to closed or weak drainage landscapes.

Exam cue: first identify the drainage direction, then attach the river, district, dam or lake to that direction.

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