Aspirant Academy

Geography

Current Affairs Integration

Physiography, Rivers, and Lakes of Rajasthan

Paper II · Unit 3 Section 11 of 13 0 PYQs 47 min
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Current Affairs Integration

Recent Developments

  • Sambhar Lake Ecological Restoration (2024-25): Following the 2019 bird mass mortality event, the Rajasthan government and Wildlife Institute of India implemented a Sambhar Lake Conservation and Management Plan. The plan includes a 5-km buffer zone where new industrial activity is banned, real-time water quality sensors, and de-silting to restore lake depth. The Sambhar Lake Development Authority (SLDA) received ₹28 crore for restoration activities in 2024-25.

  • IGNP Modernization — Phase II (2024-26): The Rajasthan government, under the PMKSY (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana) framework, allocated ₹3,200 crore to line ~2,400 km of IGNP distribution canals with HDPE lining to reduce seepage losses (estimated at 40-50% of conveyed water). Work is ongoing in Jaisalmer and Barmer districts as of April 2026.

  • Bisalpur Dam Water Crisis (2023-24): In 2023, the lowest inflow in 15 years to Bisalpur Dam led to a drinking water crisis in Jaipur. The Rajasthan government activated emergency groundwater sources and fast-tracked the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) — a ₹37,247 crore scheme to divert surplus waters of the Chambal, Kalisindh, Gambhiri, and Kunnu rivers northward to recharge Bisalpur and supply Jaipur, Ajmer, Kota, and 13 other districts.

  • Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) National Status (2023-2024): The central government granted ERCP National Project status in 2023, making it eligible for central funding (90:10 Centre-State ratio). This ₹37,247 crore project will benefit 13 districts and ~2.8 crore people. Work on the Navnera Barrage (first project component, Bundi district) began in 2024.

  • Chambal Gharial Population (2024): National Chambal Sanctuary's annual gharial survey (March 2024) recorded 2,541 gharials — up from 635 in 2008 — demonstrating the success of conservation under the Gharial Conservation Programme (India-UNDP, 1975-2022). Chambal remains the largest breeding habitat for gharials globally.

  • Dinosaur Fossils in Hadoti (2023): Paleontologists from the Geological Survey of India confirmed titanosaurid sauropod fossils in the Lameta Formation at Dhar-Dhar village (Baran district, Hadoti Plateau), linking southern Rajasthan's Cretaceous geology to the Deccan Volcanic Province — significant for understanding the K-Pg mass extinction at the Rajasthan-MP boundary.

Potential Exam Questions from Current Affairs

  1. Possible question: What is the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) and why was it granted National Project status?
    Answer pointers: ₹37,247 crore; 13 districts; diverts Chambal-Kalisindh surplus water northward; benefits 2.8 crore people; Navnera Barrage on Chambal (Bundi) is the first component; National Project status = 90:10 funding ratio; addresses Bisalpur crisis and Jaipur water security.

  2. Possible question: Describe the ecological importance of Sambhar Lake and the conservation challenges it faces.
    Answer pointers: India's largest inland salt lake (240 sq km); Ramsar site since 1990; flamingo wintering habitat; 2019 mass mortality (20,000 birds, botulism); salt production by HSL; SLDA restoration plan; buffer zone; seepage of agricultural chemicals; tourism pressure.

  3. Possible question: What is the significance of the Aravalli Range as a watershed in Rajasthan?
    Answer pointers: 692 km in Rajasthan; 2,500 million years old; west = Arabian Sea/inland drainage (Luni system); east = Bay of Bengal drainage (Chambal-Banas system); Guru Shikhar 1,722 m; mineral-bearing host rocks; highest rainfall at Mount Abu; watershed logic for all three drainage divisions.