Question

Which are the west-flowing rivers of Southern India which flow into the Arabian Sea?
a.Chambal and Betwa
b.Damodar and Mahanadi
c.Narmada and Tapi
d.Krishna and Kaveri

Answer 1

Hint: Rivers have been the ultimate source of livelihood of the majority part of the population throughout human history. The rivers of India are classified as east-flowing rivers and west-flowing rivers.

Complete answer:

(i) The major east-flowing rivers are the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri.
(ii) The east-flowing rivers drain into the Bay of Bengal.
(iii) These rivers form deltas on the eastern coastline.
(iv) These rivers have a large tributary system.

(i) The major west-flowing rivers are Narmada and the Tapi.
(ii) The west-flowing rivers are long flowing and drain into the Arabian Sea.
(iii) These rivers form estuaries instead of deltas.
(iv) These rivers do not have any developed tributary system.

Looking at the options above:

Option a: Chambal and Betwa are the tributaries of the Ganga river. Their origin is in northern India. This is an option.

Option b: Damodar river is a tributary of the Ganga and the Mahanadi is an east-flowing river. This is an incorrect option.

Option c: Both Narmada and Tapi are west-flowing rivers. This is the correct option.

Option d: Both Krishna and Kaveri are east-flowing rivers. This is the incorrect option.

Option 'c' is correct.

Note: This contradictory behaviour is because these rivers don't form valleys. Instead, they flow through faults (linear rift, rift valley, trough) created due to the bending of the northern peninsula during the formation process of Himalayas.