Question

Which of the following is a hydroelectric project located in Uttar Pradesh?
a)Mayurakshi
b)Rihand
c)Kangsabati
d)Hirakud

Answer 1

Hint: The government commissions projects to utilise water resources for purposes like generation of electricity and irrigation. India ranks fifth in the world for potential hydropower capacity and has 197 hydropower plants.

Complete answer: The state of Uttar Pradesh has a major portion of Ganga basin and hence it has many hydroelectric projects. Let us look at the options given to us-

a. Mayurakshi river flows through West Bengal and Jharkhand. The Massanjore dam is built over it.
b.Rihand dam is a concrete gravity dam built over the Rihand river. It is located in Pipri in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh. It was commissioned in 1962 for hydropower generation. It is the largest dam in India by volume. The catchment area of this extends over Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,Chhattisgarh and provides water for irrigation to Bihar.
c.The Kangsabati project is built over Kangsabati river in West Bengal. Built in 1956, the project was a part of the second five year plan.
d.The Hirakud project is built over the river Mahanadi in Sambalpur district of Odisha. It is the world's longest earthen dam.

Therefore the correct answer is Rihand dam option (B)

Note: The reservoir formed by the Rihand dam is Gobind Ballabh Pant Sagar lake . This is the largest man made lake in India. Another point to note is that the river Rihand is a tributary of the Son river.