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Question 69 of 131 · Rivers, Lakes & Dams of India
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The total length of the Ganga river is about:

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Answer: Option B — 2,525 km

Detailed Solution

The Ganga is about 2,525 km long, from its source at Gangotri glacier (as the Bhagirathi) in Uttarakhand to its mouth in the Bay of Bengal. It is the longest river flowing mainly within India.

Course of the Ganga:

  • It rises as the Bhagirathi and becomes the Ganga at Devprayag after meeting the Alaknanda.
  • It enters the plains at Haridwar.
  • It flows through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand (a short stretch) and West Bengal.
  • In West Bengal, it splits into two main channels: the Bhagirathi-Hooghly, which flows south past Kolkata, and the Padma, which flows into Bangladesh.
  • In Bangladesh, the Padma joins the Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and then the Meghna before entering the Bay of Bengal.

Length by state (approximate):

  • Uttar Pradesh has the longest stretch, about 1,450 km (including the border stretch).
  • Bihar: about 445 km.
  • West Bengal: about 520 km.
  • Uttarakhand: about 110 km.

Major cities on the Ganga:

Haridwar, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur and, on the Hooghly, Kolkata.

Tributaries:

  • Left bank: Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Kosi and Mahananda.
  • Right bank: Yamuna, Tamsa (Tons), Son and Punpun.
  • The Yamuna is its largest tributary, and the Ghaghara is its largest by volume of water in some estimates.

The national river:

  • The Ganga was declared India's National River in November 2008.
  • The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) runs the Namami Gange Programme, launched in 2014.

Comparison of lengths:

  • Brahmaputra: about 2,900 km (but only about 916 km in India).
  • Indus: about 2,880 to 3,180 km (about 1,114 km in India).
  • Godavari: about 1,465 km, the longest peninsular river.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗1,465 km is the length of the Godavari.
  • ✗2,900 km is roughly the length of the Brahmaputra.
  • ✗3,180 km is a common estimate of the length of the Indus.

Quick tip

Remember: Ganga = about 2,525 km (longest stretch in UP); Godavari = 1,465 km; Brahmaputra = about 2,900 km.

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Rivers, Lakes & Dams of India — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Rivers, Lakes & Dams of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers India's drainage system: the Himalayan rivers (the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems), the peninsular rivers (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, Tapi and Mahanadi), their tributaries and origins, waterfalls, lakes, and the major dams and multipurpose river projects. Exams ask about the origin of a river, its tributaries, the cities on its banks, and the river on which a dam is built. For example, the Bhakra Nangal Dam is on the Sutlej, the Hirakud Dam on the Mahanadi, and the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada. Remember that the Narmada and Tapi flow west into the Arabian Sea, while most peninsular rivers flow east. Practise the rivers, lakes and dams of India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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