Irrigation and Canals

Total Questions: 39

11. Which of the following is/are the advantage/advantages of practising drip irrigation? [I.A.S. (Pre) 2016]

1. Reduction in weed

2. Reduction in soil salinity

3. Reduction in soil erosion

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) None of the above is an advantage of practising drip irrigation

Correct Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

Solution:Drip irrigation is a form of irrigation that saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of many different plants. Advantages of practising drip irrigation are: maximum use of available water, maximum crop yield, reduction in weed, reduction in soil erosion, low labour cost, no run off of fertilizers, less evaporation of waters, improved seed germination etc. Thus, statement (1) and (3) are correct and (c) is the correct answer.

12. Bakingham canal is situated: [Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2019]

(a) On Kalinga Coast
(b) On Malabar Coast
(c) On Koromandal Coast
(d) On Kutch Coast

Correct Answer: (c) On Koromandal Coast

Solution:Bakingham canal is a freshwater navigation canal with a length of 796 km, parallels the Koromandal (Coromandal) coast from Kakinand city in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh to Viluppuram district in Tamil Nadu. It connects most of the natural backwaters along the coast to Chennai port.

13. Which one of the following sector has greater consumption share of water in India? [Jharkhand P.C.S.(Pre) 2021]

(a) Agriculture Sector
(b) Domestic Sector
(c) Mining Sector
(d) Industrial Sector

Correct Answer: (a) Agriculture Sector

Solution:In India, the maximum use of water through irrigation is in the agriculture sector. It is to be noted that the total water availability obtained through rainfall in India is about 3880 billion cubic meter (bcm) per year.

14. Chambal Canal Irrigation Project is related with: [M.P.P.C.S.(PRE) 2020]

(a) Sindh Basin
(b) Ganga Basin
(c) Yamuna Basin
(d) Tapti Basin
(e) Ganga Basin & Yamuna Basin

Correct Answer: (e) Ganga Basin & Yamuna Basin

Solution:Chambal Canal Irrigation Project is related to Yamuna basin. Chambal is a tributary of the Yamuna, but it is also a sub tributary of the Ganges and is a part of the Ganges basin as a whole. Therefore, according to the larger basin, it is related to the Ganges basin, while as a smaller basin it is related to the Yamuna basin. If the most appropriate answer is to be selected, then Yamuna basin is the most appropriate answer, but here both option (b) and (c) seem to be correct on the basis of the vagueness of the question.

15. Pattiseema Project is associated with the integration of which of the following rivers? [67th B.P.S.C.(Pre) 2022]

(a) Krishna and Godavari
(b) Krishna and Kaveri
(c) Godavari and Mahanadi
(d) Ganga and Brahmaputra
(e) None of thee above/More than one of the above

Correct Answer: (b) Krishna and Kaveri

Solution:Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project is a river interlinking project which connects Godavari River to Krishna River. The first pump of this Rs 1,300-crore project was installed and switched on in September 2015, about six months after the project contract was awarded to Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) on the condition to complete the entire project in one year.

16. Which of the following is NOT correctly matched? [U.P.B.E.O.(Pre) 2019]

	(Canal Project)	(Location)
(a)	Ghatprabha Canal Project	Karnataka
(b)	Ukai Canal Project	Gujarat
(c)	Nira Canal Project	Maharashtra
(d)	Jawai Project	Tamil Nadu

Correct Answer: (d)

Solution:The Jawai Project is on the Jawai River, a tributary of Luni in Rajasthan. On the other hand, the Ukai Canal Project was undertaken by constructing a dam across the Tapti River in Gujarat. Ghatprabha Canal Project is located in Karnataka on river Ghatprabha and the Nira Canal Project in Maharashtra, on Nira river, a tributary of Bhima.

17. Given below are two statements. One is Assertion (A) and the other is Reason (R): [U.P. Lower Sub.(Pre) 2015]

Assertion (A) : One of the major sources of irrigation in Peninsular India is a pond.

Reason (A) : Most of the rivers in the Peninsular region are seasonal.

Code:

(a) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) explains (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are correct but (R) does not explain (A).
(c) (A) is correct, but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false, but (R) is correct.

Correct Answer: (a) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) explains (A).

Solution:One of the major sources of irrigation in Peninsular India is pond irrigation as undulating relief and hard rock making it difficult to dig canals and wells. Thus assertion (A) is correct. Most of the rivers in Peninsular region are seasonal and dry up during summer season. So, they cannot supply water to canals. Therefore, the main source for irrigation is a pond. So, reason (R) also explains assertion (A).

18. With reference to India, which one of the following statements is not correct? [I.A.S. (Pre) 2002]

(a) About one-third of the area of the country records more than 750 millimetres of annual rainfall
(b) The dominant source of irrigation in the country are wells
(c) Alluvial soil is the predominant types of soil in Northern plains of the country
(d) The mountain areas account for about thirty percent of the surface area of the country.

Correct Answer: (b) The dominant source of irrigation in the country are wells

Solution:According to data for year 2018-19(P), the major source of irrigation in the country is tubewells, which contribute 48.51% to the total irrigated area. Tubewells and other wells provide for the irrigation of 63.94% of the irrigated area. Canals irrigate 22.96% and tanks 2.33% of the total irrigated area. Remaining land is dependent on other means of irrigation.

19. In which of the following states, the percentage of total cropped area under irrigation (2011) is the highest? [U.P.P.C.S.(MAINS) 2015]

(a) Madhya Pradesh
(b) Maharashtra
(c) Uttar Pradesh
(d) Haryana

Correct Answer: (d) Haryana

Solution:The cropped area under irrigation (2011) is follows-

States	2011	2015-16
Haryana	83.90%	96.91%
Uttar Pradesh	72.76%	83.17%
Madhya Pradesh	28.20%	56.25%
Maharashtra	16.78%	17.03%

Note- According to Agriculture Census, 2015-16 data, highest percentage of cropped area under irrigation is of Chandigarh (100%). Punjab is at second (99.6%) place.

20. Which State in India has the largest extent in irrigation (percent)? [Uttarakhand P.C.S.(Pre) 2016]

(a) Punjab
(b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Haryana
(d) Madhya Pradesh

Correct Answer: (a) Punjab