UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — ‘Structured mechanism’ in place to deal with Ganga Water Treaty: India

Q1. With reference to the Farakka Barrage on the Ganga, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The barrage was built to carry out the water-sharing arrangement that India agreed with Bangladesh.
  2. The barrage diverts Ganga water into the Bhagirathi-Hooghly to counter silt deposition and saltwater intrusion affecting the port of Kolkata.
  3. The barrage is a diversion structure and not a storage reservoir dam.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. In years of very low Ganga flow, the 1977 Ganges water-sharing agreement placed more of the burden of the shortfall on India than the 1996 treaty does.
  2. The 1977 agreement contained a guarantee clause that assured Bangladesh a minimum quantity of water during the dry season.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. With reference to the Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It is a standing bilateral mechanism that existed before the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty was signed.
  2. It acts as an adjudicating body whose rulings on water-sharing disputes are binding on both governments.
  3. Water-sharing arrangements such as the 2022 Kushiyara MoU are worked out in JRC talks but are concluded as separate instruments between the two governments.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. Consider the following assertion: 'Renewing the Ganga Water Treaty with its existing allocation formula unchanged may fail to match the water actually available at Farakka in the coming decades.' Which of the following statements support the above assertion?

  1. The treaty estimates water availability from flow records for the period 1948 to 1988.
  2. Upstream withdrawals in the basin have reduced the flow that reaches Farakka.
  3. The treaty's sharing formula applies only during the lean season from January to May.
  4. The baseline period does not capture later changes such as climate change and sedimentation.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q5. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Increasing the lean-season Ganga flow that reaches Bangladesh would tend to raise salinity levels in the Sundarbans.
  2. Reduced freshwater inflow is one of the factors driving salt intrusion into the Sundarbans.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct