Teesta River Water Management and Geopolitics

Statement 1 is Incorrect: The Teesta River originates from the Pahunri (or Teesta Kangse) glacier and flows southward through the Sikkim Himalaya. where the Rangpo River joins, and where it forms the border between Sikkim and West Bengal up to Teesta Bazaar. Statement 2 is correct: Just before the Teesta Bridge, where the roads from Kalimpong and Darjeeling join, the river is met by its main tributary, the Rangeet River. Hence Statement 2 is correct. Statement 3 is Incorrect: It changes course southwards, flowing into West Bengal. The river then merges up with the Brahmaputra River after it bifurcates the city of Jalpaiguri and flows just touching Cooch Behar district at Mekhliganj and moves to Fulchori in Bangladesh. Thus it does not flow directly into the Bay of Bengal. Hence statement 3 is not correct. Hence, option B is the correct answer.

Statement 1 is Incorrect: The Nadi-Sukta of the Rigveda (Rigveda 10.75) lists rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvati, and Sutlej from east to west. It reflects Holocene (historical/human) geography, not Pleistocene geological shifts, which occurred long before the Vedic period. Statement 2 is Incorrect: Robert Bruce Foote is known as the "Father of Indian Prehistory" for discovering India's first Paleolithic handaxe at Pallavaram (Tamil Nadu) in 1863. His explorations focused on stone-age archaeology in South India and Gujarat, not the geological mapping of the Sutlej and Yamuna river shifts. Statement 3 is Correct: The presence of closely related blind river dolphins (*Platanista gangetica minor* in the Indus and *Platanista gangetica gangetica* in the Ganga) in two completely separated basins is a primary biological basis for asserting that these river systems were once physically connected. Geologists propose that during the Pleistocene epoch, a single massive river (the Indo-Brahma or Shiwalik river) connected the modern Indus and Ganga basins. Tectonic uplift (such as the Delhi Ridge) later separated them into distinct drainage systems, causing river avulsion (shifting) where the Yamuna shifted east to join the Ganga and the Sutlej shifted west to join the Indus. Therefore, the correct option is D.

Statement 1 is Incorrect: 'Maitri Setu' (Friendship Bridge) is built over the Feni River, which forms a natural boundary between India and Bangladesh. However, it connects Sabroom in Tripura, India, with Ramgarh in Bangladesh, not the other way around. Statement 2 is Incorrect: The Jhulaghat suspension bridge connects India and Nepal, not Myanmar. It spans the Mahakali River (known as the Sharda River in India) and links the Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, India, with the Baitadi district in Nepal. Statement 3 is Correct: The Mechi Bridge connects India and Nepal over the Mechi River. It specifically links the Panitanki Bypass in West Bengal, India, with Kakarvitta in Nepal. It serves as a crucial link for cross-border trade and is the endpoint of Asian Highway 02 (AH02) in India. Therefore, only statement 3 is correct.

The Sutlej perfectly matches all the given criteria. - Antecedent drainage system: Rivers like the Indus, Brahmaputra, and Sutlej are classic examples of antecedent drainage, as they existed before the Himalayan upliftment and maintained their courses by cutting deep gorges.
- Flows through three countries: The Sutlej flows through China (Tibet), India, and Pakistan. The Indus (China, India, Pakistan) and Brahmaputra (China, India, Bangladesh) also flow through three countries. The Teesta flows through only two (India and Bangladesh), making it incorrect.
- Originates in the Tibetan Plateau: The Sutlej originates from Rakshastal near Mansarovar in the Tibetan Plateau. It is a crucial source of irrigation, feeding major projects like the Bhakra-Nangal Dam and the Indira Gandhi Canal.
- Does not form distributaries: This is the defining characteristic that eliminates the other options. Both the Brahmaputra and the Indus form large deltas with multiple distributaries before emptying into the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, respectively. The Sutlej, on the other hand, is a tributary that merges with the Chenab River to form the Panjnad, which subsequently flows into the Indus River. It does not form distributaries. Therefore, the correct option is C.

* Dhuandhar: This waterfall is located on the Narmada River, but the region is not Malwa. It is in Madhya Pradesh Mahakoshal region. Hence, pair 1 is incorrectly matched. * Hundru: This waterfall is indeed located on the Subarnarekha River within the Chota Nagpur Plateau. Hence, pair 2 is correctly matched. * Gersoppa (also known as Jog Falls): This waterfall is on the Sharavati River in the Western Ghats, not the Netravati River. Hence, pair 3 is incorrectly matched.