Previous Year Question
Which of the following Protected Areas are located in Cauvery basin?
Nagarhole National Park
Papikonda National Park
Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
1 and 2 only
3 and 4 only
1, 3 and 4 only
1, 2, 3 and 4
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
The Cauvery River originates at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri Hills of the Kodagu district of Karnataka and flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu before entering the Bay of Bengal.
The Cauvery basin extends mainly across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, while some of its parts are also located in Kerala and Puducherry.
Nagarhole National Park is located in the Cauvery basin. It extends across the Kodagu and Mysuru districts of Karnataka.
Nagarhole is also known as Rajiv Gandhi National Park and forms part of the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve.
The Kabini River flowing through the park is an important tributary of the Cauvery. Nagarhole is therefore part of the Cauvery drainage system.
Nagarhole is also part of the wider protected landscape of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is an important habitat for tigers, elephants, leopards, gaur and dhole.
Papikonda National Park is not located in the Cauvery basin. It is situated in the Papi Hills of the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh.
Papikonda National Park is associated with the Godavari River and its tributary streams. Therefore, it forms part of the Godavari basin.
Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is located in the Cauvery basin. It is situated at the meeting point of the Eastern and Western Ghats in the Erode district of Tamil Nadu.
The Sathyamangalam region is drained by the Bhavani and its associated rivers. The Bhavani is an important tributary of the Cauvery.
Sathyamangalam is an important wildlife corridor connecting the Nilgiri landscape with the Eastern Ghats and is particularly important for the movement of elephants and tigers.
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Cauvery basin. It forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in the Wayanad district of Kerala.
Several streams of Wayanad join the Kabini River, which subsequently joins the Cauvery. Wayanad is therefore part of the Cauvery basin.
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is connected with Nagarhole and Bandipur in Karnataka and the Mudumalai protected area in Tamil Nadu.
Therefore, Nagarhole National Park, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary are located in the Cauvery basin, while Papikonda National Park is located in the Godavari basin.