Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
Assertion (A): River Damodar was known as “River of Sorrow” in West Bengal prior to the development of the Damodar Valley Corporation.
Reason (R): Damodar in its upper reaches flows rapidly and in its lower reaches it runs too sluggishly.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(A) is true but (R) is false.
(A) is false but (R) is true.
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
The Damodar River was formerly called the “Sorrow of Bengal” or “River of Sorrow” because its lower plains were repeatedly affected by destructive floods.
The upper catchment of the Damodar lies in the Chotanagpur Plateau. During heavy rainfall, water descends rapidly from this region, whereas in the lower plains of West Bengal the river has a comparatively gentler gradient and slower flow. Consequently, large quantities of water could accumulate in the lower reaches and produce flooding.
Later, the development of the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) and its dams and water-control structures substantially helped in controlling floods in the Damodar system.