Previous Year Question
With reference to hydroelectricity in North India, which of the following statements is/are correct?
There are huge possibilities of hydroelectricity in the Himalayan region.
Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar cannot utilise this potential because the Himalayas situated to their North lies in boundary of Nepal.
Select the correct answer from the code given below:
Only 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Both 1 and 2
Only 1
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is correct. The Himalayan region has very high potential for hydroelectric generation. The major reason is not merely the large quantity of river water, but the simultaneous availability of steep gradients, large elevation differences (head), fast flow and perennial river systems.
For hydroelectricity, both water discharge and hydraulic head are important. Himalayan rivers pass from high mountains through deep valleys and steep gradients, producing a large elevation difference over relatively short distances. This is why a large number of hydropower sites have been developed in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern Himalayas.
The latest reassessment places India's exploitable large hydropower potential at about 1,33,410 MW. A major portion of the country's remaining hydropower potential is still located in the upper Himalayan regions.
Statement 2 is also correct in the geographical context of the question. Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar lie predominantly in the flat Gangetic plains. Immediately to their north, the high Himalayan terrain where rivers possess steep gradients and large hydraulic heads lies largely within Nepal.
Rivers such as the Kosi and Gandak descend from the mountainous parts of Nepal and enter the plains of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. After reaching the plains, their gradients decline sharply, so the large natural hydropower potential characteristic of the Himalayas is not available within these States to the same extent.
Here, “cannot utilise” refers to the direct exploitation of that Himalayan site-based potential within their own territory. It does not mean that Bihar or eastern Uttar Pradesh cannot receive electricity generated in Nepal. India and Nepal have arrangements for cross-border transmission, bilateral power trade and joint hydropower development.
This distinction is the core of the question—the Himalayas possess enormous potential, but the major high-gradient Himalayan belt immediately north of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar lies within Nepal.