Narmada
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Overview
The Narmada rises at Amarkantak and flows west through a rift valley between the Vindhya and the Satpura ranges to the Gulf of Khambhat. Like the Tapi, it ends in an estuary rather than a delta, unlike the big east-flowing peninsular rivers.
The Sardar Sarovar dam stands on it, and the Narmada Bachao Andolan, led by Medha Patkar from the late 1980s, raised questions about rehabilitation, ecology and consent. A Narmada water disputes tribunal was set up in 1969. At Hathnora in the Narmada valley a fossil skull, once called "Narmada Man", is India's most important human fossil.
Geography and key facts
- Source: Amarkantak; mouth: Gulf of Khambhat (Arabian Sea)
- Flows west through a rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura
- Forms an estuary, not a delta
- About 1,315 km long; the Tawa is a tributary
- Projects: Sardar Sarovar, Omkareshwar
- Water disputes tribunal: 1969
Why it matters for UPSC
A favourite in Prelims: why it flows west (2013), where it rises (2007), the Omkareshwar project (2008), its waterfalls (2024) and the length order of peninsular rivers (2003). The Narmada Bachao Andolan is useful for GS1 and GS3 answers on dams and displacement.
Note for UPSC
Rises at Amarkantak and flows west through a rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura to the Gulf of Khambhat; Sardar Sarovar dam is on it.
Prelims asks about tributaries, the states a river flows through, its basin and the projects on it, so trace the course on the map.
Asked in PYQs
- UPSC Prelims 2024 · Q9Consider the following information : Waterfall | Region | River…
- UPSC Prelims 2021 · Q49Which one of the following statements is correct?…
- UPSC Prelims 2016 · Q85Recently, linking of which of the following rivers was undertaken?…
- UPSC Prelims 2013 · Q15The Narmada river flows to the west, while most other large peninsular rivers flow to the east. Why? Select the correct answer using the codes given below:…
- UPSC Prelims 2008 · Q24Consider the following pairs: Tributary River – Main River Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?…
- UPSC Prelims 2008 · Q128With which one of the following rivers is the Omkareshwar Project associated?…
- UPSC Prelims 2007 · Q82Which one among the following rivers originates at Amarkantak?…
- UPSC Prelims 2007 · Q92Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists : List-I (Town) A. Betul B. Jagdalpur C. Jabalpur D. Ujjain List-II (River)…
- UPSC Prelims 2006 · Q116Recently Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the linking of two rivers as a link project. Which are these two rivers?…
- UPSC Prelims 2005 · Q79Which one of the following statements is not correct?…
- UPSC Prelims 2003 · Q78What is the correct sequence of the rivers—Godavari, Mahanadi, Narmada and Tapti in the descending order of their lengths?…
- UPSC Prelims 2003 · Q93Emperor Harsha’s southward march was stopped on the Narmada River by…
- UPSC Prelims 2000 · Q52Which one of the following statements is not true?…
- UPSC Prelims 1999 · Q91Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Rivers) I. Cauvery II. Krishna III. Narmada IV. Chambal List II (Da…
Questions from our Prelims bank whose text names Narmada.
Key facts
- Type
- River
- States / UTs on its course
- Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra
- River system
- Peninsular
- Basin
- Narmada
- Extent on map
- 21.6°–23.1°N, 72.6°–81.8°E
- Asked in Prelims
- 14 questions · 2024, 2021, 2016, 2013, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2000, 1999
From the Map Explorer data; positions are for orientation.
In the lessons
- Physical Features and Drainage of India
- Worked Example: Development vs Livelihoods
- Inter-State Relations and Cooperative Federalism
- Pressure Groups, NGOs and Civil Society in Governance
- Stone Age India: Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic Cultures
- The Gupta Age and Harsha: Polity, Society, Science and Culture