Q. With reference to hydroelectricity in North India, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. There are huge possibilities of hydroelectricity in the Himalayan region.
2. 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:
a) Only 2
b) Neither 1 nor 2
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Only 1
Correct Answer: d) Only 1
Question from UPPSC Prelims 2025
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: The Himalayan region offers very large hydroelectric potential due to steep gradients, deep gorges, and perennial snow- and glacier-fed rivers (Indus–Ganga–Brahmaputra system). Most of India’s identified hydropower potential lies in the Himalayan states.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are part of the flat Ganga plain with very low river gradients; that physiography—not the fact that the Himalayas to their north lie in Nepal—is the primary reason they cannot develop large hydel projects within their territory. Moreover, hydropower in Nepal can, in principle, be harnessed through bilateral projects and power trade; some Indo–Nepal river agreements (e.g., Kosi, Gandak) already exist for water management, showing it is not an absolute “cannot.”
Therefore, only Statement 1 is correct.
