Water Geography — Rivers, Groundwater Depletion, Inter-Basin Issues & Water Security

What should you study in Water Geography?

• Surface water — river regimes, inter-basin transfers
• Groundwater depletion — India's crisis, dark zones, CGWB data
• Water stress — Falkenmark index, water wars potential
• Water security schemes — Jal Jeevan Mission, Atal Bhujal Yojana

How often is Water Geography asked in UPSC Mains?

Asked in 4 of 10 years, including 2 of the last 5. Highlighted years below are the ones it appeared in.

1. 2016: not asked
2. 2017: not asked
3. 2018: asked
4. 2019: not asked
5. 2020: asked
6. 2021: not asked
7. 2022: asked
8. 2023: not asked
9. 2024: asked
10. 2025: not asked

About the Mains GS Paper I paper

GS Paper I is a 250-mark descriptive Mains paper covering Indian heritage and culture, history and geography of the world, and society. See all 41 Mains GS Paper I topics.

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