UPSC Prelims 2026 Question:

Identify the river of the Indian sub-continent on the basis of the following information

1. It has an antecedent drainage system. 
2. It flows through three countries. 
3. It originates in the Tibetan Plateau and is an important river for irrigation. 
4. It does not form distributaries.
   
   

Select the answer from the following:

Explanation:  

The Sutlej is one of the major rivers of the Indus river system. It originates near Lake Rakshastal in the Tibetan  Plateau, enters India through Himachal Pradesh, and later flows into Pakistan. It is an antecedent river and is  highly important for irrigation and hydroelectric projects.  

• The Sutlej has an antecedent drainage system. It existed before the uplift of the Himalayas and  continued to cut across the rising mountains, forming deep gorges in the Himalayan region. So, statement  1 supports Satluj. 
• It flows through three countries: China/Tibet, India and Pakistan. This distinguishes it from many other  rivers of the north-western Indian subcontinent. So, statement 2 supports Sutlej. 
• It originates in the Tibetan Plateau and is important for irrigation. The waters of the Sutlej are used  in major irrigation and multipurpose projects, including the Bhakra-Nangal project. So, statement 3  supports Sutlej. 
• The Sutlej does not form distributaries because it is a tributary of the Indus system and ultimately joins  the Indus basin drainage. Unlike large delta-forming rivers such as the Ganga-Brahmaputra or the Indus  near its mouth, the Sutlej itself does not develop a distributary network. So, statement 4 supports Sutlej. 
• Brahmaputra originates in Tibet and has antecedent features, but it forms distributaries in its lower course.  Indus also originates near the Tibetan region and flows through three countries, but it forms a deltaic  distributary system near its mouth. Teesta does not satisfy all the given conditions.
  
  

Therefore, option (3) is the correct answer.