Question

Alaknanda river originates from ______ and Bhagirathi Kharak glacier.
1. Zemu
2. Satopanth
3. Gangotri
4. Pindari

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : Satopanth

The correct answer is Satopanth.

• The source of the Alaknanda River is the confluence of Satopanth Glacier and Bhagirathi Kharak Glacier.
• The Alaknanda is a Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India, and the holy river of Hinduism.
• In hydrology, the Alaknanda is considered the source stream of the Ganges on account of its greater length and discharge; however, in Hindu tradition and culture, the other headstream, the Bhagirathi, is considered the source stream.
• The five main tributaries joining with Alaknanda in order include Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini, and Bhagirathi all rising in the northern mountainous regions of Uttarakhand.
• After the last tributary merging at Devprayag the river is known as the Ganges. The Alaknanda contributes a significantly larger portion to the flow of the Ganges than the Bhagirathi.

• Zemu Glacier is the largest glacier in the Eastern Himalaya.
  • It is about 26 kilometres in length and is located at the base of Kangchenjunga in the Himalayan region of Sikkim, India. The Zemu Glacier drains the east side of Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain.
• Siachin is the largest glacier.
  • Siachen Glacier, one of the world's longest mountain glaciers, lying in the Karakoram Range system of Kashmir near the India–Pakistan border, extending for 70 km from north-northwest to south-southeast.
  • Siachen glacier, located in the eastern Karakoram Range in the Himalayas.
  • It is one of the five largest glaciers in the Karakoram, situated at an average altitude of 18,000 ft above sea level.
  • At 78 km long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second longest in the world's non-polar areas.