UPSC Prelims 2017 Question:

With reference to river Teesta, consider the following statements

1. The source of river Teesta is the same as that of Brahmaputra but it flows through Sikkim. 
2. River Rangeet originates in Sikkim and it is a tributary of river Teesta. 
3. River Teesta flows into Bay of Bengal on the border of India and Bangladesh.
   
   

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Explanation: 

• Teesta River is a tributary of the Jamuna River (Brahmaputra River), flowing through India and Bangladesh.
  
  
• Teesta rises in the Himalayas near Chunthang in Sikkim in India and flows to the south, cutting a deep gorge through the Siwalik Hills east of Darjiling (in West Bengal). The river later goes merging up with the Brahmaputra River after it bifurcates the city of Jalpaiguri and flows just touching Cooch Behar district at Mekhliganj and moves to Fulchori in Bangladesh. Teesta river ultimately drains into Brahmaputra at Teestamukh Ghat in Kamarjani- Bahadurabad in Rangpur district of Bangladesh. So, statement 3 is not correct.
  • Brahmaputra originates in the Manasarovar Lake region, near Mount Kailash, on the northern side of the Himalayas in Burang County of Tibet where it is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo River. Hence, the source of Teesta is not the same as Brahmaputra, even though it flows through Sikkim. So, statement 1 is not correct.
    
    
• The Rangeet or Rangit is a tributary of the Teesta river, which is the largest river in the Sikkim. The Rangeet river originates in the Himalayan mountains in West Sikkim district. It also forms the boundary between Sikkim and Darjeeling district. So, statement 2 is correct.
  
  

Therefore, option (2) is the correct answer.

Subject: Geography | Drainage Basins