Q148: GPSC Prelims 2026 GS: Previous Year Question with Answer

Consider the following statements regarding Aravallis: 1. The region is home to important lakes and wetlands including Sambhar, Sultanpur, Pushkar, Fatehsagar and Jaisamand. 2. It is one of the main watersheds, separating the drainage of the Bay of Bengal, through rivers like Chambal and other tributaries of the Yamuna, from that of the Arabian Sea through the Mahi, Sabarmati, Luni and other rivers. 3. The mountain range is home to lead, zinc, copper, gold, tungsten and has reserves of critical minerals such as tin, graphite, molybdenum, niobium, nickel, lithium and rare earth elements (REEs). These are considered to be of strategic relevance for energy transition, high-technology manufacturing and national security. 4. Rocks in the Aravallis are highly fractured, weathered and porous, allowing rainwater to percolate deep into the ground instead of running off the surface. Any disruption to this recharge system, through mining, construction or deforestation poses a direct and serious threat to regional water availability. 5. The Aravalli hills and range are ‘green lungs’ of North-Western India and serve as the indispensable ecological and socio-economic backbone of the region, functioning as the primary geographical barrier separating the arid North-Western desert from the fertile Northern Indian plains. Which of the above statements are correct?