A geographical unit that collects, stores and release water is called -

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, Watershed. A watershed (also called a catchment or drainage basin) is the geographical unit of land that receives and collects precipitation, stores it in the soil, vegetation and groundwater, and releases it slowly through a common outlet such as a stream or river. This 'collect-store-release' hydrological function is exactly why watershed development is the basic unit of soil and water conservation.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) A wetland is a water-saturated ecosystem (marsh, swamp, mangrove). It holds water and supports biodiversity, but it is not defined as the land unit that collects rainfall and releases it through a common outlet.  (b) Wasteland is degraded or unproductive land — a land-use / land-quality category, not a hydrological unit that regulates water.  (c) Not a standard geographical term for this function. A reservoir stores water, but it is not the surrounding land unit that collects and releases it.

Concept: A watershed is a geo-hydrological unit: all the land whose runoff drains to a single common outlet. Its boundary is the water divide (the ridge line separating adjacent basins). Rain falling anywhere within it is collected, part is stored in soil and groundwater, and the rest is released through the drainage network. Managing water at this natural unit is the basis of watershed development.

State PCS 2023 Q8 — Geography PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q8 — Geography PYQ with Answer