Which state of India has the maximum number of large dams?

Correct — D. Maharashtra carries the largest number of large dams of any Indian state on the National Register of Large Dams, which the Central Water Commission maintains.

The total is built up from hundreds of medium-sized irrigation dams across the Deccan interior, on the Krishna, Bhima and Godavari systems, rather than from a few giant reservoirs.

That is the distinction the item turns on: the state with the most dams need not hold the biggest one. The state with the most is option (d).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Madhya Pradesh — Madhya Pradesh carries big Narmada and Chambal projects such as Indira Sagar and Gandhi Sagar, but its total on the register falls short of Maharashtra's.
• (b)
  Rajasthan — Rajasthan is arid and has few perennial rivers to dam, which caps the number of dams whatever the state's size.
• (c)
  Odisha — Odisha has Hirakud on the Mahanadi, among the longest dams in the world, but a far smaller register of dams overall.

A large dam is a definition, not a size adjective. On the register it means a dam 15 m or more in height above the lowest foundation, or between 10 m and 15 m if it also meets conditions on crest length, storage or spillway capacity.

That definition is why the ranking surprises people. It counts hundreds of modest irrigation structures, and Maharashtra, with a wide drought-prone plateau interior and a long history of irrigation schemes, has built more of them than any other state.

Key facts

• Maharashtra has the largest number of large dams among the Indian states.
• The National Register of Large Dams is compiled by the Central Water Commission.
• A dam 15 m or more above its lowest foundation counts as a large dam.
• Hirakud, on the Mahanadi in Odisha, is among the longest dams in the world.

Common traps

• Choosing the state with the most famous dam instead of the state with the most dams.
• Assuming the largest state by area must hold the most dams.

No directly related past PYQ was found.