Consider the following pairs:
| Wetland/Lake | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hokera Wetland | Punjab |
| 2. | Renuka Wetland | Himachal Pradesh |
| 3. | Rudrasagar Lake | Tripura |
| 4. | Sasthamkotta Lake | Tamil Nadu |
How many pairs given above are correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) Only two pairs
All four are Ramsar sites. Renuka (Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh) and Rudrasagar (Melaghar, Tripura) are correctly placed, but Hokera (Hokersar) lies near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, and Sasthamkotta is in Kollam district, Kerala. So only two pairs match.
- ✗ 1. Hokera, also called Hokersar, is a wetland near Srinagar in the Kashmir valley, a winter halt for migratory birds from Siberia and Central Asia — not in Punjab.
- ✓ 2. Renuka lake and the Renuka Wildlife Sanctuary around it are in Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh.
- ✓ 3. Rudrasagar Lake is at Melaghar in Sepahijala district, Tripura; the Neermahal water palace stands in the middle of it.
- ✗ 4. Sasthamkotta (Sasthamcotta) Lake, Kerala's largest freshwater lake, is about 19 km from Kollam town and supplies Kollam's drinking water — it is in Kerala, not Tamil Nadu.
Remember · Hokera/Hokersar — J&K; Renuka — Himachal Pradesh; Rudrasagar (Neermahal) — Tripura; Sasthamkotta — Kerala (largest freshwater lake of the state). All are Ramsar sites.
Sources
- District Srinagar (Government of Jammu and Kashmir): About District ↗ “Hokersar is a wetland situated near Srinagar. Thousands of migratory birds come to Hokersar from Siberia and other regions in the winter season.”
- District Sirmaur (Government of Himachal Pradesh): Renuka Ji ↗ “Renuka lake is situated in the Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh in India and it is 672 m above the sea level.”
- District Sepahijala (Government of Tripura): Neermahal ↗ “It is situated in Melaghar, 53 kilometers away from the Agartala, the capital of Tripura. The palace is situated in the middle of Rudrasagar Lake”
- District Kollam (Government of Kerala): Places of Interest ↗ “Sasthamcottah is an attractive village situated about 19 kms. from Kollam Town. It is a beauty spot, a health resort and a centre of pilgrimage. The extensive freshwater lake here, is said to be the biggest of its kind in Kerala.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·