Question

Ganga–Brahmaputra plain of India is an overpopulated region. State whether the given statement is true or false. If true, give the reasons.

Answer 1

Answer: The given statement is true. Ganga-Brahmaputra plain of India is able to support agricultural activities in abundance. The soil is fertile, the terrain is plain and not mountainous, hence the density of population in Ganga-Brahmaputra plains of India is overpopulated.

• Throughout human history, the most basic and fundamental requirement to support the population was the presence of rivers and climatic conditions.
• Water is extremely important for many human activities and is the basic natural resource.

• Rivers are used for generating power through hydro power plants, for navigation purposes and for irrigation.
• Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for a large proportion of the Indian population.
• The Ganga-Brahmaputra basin has varied topography.
• In the distribution of the population, a dominant role is played by the environment.
• Inhospitable terrain is found in mountainous areas with steep slopes.
• Hence the population density is less in mountainous areas of Ganga-Brahmaputra basin.
• The most suitable land for human habitation is provided by the plain areas.
• In addition to having fertile soil, the main occupation of people where flat land is available is to grow crops. Hence the population density is high in plain areas of Ganga-Brahmaputra plains of India.
• Paddy is the main crop grown in this area, since paddy is grown in areas where there is sufficient water and there is high rainfall.
• The other crops which are grown in Ganga-Brahmaputra plains are millets, gram, sorghum, maize and wheat.
• In some areas of the Ganga-Brahmaputra plains, one can find banana plantations as well.
• In Assam and West Bengal, there are tea plantations.