The Prayas ePathshala

Exams आसान है !

03 December 2022

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MAINS QUESTIONS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. Consider the region’s development in light of the North-East Council of India’s contributions. (250 words)

Paper & Topic: GS III  Government Policies and Interventions

Introduction:

  • The eight States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura make up the North Eastern Region. The principal organisation for the region’s economic and social growth is the North Eastern Council (NEC). 1971 saw the creation of the North Eastern Council thanks to a parliamentary act. The Council’s establishment has signalled the start of a new phase of planned and coordinated activity for the Region’s quick development. NEC has played a big role in the beginning of a new economic initiative over the past 35 years that aims to remove the fundamental obstacles preventing the area from growing properly, ushering in a new era of hope in an underdeveloped area with enormous potential.

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Aspects of the North-East Council’s duties:

  • The course of action on any such matter is something that both the Central Government and the Governments of the States are interested in, especially when it comes to: any matter of common interest in the area of economic and social planning; any matter relating to inter-State transport and communications; any matter relating to power or flood control projects of common interest.
  • It is crucial to develop and present ideas in order to ensure the balanced development of the North-Eastern Areas, particularly with regard to the following: a unified and coordinated regional plan, which will be in addition to the state plan, in regard to matters of common importance to that area; prioritising the projects and schemes included in the regional plan and recommending stages in which the regional plan may be implemented; and regarding the location of the projects and schemes.

Meaning of the North-East Council:

  • The strategic location of India’s North Eastern Region (NER), which borders Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, and Nepal, is advantageous to global trade. The local fauna and natural resources are incredibly abundant.
  • In contrast to the Shillong advisory body, the five zonal councils established by the States Reorganization Act of 1956 have a different status.
  • It was given the authority to create regional plans and find answers for specific issues of common concern, including planning, flood control, and interstate transportation. NEC, however, has not achieved its political goals over the most of its history.
  • By acting as an institutional anchor for its member nations, the NEC can aid in the establishment of a development strategy.
  • The NEC may additionally comprise ministers of external relations and commerce due to the strategic importance of the region.
  • The Act East Policy would be disproved as a result, and northeastern state policy would prioritise commerce.
  • The NER is strategically significant since it provides the only land connection to East Asia, a priority area for Indian foreign policy. 90% of its border is shared with our neighbours Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, and Nepal. It has been considered to as India’s gateway to East Asia due to its geographic location. The region must therefore succeed for India’s East Asia policy to do so.
  • The activities that connect Northeast Asia to South East Asia will frequently travel via that region.
  • Additionally, the area has to grow in order to maintain its status as a regional power, which China is threatening right now.
  • India is under pressure to ensure the success of sub-regional initiatives like the Bay of Bengal Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal), as many of the members of the BBIN and the BIMSTEC are also members of the BRI, in light of China’s launch of the Belt & Road Initiative.
  • The area’s growth will determine whether these initiatives are successful.

Moving ahead:

  • Trade, horticulture, ecotourism, and ecotourism must be NEC’s four main areas of focus. The northeast enjoys a competitive advantage in many industries.
  • The area has the potential to become India’s powerhouse with about 60,000 MW of potential hydropower.
  • The lush northeastern region provides high-end, exotic products including tea, quinoa, kiwi, orchids, dragon fruit, passion fruit, palm oil, and enormous cardamom, as well as medicinal and fragrant plants.
  • Despite the fact that this region produces more than three-fifths of India’s bamboo, there is no formal plan in place for its industrial use.
  • A hub-and-spoke approach of aggregation, processing, and selling is now required to support horticulture and agriculture.
  • Recommendations for management and planning in these crucial industries must be part of a strong NEC.
  • The creation of a professionally run venture capital fund that offers startup enterprises seed financing and mentoring support would aid in the emergence of a new generation of budding businesses.
  • Through cooperation with a famous academic organisation like IIM-Shillong, a framework for carrying out evidence-based policy research will be built.
  • Planning for a region with this much complexity and diversity from Delhi is simply not doable. The NEC is in a perfect position to take on this duty and act as a bridge between local authorities and the federal government.
  • Now is an excellent time to examine the NEC’s goal and consider a course of reform as it gets ready to mark its 50th anniversary in 2022.

Conclusion:

  • The links between business and growth are hampered by trade restrictions, societal upheaval, regional supply chain constraints, and inadequate infrastructure. The specific characteristics of the northeast give rise to certain strategic, economic, and cultural problems. In the spirit of cooperative federalism, it is evident that we need a forum to discuss the large picture and harmonise competing policy objectives. The changeover of NITI Aayog may serve as an example for future iterations of the North Eastern Council.

Q2. Why are India’s smart cities and towns experiencing an increase in flooding risk? (250 words)

Paper & Topic: GS III – Indian Agriculture

Introduction:

  • Urban floods have become more frequent recently in many Indian cities. The heavy rains that lashed Bangalore, Mumbai, and Hyderabad have resulted in significant urban flooding. Urban flooding happens when a large amount of rain overwhelms storm drains and floods land or other property in an urban setting, especially in areas with higher population densities. Urban communities frequently cannot keep up with the rate of irrational, unchecked urbanisation that is causing approaching crises around the planet. In 2017, there were urban floods in Gurgaon, Bangalore, and Chennai, among other cities. Flooding and standing water are signs that urban builders did not give hydrology much thought.

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Natural Factors:

  • Increasing rainfall: From June 1 to July 13, 2020, southwest monsoon rainfall across the country was 12% above average for this time of year, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
  • The southwest monsoon has not, however, had an identical influence everywhere.
  • The amount of rain in India’s northern, central, and southern states is unusually high. Andhra Pradesh (61% over average) and Bihar (57% above average) had the most rainfall.
  • On July 19, 2020, Delhi had almost 70 millimetres of rain, the most in the previous five years, according to sources.
  • The drainage systems of coastal settlements are hampered by the high tides brought on by thunderstorms and cyclonic storms.

Manmade Factors:

  • Concretization: The majority of cities had water features including lakes, ponds, streams, and rivulets that met the city’s water needs, restored its water supply, and directed more rainfall to larger water features. Concrete has largely obliterated these aquifers.
  • For instance, a stream that fed the Yamuna used to be close to Delhi’s busy ITO. With good reason, the area is one of Delhi’s most submerged during times of intense rain.
  • harming wetlands: Natural streams and watercourses were created over thousands of years by the forces of flowing water in the corresponding watersheds.
  • Urban lakes are being encroached upon and filled with mud and construction debris in order to recover the land, thus there is nowhere for water to be collected. g. Bengaluru had more than 250 lakes in the 1960s. In the entire city, just 10 of these waterbodies are currently in decent shape.
  • In the 1950s, Chennai’s flood storage area, the Pallikarnai marsh, covered a total area of about 5,000 hectares. It was thought that the area’s size had shrunk to 600 hectares as a result of the terrible floods that struck the region in November of last year.
  • The Buckingham Canal, Cooum, and Adyar rivers in Chennai have been transformed into landfills. The wetlands in Mumbai near Sewri have also, like other areas in New Mumbai. The city physically sprang to life in the Mithi, the river it had lost to development, after the devastating floods of 2005.
  • Poor water and sewerage management: Because most towns lack adequate sewage infrastructure, people typically dump their garbage in stormwater drains. The problem grows worse when businesses pour their unclean water down these drains.
  • All of this lowers stormwater drain capacity and enables contaminated water to penetrate into larger bodies of water.
  • Storm water drainage systems were traditionally designed to endure 12 to 20 mm of rain.
  • These capacities have been swiftly exceeded each time there has been a higher intensity of rainfall.
  • Additionally, due to exceedingly poor maintenance, the systems frequently operate below their declared capacity.
  • Stormwater drains cannot handle the weight of the water that had permeated the ground.
  • Cities also do not distinguish between stormwater drains and sewage disposal outlets.
  • Unauthorized construction and invasion:
  • Encroachments are a big problem in many cities and towns.
  • City roadways flood as a result of real estate development obstructing water flow.
  • Significant encroachment has occurred on both the river flood basins and natural drainage systems.
  • The reduced capacity of the natural drains has resulted in flooding.
  • The capacity of the pipes is significantly decreased by improperly disposing of solid waste, such as domestic, office, and industrial trash, as well as by pouring construction debris into drains.
  • Deforestation: Huge sections of forest are cut down to make way for cities, highways, and farms. As a result, soil is quickly lost to drains near to rivers and/or in the catchment areas of cities, where it is quickly replaced by water.
  • Raising the drain-bed eventually causes overflow, which leads to urban floods.
  • organization’s components
  • Lack of flood control measures: The quantity of water that percolates into subsurface aquifers has decreased as land has been more concreted, increasing surface runoff. The absence of strong legislation guiding how rainwater recharge systems operate creates the optimum flooding setting.
  • a city where many authorities exist, but none are in charge:
  • Wetlands are converted into concrete structures thanks to a collaboration between the real estate mafia and shady municipal tax agencies. Lakes thus become smaller, and some lakes may even vanish from records.
  • Local governments in cities don’t have enough money.

Structure-Related Measures:

  • upkeep of urban wetlands’ streams, lakes, and ponds
  • Construction of differential slopes is done along roadways and sidewalks to funnel additional water into reservoirs.
  • enhancing the stormwater removal system.
  • By March 31 of each year, all significant drains must be de-silted in preparation for the monsoon season.
  • All buildings in urban areas are required to collect rainwater as part of their utility.
  • The idea of rain gardens should be considered when designing public parks, just as it should be considered when designing new developments and larger towns that require on-site storm water management.
  • Traps and trash racks can be used to modify the drainage system so that less solid waste enters storm sewers.

Intervention with No-Building:

  • A national hydro-meteorological network that complies with the NDMA is required for all Indian cities.
  • The expected future flood strength, duration, and land use changes should be the basis for assessments of the flood risk.
  • Better forecasting of rainfall events; prompt public dissemination of information—nowcasting alerts or real-time weather updates.
  • Dredging of riverbeds, minimal encroachment, and correct application of Coastal Regulation Zone limits are all necessary.
  • preparations for flood protection for structures
  • Strict guidelines must be created for the treatment of solid waste and wastewater in metropolitan areas in order to reduce the contamination of storm water.

Moving ahead:

  • Municipal leaders are powerless to stop urban flooding of this magnitude, so a diversified approach is required. Flooding cannot be controlled without concerted and targeted time, effort, and monetary investments.
  • The Metropolitan Development Authorities, the National Disaster Management Authority, the State Revenue and Irrigation Departments, and others should work with local governments on this initiative.
  • Only with the active involvement of civil society organisations on a metropolitan scale can such investments in a mission-driven organisation be made.
  • constructing sponge cities
  • The objective of a sponge city is to increase a city’s capacity to absorb and utilise the water that is shed onto it.
  • Cities act like giant sponges, soaking up rainwater, which the earth then filters naturally before entering metropolitan aquifers.
  • This enables groundwater access via wells in urban or peri-urban regions.
  • Just a simple treatment is necessary before using this water in municipal water systems.
  • Wetland Policy: If management of wetlands is to be given top priority, local communities must be included.
  • There must, without a doubt, be stringent regulation of terrain modification and a ban on further landscape modifications.
  • For the city to better absorb water, new porous technologies and materials must be widely promoted or made necessary.
  • In addition to drainage techniques that allow rainfall to seep into the ground, these technologies also include permeable materials for roads and pavement, green roofs, rainwater harvesting systems, bioswales, and retention systems.
  • Planning for drainage: An emergency drainage plan and watershed management should be expressly defined in policies and laws.
  • Instead of using artificial borders like electoral wards, urban watersheds—small-scale ecological drainage systems that are impacted by topography—must be taken into consideration when developing a drainage plan. Entities must unequivocally demonstrate that they are free from local legislation.

Urban planning that considers water use:

  • These methods do, albeit in very limited ways, take geographic variables, surface types (permeable or impermeable), natural drainage, and environmental impact into account.
  • Risk analysis and vulnerability evaluations should be included in city master plans.
  • Due to a changing climate, the drainage infrastructure, in particular storm water drainage, must be built with the new “normals” in mind.
  • One instrument that can do that and connect it to the adaptability of urban land use is predictive precipitation modelling.

Conclusion:

  • In India, flooding is a result of both anthropocentric growth and natural change. The latter, however, has been more responsible for floods during the Anthropocene epoch. Given the ongoing acceleration of global warming, it is even more crucial for planned urbanisation. In order to reduce urban flooding, it is essential to understand geohydrology.
  • Through an urban mission like the National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), or Smart Cities Mission, all of these can be fulfilled with success. By assisting in the control of recurrent floods as well as other fault lines, guaranteeing water security, providing additional green space, and responding to other fault lines, urban flood management will strengthen the city’s resilience and sustainability. Therefore, thoughtful urban planning that strikes a balance between the demands of the economy and the environment is required.

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