10 August 2022

10 August 2022 – Daily Mains Answer Writing & Model Answer

Q1. What causes urban water logging? What actions are required in this regard  (250 words)

 Paper & Topic: GS III à Environmental Conservation

Model Answer:

Causes of urban water logging include:

• Natural Origins:
• Thunderstorms, cyclonic storms, and heavy rain are examples of meteorological factors.
• High tides that prevent coastal city drainage and overbank flow channel networks are examples of hydrological factors.
• Human-caused Causes:
• Urban flooding is primarily caused by unauthorised urbanisation. Construction projects that block natural drainage routes and intrude on catchment areas, riverbeds, and lakebeds are both very serious problems.

Numerous important hydrological effects of urbanisation include:

• Increased wastewater production, which harms the environment and pollutes rivers and lakes; increased water demand, which frequently exceeds the supply of natural resources
• Lake degradation is a serious issue in Indian cities. Water flow can be regulated and excess water can be stored in lakes. However, the contaminating of natural urban water sources and their conversion for development uses have raised the risk of flooding.
• Paving surfaces improves surface flow and reduces ground absorption, which reduces infiltration.
• reduced stream base flow, elevated groundwater use, and reduced recharging of the groundwater table.
• Storm-water Drainage systems: These were designed to withstand rains between 12 and 20 mm. These outdated designs are no longer suitable given the growing rainfall in Indian metropolitan regions. The out-of-date and badly maintained drainage system is another factor that renders cities in India vulnerable to flooding.
• Encroachments: Encroachments are a major problem in many cities and municipalities. Communities started to grow into towns and cities along rivers and waterways. Due to this, there has been a corresponding rise in water flow in the watersheds’ urbanisation. The capacity of the natural drains has decreased, resulting in flooding. There were 644 wetlands in 1956, but there are only 123 today.
• Climate change, which is the outcome of countless anthropogenic activities, has caused extreme weather events.
• Poor Solid Trash Management System:The capacity of these systems is significantly reduced by the disposal of home, commercial, and industrial garbage as well as the dumping of construction debris into drains. Serious problems include the buildup of non-biodegradable garbage, silt in storm-water drains, inappropriate waste management procedures, and building debris.
• Reducing Seepage:As a result of increased construction and the use of different materials, Indian cities are becoming more and more water-impervious (hard, a non-porous construction material that makes the soil impervious).
• Poor Implementation:Although measures for rainwater harvesting, sustainable urban drainage systems, etc. are included in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA(aregulatory )’s tool), user uptake and enforcement are still subpar.
• Absence of Community Participation:Strategies for flood management created without the engagement of the impacted community are unsustainable since they don’t meet the needs of key stakeholders.

The following actions must be taken:

A Comprehensive Engagement Is Required:

• Urban floods of this size cannot be controlled by the local government alone. Flooding cannot be controlled without concerted and focused time, effort, and financial investments.
• Municipal corporations, the Metropolitan Development Authorities, the National Disaster Management Authority, the State Revenue, and Irrigation Departments, and others should work together on this project.
• Only when metropolitan-scale civil society organizations are actively involved can such investments be made in a mission-driven organization.

Sponge cities to be constructed:

• The purpose of a sponge city is to improve a city’s capacity to absorb and utilize the water that is shed onto it.
• Cities act like sponges, soaking up rainwater, which the earth then filters naturally before entering urban aquifers.
• This makes it possible to use wells in urban or peri-urban areas to get water from the ground.
• Simply treated, this water can be used in municipal water systems.

More stringent wetlands regulations:

• More consideration must be given to wetland management, and local communities must be involved.
• Unquestionably, there needs to be strict regulation of terrain modification and a ban on more landscape changes.
• To boost the city’s ability to absorb water, new porous technologies and materials must be widely promoted or mandated.
• These technologies include green roofs and rainwater harvesting systems for structures, bioswales and retention systems, permeable materials for roads and pavement, and drainage techniques that let stormwater seep into the ground.

Q2. What obligations does the Indian Constitution’s Article 167 place on the Chief Minister? (250 words)

 Paper & Topic: GS III à Indian Constitution

Model Answer:

• The governor is responsible for appointing the Chief Minister, as stated in Article 164 of the Constitution.
• The members of the party that received the most votes in the assembly elections are picked to serve as the state’s chief minister.

Functions:

When it comes to the Council of Ministers:

• The governor appoints ministries only after considering candidates recommended by the Chief Minister.
• He separates and reorganizes the ministers’ portfolios.
• The council of ministers is presided over by the chief minister, hence its dissolution could arise from his resignation.

In relation to the Governor:

• In accordance with Article 167 of the Constitution, the Chief Minister acts as a liaison between the Governor and the state council of ministers.
• CM offers advice to the Governor for the selection of the head and members of the State Public Service Commission, State Election Commission, etc.

When it comes to the state legislature:

• On the floor of the house, he announces all of the policies.
• He suggests that the Governor dissolve the legislature.

Other Functions:

• He is the chairman of the State Planning Board.
• He holds this position for one year at a time and rotates as the vice-chairman of the appropriate zonal council.
• He takes part in the Inter-State Council and the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, both of which are headed by the prime minister.
• He acts as the main spokesperson for the state government.
• He acts as the main political crisis manager during times of crisis.
• He engages with various groups of the public in his capacity as the head of state and reads notes from them explaining their problems, worries, and so forth.
• He is the political head of the services.