MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. What are the main features of the Dam Safety Act of 2021? Talk on the issues raised by this act as well.
GS III – Environmental Conservation related issues
Introduction:
- Approximately 80% of the nearly 6,000 big dams in India are over 25 years old and pose a safety risk. Although the issue of dam safety has been in India since its independence, the founding of the Dam Safety Organisation in 1979 signalled the country’s need for consistent legislation pertaining to dam safety. After more than 30 years of talks and debates between the federal government and state governments, the recently passed Dam Safety Act, 2021, takes a federalist stance on addressing the problem of dam safety.
Important Clauses of the Dam Safety Act of 2021:
- National Law on Dam Safety: Passed under the Union List, this Act was enacted to include all of India, not just a select few states, in contrast to the Dam Safety Bill, 2010.
- Application to Specified Dams: The Act covers “specified dams” that are either privately held or owned by State Agencies. It is applicable to dams built either before or after the Act’s implementation.
- Creation of Regulatory Institutions: The National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS), the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), the State Committee on Dam Safety (SDSCJ), and the State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs) are the authorities established under the Act.
- Functions of SDSOs in respect to dam safety: The SDSOs have the major responsibility and functions in relation to ensuring dam safety, with the NCDS, NDSA, and SDSC being primarily viewed as policy making bodies. Within their jurisdiction, they are accountable for maintaining constant watch, conducting inspections, and overseeing the upkeep and operation of designated dams.
- Dam Owner Responsibilities: The act imposes several duties on dam owners. They will be in charge of the dam’s safe construction, operation, maintenance, and oversight in accordance with the Act. A Dam Safety Unit must be established, tasked with inspecting the dams both before and after the monsoon, as well as before and after natural disasters like earthquakes and floods or any other indication of distress.
- Offences and Penalties: The failure to comply with instructions given under the Act and impeding the performance of state authorities’ (or any person authorised in this regard) functions are penalised by up to a year in prison, a fine, or both.
Issues with the Dam Safety Act of 2021:
- Regulatory bodies that fail to appoint members or appoint them after the deadline are effectively rendered defunct.
- Constitutional validity: The main objections made to this are related to its constitutionality. Only state legislatures have the authority to create laws because water, water storage, and water power are classified as state matters under Article II of the Constitution.
- Weak Definition of Operational Safety: The act’s vague definition of operational safety raises additional concerns. Both operational and structural safety are included in dam safety. But the Act prioritises structural safety over operational safety, placing too little focus on the latter.
- Key bodies’ authorities: The Act also raises questions about the authority and duties of the NCDS, NDSA, and SCDSCs. The Act’s schedules outline the responsibilities of various authorities. These schedules may be changed by the Central Government by notifying the appropriate parties. A legal question that emerges in this context is whether a notification or a legislative amendment should be used to change a statutory authority’s primary functions.
- Clause pertaining to compensation: The Standing Committee had suggested that the Bill include language that would compensate the impacted parties in the event of a dam disaster. The Act does not include the same.
- The Dam Safety Act of 2021 is a good step towards risk reduction and disaster mitigation, despite its problems and difficulties. It is a law that is forward-thinking and revitalises dam safety.
Q2. Justify the Himalayas’ prominence as India’s most important geographical feature. Discuss about the Himalayas’ several grave problems as well.
GS III – Environmental Conservation related issues
Introduction:
- In India’s northeastern region, the Himalayas are located. The Greater Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, and the Outer Himalayas are the three parallel mountains that make up the Himalayan range. One of the planet’s youngest mountain ranges is the Himalayas. They make up India’s most defining geographical feature.
The Himalayan Mountains’ significance to India:
- Influence on Climate: Apart from the Monsoon, the Himalayas have a significant impact on the climate of India. Thanks to their advantageous height, length, and position, they are able to successfully block the summer monsoons that originate in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal and produce precipitation in the form of rain and snow. Additionally, they keep India from being invaded by the chilly continental air masses of Central Asia.
- River Source: The Himalayas serve as a massive water reserve for the rivers in northern India. The Himalayan glaciers are the source of almost all India’s large, perennial rivers. The Himalayan rivers are northern India’s lifeblood.
- Fertile Soil: The sediments that were deposited in the Tethys Sea gave rise to the Himalayas. The northern plain is the most fertile place in the world because of the sediment that the Himalayan rivers carry and deposit there as rich soil.
- Hydroelectricity: The finest places to build dams are in the deep valleys of the Himalayas. There are multiple locations in the Himalayan region that are ideal for hydroelectricity generation. For instance, the two largest dams in this area are Tehri and Bhakra.
- Forest wealth: There are an abundance of forest resources in the Himalayan Ranges. The Himalayan mountains exhibit a series of vegetative cover types as they rise in elevation, ranging from tropical to Alpine. The Himalayan region is home to numerous medicinal plants in addition to regions of lush grass that provide abundant pastures for grazing animals.
- Agriculture: Although there isn’t much flat land available in the Himalayas, hills are terraced here for farming.
- Travel: The Himalayas’ stunning scenery and wholesome environment make them a great destination for travellers. The Himalayas are home to a number of well-known tourist destinations, including Almora, Darjeeling, Mirik, Gangtok, Nainital, Chamba, Ranikhet, and Shimla and Mussoorie.
- Minerals: There are a lot of valuable minerals in the Himalayan region. The tertiary rocks have enormous mineral oil potential. There is coal in Kashmir. It is known that the Himalayas have more than 100 locations for copper, lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt, antimony, tungsten, gold, silver, limestone, semi-precious and precious stones, gypsum, and magnetite.
Problems the Himalayas face are:
- Numerous significant problems that the Himalayas face endanger the region’s ecosystem, biodiversity, and human way of life.
- Climate Change: It is generally acknowledged that the Himalayan glaciers’ accelerating retreat is primarily due to climate change. Significant alterations in freshwater flows are expected to result from ongoing climate change, which will have a profound effect on people, biodiversity, and their means of subsistence.
- Loss of Habitat: Some of the biggest threats to biodiversity in this area include the conversion of forests to agricultural land, development projects, and the use of forests for fuel, fodder, and timber. The manufacturing of wood charcoal and extensive grazing are two other risks.
- Species Loss: Due to their high financial value on the black market, endangered species like tigers, elephants, and rhinos are particularly vulnerable to poaching, which poses a serious threat to the region’s wildlife.
- Infrastructure and development: Arable land and biodiversity hotspots may be submerged as a result of the construction of many dams without a proper environmental impact assessment. The construction of reservoirs would not only submerge valley habitats but also force locals to leave their homes. Another issue of interest is how dams affect fisheries and fish ecology.
- Unrestrained tourism: Religious tourist destinations like Char Dham have been so overly commercialised and overused that they can no longer be sustained. Increased plastic pollution from tourists has also had an impact on the Himalayas’ sensitive ecosystem.
- Legislation imposing building rules, prohibiting significant operations and projects in vulnerable areas, and promoting geologically sustainable surface connectivity projects are all necessary and must be introduced by Himalayan governments. The necessity of the moment is to take immediate action, which includes organising and practising for quick reaction, evacuation, monitoring, early warning systems, and technology with human engagement.
