21 July 2023

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. Climate change has a significant impact on Indian cities, posing risks like flooding, and this calls for a redesign of our cities. Identify the causes of cities’ increased susceptibility to climate change and suggest ways to improve their ability to adapt to it.

GS I/III – Environmental Conservation and Urbanization related issues

• Cities in India are significantly impacted by climate change. These impacts could have a significant influence on people’s health, way of life, and assets, especially for the urban poor, individuals living in informal settlements, and other vulnerable groups. As global warming advances and local warming in Indian cities increases well above 2°C, climate impact drivers such as too much or too little rain and heat will intensify. Extreme weather occurrences have caused havoc on urban areas, as evidenced by the recent flood in Delhi and northwestern India.

The increased threat of climate change in Indian cities is caused by the following factors:

• By 2025, 70 Indian cities are expected to have more than 1 million inhabitants due to population growth and fast urbanisation. Ecosystems are under increased stress as urban areas and city populations grow. While significant amounts of food, water, and fuel must be carried there, significant amounts of sewage and trash must be removed from the cities. This could have a direct impact on the climate in Indian cities.
• Patterns of land use: Climate change issues are exacerbated by irrational planning and land use practises, which also put millions of people who must live in slums and informal settlements at risk.
• Rising temperatures are contributing to an increase in the detrimental impacts of urban heat stress. Urban temperatures are also increased by anthropogenic heat from transportation and heat waste from buildings.
• Locational vulnerabilities: Cities located in climate change-prone areas, such as those close to rivers, hills, and coastal regions, are more exposed to and sensitive to its effects.
• Pressure on infrastructure: Cities concentrate one-third of the world’s population and two-thirds of its economic output in ever-denser built-up areas, where a lack of appropriate water, sewage, drainage, and other infrastructure makes it challenging to even provide basic services like sanitation.

The following steps can be taken to improve the climatic adaption of Indian cities:

• In order to store the possibly heavy rain that could fall over a short period of time and to treat and recycle wastewater in order to provide clean water and sanitary conditions for the rest of the year, the integration of drainage, water supply, and wastewater systems is the medium-term solution. Services will be enhanced, and waterborne infections will be decreased.
• Road improvement: Many roads have effectively become stormwater drains as a result of metropolitan areas developing more quickly than drainage systems can keep up with. In order to prevent local flooding, city highways’ design and upkeep must be upgraded.
• Integration of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation: Disaster risk reduction (DRR) initiatives and other planning processes that boost urban resilience can both benefit from including climate change adaptation.
• Community involvement in adaptation: Community-based organisations can help inform the public about the dangers posed by climate change, develop potential adaptation measures, and influence behaviour in support of those measures. These organisations typically work with the city’s most vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children, low-income groups, and people who are ill or disabled.
• Building adaptive capacity among the most vulnerable: The poor are more vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters due to where they live in cities and the absence of reliable basic services. Local governments should work to provide the necessary services so that the urban poor are more resilient.
• Greening cities using blue-green-gray infrastructure: As cities expand and turn into impenetrable concrete jungles, there is less room for water to percolate and move. Urban woods, wetlands, rivers, and lakes must be protected in order to prevent flooding, water scarcity, and heat waves brought on by climate change, as well as to enhance livability. For instance, China is working to transform 30 of its megacities into “sponge cities” that employ green roofs to lower run-off into drains. Indian cities can also make use of this.
• Enhancing early warning systems: Following a disastrous series of urban floods in areas like Mumbai and Surat in the early 2000s, India has done well to update its forecasting, early warning, and evacuation systems in several large cities. This needs to be extended to most at-risk locations, and it also needs to be upgraded so that vital services like water, electricity, and mobile phone coverage can endure severe disasters and recover rapidly.
• As a result, given the increasing risk of climate change, it is imperative to protect and prepare Indian cities for impending flooding, droughts, and heat waves. The most effective way to achieve this is to guarantee that all metropolis residents have access to basic environmental services including water, sanitation, drainage, and solid waste management. It will help to minimise their magnitude and intensity to build a “resilient city” that is prepared for both current and future climate impacts.

Q2. Discuss the importance of civil officials abiding by political neutrality when discharging their duties.

GS II – International Relations

• According to the principle of political neutrality, public servants shouldn’t express an opinion on political matters while performing their official duties. It is the idea that public employees shouldn’t endorse or support any particular political party, way of thinking, or interest group while performing their duties. They should defend the values of objectivity, professionalism, and equity instead.

How important political neutrality is for government officials doing their tasks depends on a number of important factors:

• Regardless of their political inclinations, government officials must treat all individuals and groups fairly and impartially. They provide services and base decisions on merit, facts, and the interests of the broader public rather than favouring a specific political goal. This ensures that resources are allocated fairly and equally, as well as maintaining public confidence in the administration.
• Nonpartisanship: Civil officials are responsible for implementing legislative orders and offering public services. Due to their neutrality, they are unable to take part in partisan activities that would compromise the objectivity of their work. Civil servants can focus on their tasks without being diverted by their personal biases or the altering political landscape by maintaining their political neutrality, maintaining stability and continuity in public administration.
• Upholding constitutional principles: Civil servants who uphold their political neutrality can ensure that the rule of law and the ideals of the Constitution are upheld without endorsing any particular political stance.
• Political neutrality fosters professionalism and competence by allowing civil servants to rely on their professional knowledge and skills rather than being swayed by political demands. It enables them to provide objective suggestions, evaluations, and advice based on their familiarity with the present issues. This skill is necessary for effective policy formation, implementation, and evaluation to ensure that decisions are based on sound reasoning and evidence.
• Increasing Public Confidence and Trust Political neutrality increases public confidence in the civil service. When citizens believe that government employees are impartial and unaffected by political pressures, they are more likely to trust the government and its institutions. This trust is necessary for preserving social cohesion, promoting civic participation, and supporting a robust democracy.
• Political neutrality encourages consistency in governance: Political neutrality helps ensure that governance is consistent under various regimes. During times of political transition brought about by elections, civil servants provide stability and institutional memory. By maintaining their objectivity, civil servants aid in a smooth transfer of power by enabling new political leaders to carry out their objectives while utilising the expertise and experience of the civil service.
• The potential for conflict between the advocacy and decision-making responsibilities of the government and the policy function of the Public Service can be managed by upholding political neutrality.
• Civil servants are required to perform a wide range of tasks in the modern world, including advising political representatives, addressing public issues, effecting socioeconomic reforms, and providing products and services. Therefore, having a neutral, impartial bureaucracy is essential. By retaining their neutrality, civil servants can effectively do their duties, provide unbiased advice, and assist in the running of a powerful and accountable government.