UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 1 : Questions on Rising sea levels and landslides (Week 62)

QUESTION 2

What is a landslide and which regions in India are prone to landslides? Discuss the factors that cause landslides.

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

QUESTION 1: Rising sea levels have pushed countries to relocate their towns and capital cities. Discuss with examples.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— Since 1880, the average sea level has increased by roughly 21 to 24 centimetres. The combination of seawater’s thermal expansion as it heats and the melting of ice sheets and glaciers is mostly to blame for the rising water level.

— Between 2006 and 2015, the average annual rise in the global mean sea level was 3.6 millimetres, 2.5 times the average annual rise of 1.4 millimetres throughout the majority of the twentieth century.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Why does sea level matter?

— Rising sea levels are endangering the infrastructure that is essential for local jobs and regional industries in metropolitan areas along coasts worldwide. roads, bridges, subways, sewage treatment facilities, landfills, water supplies, and oil and gas wells, among other infrastructure.

— Increasing sea levels also results in more regular high tide flooding, which is frequently referred to as “nuisance flooding” since it can be costly and disruptive but is typically not fatal or dangerous.

— In the natural world, coastal ecosystems that offer recreational opportunities, storm protection, and habitat for fish and wildlife—including commercially lucrative fisheries—are put under stress due to increasing sea levels.

— Sea levels are rising, and this is contaminating freshwater aquifers—many of which support natural ecosystems and municipal and agricultural water supplies—with saltwater.

Factors responsible for the rise in the sea level

— Melting of glacier sheets

— As water warms, the volume of the ocean expands

— There is a decline in the amount of liquid water on land—aquifers, lakes and reservoirs, rivers, soil moisture

Recent examples of relocation of towns and cities

(i) Monrovia: Capital town of Liberia, located in the western Africa. Here, sea level rise and coastal erosion displaced more than 6,500 people, and destroyed 800 houses between 2013 and 2018.

(ii) Jakarta: Indonesia is transferring its capital to the island of Borneo. Jakarta has a population of roughly 10 million people, with the greater metropolitan area housing three times as many people. It has been dubbed the world’s fastest-sinking city, with one-third of the city expected to be inundated by 2050 if current trends continue.

— The primary reason is uncontrolled groundwater exploitation, but it has been exacerbated by climate change-induced rising Java Sea levels.

Conclusion:

— The dilemma that Monrovia is confronting is a global one. Since 1880, the global sea level has risen by around 8-9 inches (21-24 cm). The more concerning aspect, however, is that the rate of rise has accelerated since 1993.

— As global temperatures rise, more glaciers and ice sheets melt, releasing water into the ocean. Global warming is also making the ocean warmer, which causes thermal expansion – when water warms, it expands in volume. This contributes to sea level rise as well.

(Source: Why Liberia might relocate its capital city Monrovia, Why is Indonesia moving its capital from Jakarta to Borneo?, http://www.climate.gov)

Points to Ponder

Effects of rising sea levels

India and rise in sea levels

Depletion of groundwater

Related Previous Year Questions

Discuss the consequence of Climate change on the food security in tropical countries. (2023)

Why is the world today confronted with a crisis of availability of and access to freshwater resources? (2023)

QUESTION 2: What is a landslide and which regions in India are prone to landslides? Discuss the factors that cause landslides.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— A landslide is a physical occurrence in which a portion of rock, debris, or soil falls due to the influence of gravity.

— A combination of terrain-specific geo-factors such as slope, lithology, rock structure, land use/cover, and geomorphology causes it.

— Landslides occur on around 12.6% of India’s land area, excluding snow-covered areas. Landslide-prone regions in India:

(i) North East Himalaya including Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalaya;

(ii) North West Himalaya (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir);

(iii) Western Ghats and Konkan hills (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra) and

(iv) Eastern Ghats of Araku area in Andhra Pradesh.

— The landslide-prone Himalayan terrain is located in the most earthquake-prone zones (Zones IV and V), where earthquakes with Modified Mercalli strength VIII to IX can occur, making it prone to earthquake-triggered landslides.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Factors responsible for Landslide

— During a landslide, large amounts of rock, boulders, loose mud, soil, and debris roll down slopes and hillsides, gathering great momentum and often taking vegetation or buildings along.

— There are two factors responsible for the landslides:

(i) Conditioning factors and

(ii) Triggering factors

— Conditioning elements include soil topography, rocks, geomorphology, and slope angles, among others. These characteristics make certain sections of the country more susceptible to landslides than others.

— Triggering variables include heavy rainfall and anthropological activities such as rash land use changes, road and bridge construction, unplanned and unscientific construction, and large-scale forest degradation.

— Recent example: According to S Abhilash, director of the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research (ACARR) at Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, “Most of the landslides that are taking place in Kerala are around plantation areas, indicating another major triggering factor — agricultural activities such as monocropping, in which large, native trees, which hold the top soil to the bedrock, are cut down. These trees are being replaced by big plantation crops, such as tea and coffee, which have shallow roots.”

Conclusion:

— According to a team from IIT-Madras that has studied the phenomena, India accounts for around 8% of global landslide fatalities, with 847 dead and thousands displaced between 2001 and 21.

— Sikkim has the most landslide-prone land area (57.6%), whereas Kerala is the most vulnerable state outside of the Himalayas, with more than 14% of its land mass classified as “very high susceptibility”.

(Source: Why do landslides occur, and what triggered the tragedy in Wayanad? by Dipanita Nath, http://www.gsi.gov.in)

Points to Ponder

Recent landslides in Papua New Guinea and Sulawesi island in Indonesia

NDMA guidelines related to landslides

Related Previous Year Questions

Describe the various causes and the effects of landslides. Mention the important components of the National Landslide Risk Management Strategy. (2021)

Discuss the recent measures initiated in disaster management by the Government of India departing from the earlier reactive approach. (2020)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 61)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 60)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 62)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 61)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 61)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 62)

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