UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 1 Questions on GLOF and rain pattern in India (Week 45)

QUESTION 2

How climate change has affected the monsoon rain pattern in India?

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

QUESTION 1: What is a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF)? How GLOF is different from LLOF (Landslide Lake Outburst Flood) in terms of formation and geographical distribution?

Introduction:

— GLOFs are disaster events caused by the abrupt discharge of water from glacial lakes — large bodies of water that sit in front of, on top of, or beneath a melting glacier.

— Glacial lakes are common in the high elevation of glacierised basin. They are formed when glacial ice or moraines or natural depressions impound water.

— There are several types of such lakes, ranging from melt water ponds on the glacier’s surface to enormous lakes blocked by a glacier in the main valley. Normally, these lakes discharge their water by seepage in front of the retreating glacier.

— The moraine creates a topographic depression in which the melt water is generally accumulated leading to formation of glacial lake. When this lake is watertight, melt waters will accumulate in the basin until seepage or overflow limits the lake level.

Body:

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

Lakes in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh and Chamoli districts are more vulnerable to flooding.

Conclusion:

— The Uttarakhand government has constituted teams of experts to evaluate the risk posed by five potentially hazardous glacial lakes in the region. These lakes are prone to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).

— The goal of the risk assessment exercise is to minimise the possibility of a GLOF incident and provide more time for relief and evacuation in case of a breach. Rising surface temperatures across the world, including India, have increased the risk of GLOFs.

(Source: Why Uttarakhand govt wants to evaluate the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods by Avaneesh Mishra and Alind Chauhan, nidm.gov.in)

Points to Ponder

Difference between floods and flash floods

Lakes and Rivers of Uttarakhand

Related Previous Year Questions

The interlinking of rivers can provide viable solutions to the multi-dimensional inter-related problems of droughts, floods, and interrupted navigation. Critically examine. (2020)

Major cities of India are becoming vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss. (2016)

QUESTION 2: How climate change has affected the monsoon rain pattern in India?

Introduction:

— There are two notable types of monsoon in India:

(i) Southwest monsoon: It occurs from June to September. It hits Kerala on the southwestern coast and then proceeds across the country. This monsoon is the primary monsoon affecting India — it not only brings respite from the heat but also contributes to the country’s ecosystem and economy, especially the growing of kharif crops.

(ii) Northeast monsoon: It is also known as the retreating monsoon, which occurs from October to December and affects peninsular India. It isn’t as intense as the southwest monsoon but is crucial for the growth of rabi crops.

Body:

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

Effects of climate change on rain pattern in India

— The study, ‘Decoding India’s Changing Monsoon Patterns: A Tehsil-level Assessment’, was carried out by Shravan Prabhu and Vishwas Chitale of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a research and policy think-tank.

— The study found that monsoon patterns in India have been fast-shifting. It is mainly driven by the accelerating rate of climate change.

Findings of the Assessment

— There has been a notable increase in rainfall in the tehsils of traditionally drier areas, like Rajasthan, Gujarat, the Konkan region, central Maharashtra, and parts of Tamil Nadu. These regions witnessed a jump of more than 30% in the southwest monsoon rainfall when compared to the baseline of 1981–2011.

— Meanwhile, traditionally high monsoon rainfall areas such as Assam and Meghalaya saw a reduction in rainfall.

— The southwest monsoon rainfall rose in 55% of India’s tehsils. The increase, however, has resulted from short-duration, severe rainfall, which frequently causes flash floods.

— During the southwest monsoon in India, wet extremes account for an increasing share of total seasonal rainfall.

— Changes in monsoon patterns can affect agriculture output and ecosystems.

— Rainfall is not distributed evenly throughout the seasons and months.

— The retreating monsoon rainfall spiked by more than 10% in approximately 80% of tehsils in Tamil Nadu, 44% in Telangana, and 39% in Andhra Pradesh.

(Source: How India’s monsoon rain pattern has been changing amid climate change by Alind Chauhan)

Points to Ponder

Cropping season

Retreating monsoon

Related Previous Year Questions

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

What characteristics can be assigned to monsoon climate that succeeds in feeding more than 50 percent of the world population residing in Monsoon Asia? (2017)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 43)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 44)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 45)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 44)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 45)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 44)

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