UPSC Mains 2016 GS Paper 3 Q16: model answer
With reference to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines, discuss the measures to be adopted to mitigate the impact of the recent incidents of cloudbursts in many places in Uttarakhand.
What the question wants
Discuss measures, with reference to NDMA guidelines, to reduce the impact of cloudbursts in Uttarakhand.
How to structure it
The hazard, why Uttarakhand, measures.
- What a cloudburst is
- Why impacts are severe
- Measures under NDMA guidelines
- Lessons from Kedarnath
How to think it through
IMD: 100 mm/hour or more over ~20–30 sq km. Kedarnath June 2013 (~6,000 dead). Severity: steep slopes, narrow valleys, settlements on riverbanks, deforestation, road cutting, debris flows, flash floods, glacial lakes. NDMA guidelines on landslides (2009) and floods (2008) + Uttarakhand-specific post-2013: early warning via DWR (Mukteshwar, Surkanda Devi), regulation of construction in river zones, slope stabilisation, afforestation, pilgrim regulation and registration, SDRF, helipads, community warning, river zoning, hazard zonation mapping, carrying capacity of shrines.
Model answer
In June 2013, heavy rain and a cloudburst above Kedarnath, together with the collapse of Chorabari lake, sent a wall of water and boulders through the valley. About 6,000 people were killed or went missing. Since then, Uttarakhand has seen cloudbursts almost every monsoon.
What makes cloudbursts deadly here
- A cloudburst is very intense rain, about 100 mm an hour or more over a small area.
- Steep slopes and narrow valleys turn rain into flash floods and debris flows within minutes.
- Settlements, hotels and roads built on riverbanks.
- Road cutting and deforestation weaken slopes.
- Huge pilgrim crowds in a few weeks.
- Glacial lakes that can add to the flood.
Measures under NDMA guidelines
- Early warning: Doppler weather radars in the hills and automatic weather stations.
- Hazard zonation maps to keep buildings off flood and landslide-prone land.
- River zoning: no construction in the active floodplain.
- Slope stabilisation, drainage and afforestation along roads.
- Regulating pilgrims through registration and capacity limits.
- SDRF and helipads in each district for rapid rescue.
- Community warning: sirens and trained village volunteers.
- Safe shelters along pilgrimage routes.
Lessons from Kedarnath
- Disasters in the hills are made worse by how we build, not only by how it rains.
- Char Dham road widening and hydro projects need careful slope studies.
The rain cannot be stopped, but the town can be built where the water will not reach it.
Draw: A valley cross-section: cloudburst above, debris flow down, buildings on the riverbank marked 'unsafe'.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
cloudburst 100 mm/hr, Kedarnath 2013, Chorabari lake, flash flood, debris flow, DWR, hazard zonation, river zoning, pilgrim regulation, SDRF, NDMA landslide guidelines 2009.
Where most answers lose marks
- Describing the meteorology without measures.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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