UPSC Mains 2021 GS Paper 3 Q8: model answer
Discuss about the vulnerability of India to earthquake related hazards. Give examples including the salient features of major disasters caused by earthquakes in different parts of India during the last three decades.
What the question wants
Discuss India's vulnerability to earthquakes, with salient features of major earthquakes in different regions over the last three decades.
How to structure it
Vulnerability, then examples by region.
- Why India is vulnerable
- Major earthquakes
- Common lessons
How to think it through
Indian plate moving north ~5 cm/yr into Eurasia; Himalaya; ~59% area moderate to severe; Delhi zone IV; Kutch and NE zone V. Examples: Latur 1993 (M6.2, ~10,000 dead, stable continental region, night, stone houses); Jabalpur 1997 (M5.8); Chamoli 1999 (M6.6); Bhuj 2001 (M7.7, ~20,000 dead, Republic Day, apartments collapsed in Ahmedabad); Kashmir 2005 (M7.6, mainly Pakistan, ~1,300 in India); Sikkim 2011 (M6.9, landslides); Manipur 2016 (M6.7). Lessons: building quality, soft storeys.
Model answer
India sits on a plate that is pushing into Asia at about 5 cm a year, raising the Himalaya and storing strain along faults. About 59% of India's land is prone to moderate to severe earthquakes.
Why India is vulnerable
- Himalayan arc and the North-East in the highest seismic zone.
- Kutch and parts of peninsular India also active.
- Dense, unplanned cities such as Delhi in zone IV.
- Weak, non-engineered buildings.
Major earthquakes
- Latur, Maharashtra (1993): magnitude about 6.2, in a 'stable' region; struck at night, collapsing heavy stone houses; about 10,000 dead.
- Chamoli, Uttarakhand (1999): magnitude 6.6; landslides blocked roads.
- Bhuj, Gujarat (2001): magnitude 7.7 on Republic Day; about 20,000 dead; high-rise apartments collapsed in Ahmedabad, 300 km away.
- Kashmir (2005): magnitude 7.6; heavy damage in Uri and Kupwara.
- Sikkim (2011): magnitude 6.9; landslides did most of the damage.
- Manipur (2016): magnitude 6.7 near Imphal.
Lessons
- Deaths come from building collapse: retrofitting and code enforcement matter most.
Every region has a fault; preparedness must be national.
Draw: A map of India with dots for each quake and its year.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
Indian plate 5 cm/yr, 59% area, zones, Latur 1993, Chamoli 1999, Bhuj 2001, Kashmir 2005, Sikkim 2011, Manipur 2016, non-engineered buildings, soft storey.
Where most answers lose marks
- Giving examples older than three decades only.
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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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