UPSC Mains 2024 GS4 Q11: model answer
With the summer heat being exceptionally severe this year, the district has been facing severe water shortage. The District Collector has been mobilizing his subordinate officials to conserve the remaining water reserves for preventing the district from plunging into acute drinking water crisis. Along with an awareness campaign for conserving water, strict measures have been taken for stopping the over-exploitation of ground-water. Vigilance teams have been deployed to tour the villages and find the farmers who are drawing water from deep borewells or from the river reservoir for irrigation. The farmers are agitated by such action. A delegation of farmers meets the District Collector with their issues and complains that while they are not being allowed to irrigate their crops, big industries located near the river are drawing huge amounts of water through deep borewells for their industrial processes. The farmers allege that their administration is anti-farmer and corrupt, being bribed by the industry. The district needs to placate the farmers as they are threatening to go on a prolonged protest. At the same time, the District Collector has to deal with the water crisis. The industry cannot be closed as this would result in a large number of workers being unemployed.
(a) Discuss all options available to the District Collector as a District Magistrate.
(b) What suitable actions can be taken in view of mutually compatible interests of the stakeholders?
(c) What are the potential administrative and ethical dilemmas for the District Collector?
What the question wants
Collector's options and balanced actions in a water crisis pitting farmers against industry.
How to structure it
Intro: competing needs (drinking, farming, industry). Body: (a) options as District Magistrate: status quo, close industry, equal rationing with audit; (b) mutually compatible actions: water audit, priority order, treated water for industry, crop support; (c) administrative and ethical dilemmas. Conclusion: fairness visible to all.
- 1(a) options as District Magistrate: status quo,
Model answer
Drinking water must come first, but farmers feel singled out while industries draw groundwater. Perceived unfairness is fuelling anger.
- Audit and meter industrial borewells
- Seal illegal extraction
- Recycled water for industry
- Limited irrigation slots
- Compensation and crop support
- Open data and regular meetings
(a) Options
- Continue action only against farmers: legally possible, but unfair and inflammatory.
- Shut industries: pleases farmers but causes job losses.
- Apply restrictions to all users in proportion, verify industrial extraction, and engage farmers: fair and workable.
As District Magistrate, he can use powers under Section 163 BNSS (formerly Section 144 CrPC) and State groundwater laws, along with CGWA permits for industry.
(b) Mutually compatible actions
- Joint inspection of industrial borewells with farmer representatives; seal illegal ones; meter all extraction.
- Priority order as per the National Water Policy: drinking water, then irrigation, then industry.
- Industries to cut use, recycle water and use treated sewage; tankers for villages funded through CSR.
- Limited irrigation slots for standing crops; crop insurance and compensation for losses.
- Promote drip irrigation and short-duration crops; desilt tanks before monsoon.
- Regular meetings and public data on water use to rebuild trust.
- Probe the bribery allegation through vigilance.
(c) Dilemmas
- Livelihood of farmers vs jobs of workers.
- Equity vs economic growth.
- Firm enforcement vs keeping peace.
- Protecting the administration's reputation vs honestly investigating its own staff.
When restrictions are fair and visible, cooperation replaces protest.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
water audit priority of drinking water CGWA equity participatory governance
Where most answers lose marks
- Closing industry outright.
- Ignoring the corruption allegation.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC question paper: https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/QP_CSM_2024_GenStud_IV_03102024.pdf The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.