UPSC Mains 2020 · GS I · Q15 · 15 marks · 250 words

Account for the huge flooding of million cities in India including the smart ones like Hyderabad and Pune. Suggest lasting remedial measures.

हिन्दी में

भारत में दशलक्षीय नगरों जिनमें हैदराबाद एवं पुणे जैसे स्मार्ट सिटीज़ भी सम्मिलित हैं, में व्यापक बाढ़ के कारण बताइए । स्थायी निराकरण के उपाय भी सुझाइए ।

How a topper answered the closest question

Toppers wrote this one in a test series: “Incidence of extreme rainfall events and flash floods in recent times has led to devastating consequences for major cities of India. Analyse.”

Astha JainAIR 9 · CSE 2025 · 224 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening

Recently, Delhi experienced flooding in several parts even drowning 2 students.

Factors responsible

Body

  1. Climate change induced extreme weather events (eg) Cloudbursts in Himalayan cities
  2. Heat island effect causing low pressure zones & subsequent rainfall
  3. Concretisation of urban areas → no penetration of rain water cause floods.
Diagram
Cities on flood map: - Map outline of India showing labels: - Delhi - Jaipur - Ahmedabad - Mumbai - Bengaluru - Hyderabad - Chennai - Kolkata

④ Poor drainage pattern → frequent clogging ⑤ Waste generation & poor management leads to failure of drainage system ⑥ Encroachment on floodplains → e.g. Yamuna in Delhi ⑦ Deforestation + decline in water storage systems such as ponds → e.g. Bengaluru. ⑧ Poor planning + municipalities failures

Devastating consequences ① On human lives → loss of precious lives → e.g. Bengaluru floods claimed 12 lives in 2023 ② Livelihood → affect normal function of economic activities as rain bring cities to standstill ③ Poor living conditions (e.g. Gurugram) always stuck in flood induced jams (4) Loss of economic output → as industrial activities suffer (5) Decline in EoDB due to extreme weather effects (6) Infrastructure damage (eg Potholes in roads) (7) International reputation harm (eg Mumbai floods)

How to manage → a) Blue green infra (eg China's sponge city model) → b) Afforestation (eg Miyawaki) → c) Rainwater Harvesting (eg Indore Model) → d) Drainage system (eg Denmark) → e) Proper planning (eg Ahmedabad planning)

Close

Urban areas must realise SDG 11 → Sustainable cities

2 more toppers’ answers to this question, part by part, and how they all approached it: open the question.

Toppers’ answers to other close questions

Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) Examination 2020, General Studies Paper I, Q15. The paper on upsc.gov.in. Themes and links to toppers’ answers are by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.