Topic: Disaster and disaster management.
5. What is Glacial Lake Outburst Flooding? Examine the vulnerabilities of hydro power projects in the Himalayan eco-sensitive region and suggest measures to overcome the same. (250 words)
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
The death toll in the Nanda Devi “glacier burst” in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district went up to 26 on Monday, even as operations continued for the second day to rescue about 35 labourers trapped inside the 2.5-km-long Tapovan hydel project tunnel filled with slush and debris.
Key Demand of the question:
A straightforward question to write about the vulnerabilities of hydro power projects in the Himalayan region and suggest measures to overcome them.
Directive:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must look into the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by defining the concept of Glacial Lake Outburst Flooding.
Body:
In body further elaborate upon how glaciers and glacial lakes form and how the glacier bursts and the reasons therefore.
Next, write about various ecological frailties in the Himalayan eco-sensitive zone to hydro power projects of that region. Dam-induced microseismicity, potential earthquake impacts, monsoonal aberrations, severe biodiversity loss and siltation.
Finally, suggest measures to overcome the same – Focusing more on run of the river projects rather than large projects, thorough environmental impact assessment, disaster preparedness and tackling climate change etc.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
