Topic: Disaster and disaster management.
5. India is very frequently prone Landslides, yet the steps towards mitigation and prevention have not yielded desired results. Critically analyse. (250 words)
Difficulty level: Tough
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
Floods and landslides have killed three persons and affected more than 56,000 people across eight districts of Assam since May 14. Three others were reported missing.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the difficulties in landslide management and the steps needed to overcome it.
Directive word:
Critically analyze – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a balanced judgment on the topic.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by briefly citing statistics regarding the vulnerability of India to landslides.
Body:
First, Mention the causes of landslides in India which make landslide prevention and mitigation difficult. Mention the areas which are most prone to landslides. Draw a small illustrative map showing the same.
Next, write about the various measures taken to prevent landslides and the difficulties in landslide mitigation – lack of data, poor predictability, lack of awareness, faulty evacuation strategies in landslide-prone areas etc.
Next, suggest measures to overcome the above.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
