UPSC Insta–DART (Daily Aptitude and Reasoning Test) 26 Oct 2024

Aquifers are recharged with water from rainfall and rivers. Post-Independence, India saw an increase in the construction of canals for distributing water. These canals leak water, which also augments groundwater levels. An important factor contributing to the good health of aquifers in some parts of our country is community-based movements to recharge groundwater. A good example is seen in the semi-arid regions of Saurashtra. Here, thousands of small and large check dams have been built across seasonal rivers and streams. These slow the flow of water and contribute to groundwater recharge as well as to check soil erosion. In villages, ‘bori bandhs’ are built, which are essentially sand-filled bags placed in the path of rainwater runoffs. Have these small-scale water harvesting measures made a difference? Studies comparing the water table status in Saurashtra with the climatically similar regions of Marathwada and Vidarbha show a net positive impact.

It is heartening to note that in the last decade, these regions of Maharashtra have also started their own Managed Aquifer Recharge programmes such as the Jalyukt Shivar. Another part of the country facing a marked decline in groundwater levels is a region overlapping Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where the aquifers are located in crystalline bedrock. In such rocks, water is found only in cracks and fissures as the rock itself is not porous. Under these circumstances, tanks and ponds do not contribute much to groundwater recharge. In rural areas of this region, recharge is mostly affected from rainfall and irrigation-related recycling. Interestingly, the major source of groundwater recharge in an urban area (Bengaluru) is from leaks in water distribution pipes.

Which of the following statements best reflect the important message of the above passage?

From the above passage the following practical assumptions have been drawn:

1. Repairing leaking water distribution pipes in Metros is not a good idea as they are the major source of groundwater recharge.
2. Since irrigation and not ponds and lakes recharge groundwater in rocky regions overlapping Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, more ponds and lakes be converted to irrigation fields with more canals.

Which of the above assumption(s) is / are valid?

The former President of India, K.R.Narayanan said in a speech on August 14, 1998: “If Nehru laid the foundations of modern India building up its economic, industrial and scientific infrastructure and trying to forge the emotional unity of India, Sardar Patel transformed India into a Union out of the patchwork quilt of Provinces and Princely States. He could be called the Bismarck of India; who unified the nation not by “blood and iron”, but merely by his “iron will and astute statecraft.”

What does the former President of India quoted in the above passage mean “not by blood and iron but merely by his iron will and astute statecraft”.

The Bay of Bengal has long been a major commerce hub for the Indian Ocean. It created a conduit between the East and the West in terms for trade and culture. An Indo-Pacific orientation and the realignment of global economic and military power towards Asia have had a considerable impact on the Bay region. The key sea lanes of communication in this area are lifelines for global economic security and are crucial to the energy security that powers the economies of many countries in the region. Further, non-traditional dangers including terrorism and climate change have become more prevalent. The Bay also provides an opportunity for greater regional cooperation in the environmentally friendly exploration of marine and energy resources. The Bay has a biodiverse marine environment. It receives water from some of the world’s largest rivers. It is a partially enclosed sea that has given rise to several geological characteristics. It is home to many rare and endangered marine species and mangroves, which are essential to the survival of the ecology and the fishing sector.

On the basis of the above passage following assumptions have been made:

1. 1. Littoral governments working together is important, due to the shared nautical concerns and the complexity of the marine environment in the bay of Bengal.
   2. For a better knowledge of challenges and strategies of and for the Bay of Bengal there is a need for suitable study centres.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid? Select your answer using the code below:

With which of the following statements the author will not agree: