MAINS 2015
GS1
12.5 marks
How far do you agree that the behavior of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanizing landscapes? Discuss.
WRITE IN
9 min
200 words
What the examiner wants
Assess how far human changes to landscape (urbanisation, deforestation, aerosols, irrigation) are altering the Indian monsoon.
DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.
Demand-wise check
- 1Observed changes: decline in central India mean rainfall, more extreme rain events, longer dry spells, erratic onset≈35 words
- 2Human landscape factors: urban heat islands, deforestation, land-use change, irrigation, aerosols/black carbon weakening land-sea contrast≈35 words
- 3Global factors also matter: Indian Ocean warming, El Nino, IOD - so not only local landscape≈35 words
- 4Consequences: urban floods (Mumbai 2005, Chennai 2015), drought, agriculture risk≈35 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Observed changesHuman landscape causesGlobal/natural causesExtent of agreementConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Attributing all change to local land use without global warming and ENSO
- No study or data
Draw this
- Diagram showing aerosols and land use reducing land-ocean temperature contrast
Value addition
- StudyRoxy et al. (2017) found a threefold rise in widespread extreme rain events over central India between 1950 and 2015.Nature Communications, 2017
- DataMumbai's Santacruz station recorded 944 mm of rain in 24 hours on 26 July 2005.IMD
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 32 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 19 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Monika Srivastava · AIR 16 · Page 9 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 41 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
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