MAINS 2015
GS1
12.5 marks
Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three mega cities of the country but air pollution is a much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so?
WRITE IN
9 min
200 words
What the examiner wants
Explain why Delhi suffers much worse air pollution than Mumbai and Kolkata.
WhyAnswer exactly what the question asks.
Demand-wise check
- 1Geography: Delhi is landlocked; Mumbai and Kolkata get sea and land breezes that disperse pollutants≈35 words
- 2Winter meteorology: temperature inversion, low wind, low mixing height trap pollutants in the Indo-Gangetic plain≈35 words
- 3Sources: stubble burning in Punjab-Haryana, vehicles, road and construction dust, Thar dust, industries and brick kilns in NCR≈35 words
- 4Governance: multiple states in NCR, weak coordination; CAQM, GRAP as responses≈35 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Geographic contrastMeteorologySourcesGovernanceConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Listing pollution sources common to all cities without the comparison
- Missing the sea-breeze advantage of Mumbai and Kolkata
Draw this
- Map showing Delhi in the IGP with stubble-burning areas upwind and coastal Mumbai/Kolkata
Value addition
- DataWHO's 2014 urban air database ranked Delhi the world's most polluted city for PM2.5 among about 1,600 cities.WHO, 2014
- StudyIIT Kanpur source apportionment (2016) found road dust the largest PM10 source in Delhi; vehicles a major PM2.5 source.IIT Kanpur for Delhi Government, 2016
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 38 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 29 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 9 minutes, then get it checked.