← All questionsGS1 · 2017 · Geography ·Floods for Irrigation and Navigation
QUESTION 16
GS1
15 marks

In what way can floods be converted into a sustainable source of irrigation and all-weather inland navigation in India?

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11 min
250 words
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What the examiner wants

Suggest ways to turn India's flood waters into dependable irrigation and year-round inland navigation.

In what wayAnswer exactly what the question asks.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Storage: multipurpose reservoirs, flood cushions, check dams, revival of floodplain wetlands and tanks≈40 words
  2. 2Diversion: river interlinking (Himalayan to peninsular), canals carrying surplus flood flows≈40 words
  3. 3Groundwater: managed aquifer recharge with flood water (e.g. underground taming of floods)≈40 words
  4. 4Navigation: dredging, barrages and locks to maintain depth (NW-1 Ganga, NW-2 Brahmaputra), terminals≈40 words
  5. 5Caveats: sediment, ecology, transboundary cooperation (Nepal, Bangladesh)≈40 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

Flood problemStorageDiversionRechargeNavigationChallengesConclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Writing only flood management (embankments) without irrigation and navigation
  • Ignoring sediment and ecological issues

Draw this

  • Map of Ganga–Brahmaputra flood zones and national waterways

Value addition

  • CommissionRashtriya Barh Ayog (1980) assessed about 40 million hectares as flood-prone.Rashtriya Barh Ayog, 1980
  • LawThe National Waterways Act, 2016 declared 111 national waterways.National Waterways Act, 2016