QUESTION 15
GS1
15 marks
Account for the huge flooding of million cities in India including the smart ones like Hyderabad and Pune. Suggest lasting remedial measures.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Explain why big cities like Hyderabad and Pune flood heavily, and suggest lasting remedies.
Account for + SuggestGive the reasons that explain it. Propose specific, workable measures.
Demand-wise check
- 1Causes: encroachment of lakes and drains, concrete surfaces, poor drainage design, extreme rainfall, solid waste clogging, building in floodplains≈50 words
- 2Examples: Hyderabad October 2020, Pune 2019, Chennai 2015, Mumbai 2005, Bengaluru 2022≈50 words
- 3Remedies: restore water bodies, sponge cities, drainage master plans, early warning, zoning, rainwater harvesting≈50 words
- 4Institutional: NDMA urban flood guidelines, city disaster plans≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
CausesCity examplesRemedies (structural and non-structural)Conclusion
Where marks usually go
- No remedies or only short-term ones
- Missing the 'smart city' irony
Draw this
- Sketch: natural drainage vs blocked urban drainage
Value addition
- GuidelineNDMA's Urban Flooding guidelines (2010) were the first to treat urban floods separately from riverine floods.NDMA
- ExampleHyderabad's October 2020 floods followed about 30 cm of rain in a day; studies blamed lake encroachments (most of its lakes have shrunk or vanished).Telangana government / media reports
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 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 29 ↗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 11 minutes, then get it checked.