THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 03 october 2019 (Writ in water (Indian Express))

Writ in water (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 3 : Environment
Prelims level : India Meteorological Department
Mains level : Environmental Impact Assessment

Context

• India’s monsoon season officially ended on Monday. But a telling image of the vagaries of climate was captured by a photograph taken that day.

Highlights the affected regions

• Bihar is amongst the worst hit by the late monsoon rains that have inundated several parts of the country.
• Nearly 30 people have lost their lives in the state.
• In neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, floods have claimed more than 100 people.
• The death toll in Maharashtra is more than 20. A common feature of the flood stories in all three states is that of civic authorities caught unawares.

Paradigm shift of India’s monsoon

• Normally, the monsoon begins to retreat in the first week of September.
• But this year, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reckons that the monsoons will not withdraw from the northwest of the country before October 7.
• As a result, the rainy season is likely to linger till October 15. This, according to the IMD, is the most extended monsoon season in more than 50 years — in 1961, the monsoons withdrew on October 1.
• The recent floods are not the only ones to have hit the country in the current monsoon season. In fact, the season began with Bihar being deluged by a flash flood.
• Maharashtra, too, had an earlier spell of floods this year. Karnataka, Gujarat, Assam and Kerala have also suffered the ravages of incessant rainfall.
• Such extreme precipitation events interspersed by dry spells, several studies reckon, could become the new normal for the country.

What needs to be addressed?

• Dealing with the changing contours of the monsoons would, however, require coordination between weather authorities and state governments.
• For instance, authorities in Bihar were not prepared in spite of the red alert issued by the met department.
• Moreover, the drainage systems of most Indian cities are ill-equipped to withstand this change in precipitation patterns.
• Patna it had more than 1,000 water bodies, which would absorb excess rainfall, 30 years ago. Their number has gone down to less than 500.
• Pune’s canals and streams are similarly encroached upon. Disregard for hydrology has, in fact, been the Achilles heel of planning in most Indian cities.

Conclusion

• Reviving drainage systems might take time.
• But civic authorities could make a beginning by unclogging stormwater drains, which often become garbage dumps in several Indian cities.
• Urban planners should read the warning in the floods this year.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) With reference to the 'Trans fatty acids (TFAs)', sometimes seen in the news, in this regard, which of the following statements is/are correct?
(1) Partially hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (PHVOs) are the major source of transfatty acids in India.
(2) Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed to limit TFA limit in foods to 1% and eliminate trans fats from foods by 2025.

Select the correct answer using the code given below
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: A
Mains Questions:
Q.1) Critically analyse the late monsoon floods are a warning of changing contours of climate that town planners and civic authorities must heed.