UPSC Mains 2020 GS3 Q14 — Irrigation management
Suggest measures to improve water storage and irrigation system to make its judicious use under depleting scenario. (Answer in 250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- Suggest
- Scope keywords
- water storageirrigation systemjudicious usedepleting scenario
- Implicit sub-parts
- Brief assessment of the current 'depleting scenario' of water resources in India to establish urgency.
- Technological and infrastructure measures for augmenting water storage (traditional vs. modern).
- Efficiency-driven measures for the irrigation system (micro-irrigation and command area management).
- Policy and community-led interventions for behavioral change in 'judicious use'.
- Common pitfalls
- Focusing only on dams/reservoirs while ignoring decentralized storage like tanks, ponds, and groundwater recharge.
- Treating irrigation as a standalone engineering problem without mentioning crop diversification or cropping patterns.
- Neglecting the mention of the 'Water-Energy-Food' nexus which drives excessive groundwater extraction.
- Failing to mention specific government schemes like PMKSY, Atal Bhujal Yojana, or Mission Amrit Sarovar.
- Dimensions required
- Technological/EngineeringInstitutional/AdministrativeEcological/SustainabilityEconomic (Pricing and Subsidies)Social/Community participation
- Marks allocation hint
Allocate roughly 50 words to context-setting and the 'depleting scenario' to justify the measures. Spend 150 words equally balanced between storage innovations and irrigation efficiency. Use the final 50 words for policy reforms and a forward-looking conclusion on climate resilience.
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