UPSC Mains 2017 GS1 Q16 — Water Management
In what way can floods be converted into a sustainable source of irrigation and all-weather inland navigation in India ? (250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- In what way
- Scope keywords
- floodsconvertedsustainable source of irrigationall-weather inland navigationIndia
- Implicit sub-parts
- Mechanism for capturing and storing surplus flood water for dry-season irrigation (e.g., managed aquifer recharge, river linking).
- Technical and structural requirements to maintain depth and flow for 365-day navigation.
- Challenges in harmonizing flood control with ecological sustainability.
- Policy frameworks and integrated water resource management (IWRM) strategies needed.
- Common pitfalls
- Writing a general essay on 'causes and consequences of floods' instead of the conversion process.
- Ignoring the 'all-weather' constraint for navigation, which requires addressing lean-season discharge.
- Suggesting purely engineering solutions (dams/embankments) while ignoring environmental sustainability.
- Failing to mention specific Indian geographical contexts like the Indo-Gangetic plains or Brahmaputra basin.
- Dimensions required
- Hydrological/TechnicalGeographicalEnvironmental/EcologicalEconomic/InfrastructuralPolicy/Regulatory
- Marks allocation hint
Allocate approximately 50-60 words to the mechanism of converting floodwater into irrigation through storage and recharge techniques. Dedicate another 60-70 words to the infrastructure and dredging needs for year-round navigation. Spend the remaining 120 words on the 'sustainable' aspect, feasibility challenges, and a forward-looking conclusion integrating the National Waterways Act and Jal Shakti schemes.
Unlock the full analysis for this question
You've seen the question and its examiner-intent decoding. Subscribers also get:
- 🔗 Similar Previous Year Questions — cross-year, cross-paper matches so you study the topic, not the question
- 📚 Source Map — verified citations from Laxmikanth, NCERT, PRS, Yojana, Economic Survey, Spectrum
- 🌱 How this topic is evolving — current-affairs bridge anchored to live TARS news clustering
- 🧭 Examiner's Pattern — how the topic has been framed across every year UPSC has tested it
- ✍️ Answer Skeleton — a structured outline (intro → body → conclusion) you can flesh out
- 🎯 AI evaluation — write your answer, get rubric-based scoring from gs-eval
Or browse 132+ free preview questions across all years and papers — the first 3 questions of every paper are unlocked.
Ready to practice?
Subscribers can attempt this question in 250 words and get an instant, rubric-based evaluation showing where they stand.
Subscribe to evaluate your answer →