2016 Prelims GS-I Environment Questions (Part I)

The following questions in 2016 Prelims were easy ones with clear answers. I have given the questions, answers and the corresponding references in my book. The next post will deal with the more difficult and obscure questions.

1. Consider the following pairs:

Terms sometimes seen in the news	Their origin
1. Annex—I Countries	Cartagena Protocol
2. Certified Emissions Reductions	Nagoya Protocol
3. Clean Development Mechanism	Kyoto Protocol

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

2. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
Proper design and effective implementation of UN-REDD+ Programme can significantly contribute to

1. protection of biodiversity
2. resilience of forest ecosystems
3. poverty reduction

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

3. With reference to 'Agenda 21', sometimes seen in the news, consider the following statements:

1. It is a global action plan for sustainable development.
2. It originated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

4. ‘Gadgil Committee Report’ and ‘Kasturirangan Committee Report’, sometimes seen in the news, are related to

(a) constitutional reforms
(b) Ganga Action Plan
(c) linking of rivers
(d) protection of Western Ghats

5. In which of the following regions of India are shale gas resources found?

1. Cambay Basin
2. Cauvery Basin
3. Krishna-Godavari Basin

Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

6. Consider the following statements:

(1) The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015.
(2) The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

7. Recently, linking of which of the following rivers was undertaken?

(a) Cauvery and Tungabhadra
(b) Godavari and Krishna
(c) Mahanadi and Sone
(d) Narmada and Tapti

8. With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. The Agreement was signed by all the member countries of the UN and it will go into effect in 2017.
2. The Agreement aims to limit the greenhouse gas emissions so that the rise in average global temperature by the end of this century does not exceed 2 °C or even 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.
3. Developed countries acknowledged their historical responsibility in global warming and committed to donate $ 1000 billion a year from 2020 to help developing countries to cope with climate change.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

9. Consider the following statements:

1. The Sustainable Development Goals were first proposed in 1972 by a global think tank called the 'Club of Rome'.
2. The Sustainable Development Goals have to be achieved by 2030.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

10. Which of the following is/are the indicator/indicators used by IFPRI to compute the Global Hunger Index Report?

1. Undernourishment
2. Child stunting
3. Child mortality

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 , 2 and 3
(d) 1 and 3 only

11. The term 'Intended Nationally Determined Contributions' is sometimes seen in the news in the context of

(a) pledges made by the European countries to rehabilitate refugees from the war-affected Middle East
(b) plan of action outlined by the countries of the world to combat climate change
(c) capital contributed by the member countries in the establishment of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
(d) plan of action outlined by the countries of the world regarding Sustainable Development Goals

12. Which one of the following is a purpose of `UDAY', a scheme of the Government?

(a) Providing technical and financial assistance to start-up entrepreneurs in the field of renewable sources of energy
(b) Providing electricity to every household in the country by 2018
(c) Replacing the coal-based power plants with natural gas, nuclear, solar, wind and tidal power plants over a period of time
(d) Providing for financial turnaround and revival of power distribution companies

13. Which of the following are the key features of 'National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA)?

1. River basin is the unit of planning and management.

2. It spearheads the river conservation efforts at the national level.
3. One of the Chief Ministers of the States through which the Ganga flows becomes the Chairman of NGRBA on rotation basis.

Select the correct answer using the code given Below.

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answers:

1	c	Chap. 13, pp.480-483; Chap. 6, pp.186-187
2	d	Chap. 13, p.487
3	a	Chap. 17, pp.578-579
4	d	Chap. 6, pp.196-197
5	d	Chap. 9, pp.308-309
6	a	Chap.9, p.331
7	B	Chap. 14, p.512
8	b	Chap.13, pp.483-486
9	b	Chap.17, pp.580-581
10	c	Chap.10, p.347
11	b	Chap.13, 483-484
12	d	Chap.9, p.328
13	a	Chap.4, p.86

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·      Answers to the questions of the Preliminary Examination from the year 1987 to 2015, with comments where necessary.

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Mahadayi River Dispute

A Karnataka Bandh was observed on July 30, 2016, against the rejection (by the Mahadayi River Disputes Tribunal) of Karnataka’s interim application seeking 7 tmcft of water for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala Project.

The River, the Project and the Timeline of the Dispute:

·      Mahadayi, called Mandovi in Goa, is a west-flowing inter-state river in the Western Ghats; originates in Belagavi district of Karnataka, travels 35 km in Karnataka and 82 km in Goa before joining the Arabian Sea.

·      Total catchment area is 2030 sq km and the catchment area in Karnataka is 375 sq km.

·      As per the Central Water Commission, the yield in the Mahadayi river basin is 220 tmcft. According to Karnataka’s Water Resources Development Organization, the yield in Karnataka basin is 44.15 tmcft.

·      1989: Karnataka and Goa sign an MOU on sharing the waters and for a hydel project, but the project is kept in abeyance.

·      2002: Karnataka proposes a project to draw 7 tmcft from the river to the Malaprabha through Kalasa and Banduri Nalas; Goa raises objection to it, but NEERI says no harm will come from the project.

·      2002: NDA government first clears the project, but then keeps it in abeyance, in deference to the objections from the BJP government in Goa.

·      2002: Goa files a complaint seeking setting up of a tribunal.

·      2006: Karnataka performs bhoomi-puja for project.

·      2006: Goa moves the Supreme Court seeking constitution of a tribunal, withdrawing approval for any work in the basin. ‘Mahadayi (Mandovi) is a water deficit basin and water diversion could impact the environment.’

·      2010: The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal is set up on 22.11.2010.

·      The Tribunal frames 70 issues for determination of claims by the riparian states. Tribunal gives clearance to Karnataka for work in non-forest area. Karnataka claims 44 tmcft of water as its share.

·      2015: Karnataka files interim application seeking 7 tmcft for the Kalasa Banduri project.

o   Karnataka’s main argument: ‘We are only seeking the surplus water, which will be otherwise wasted by going to the sea.’

o   Goa’s main argument: ‘Diversion will stress the entire ecosystem. Water going to the sea is not wasted, it performs ecological functions.’

·      2016, July 27: Tribunal rejects Karnataka’s request. ‘Karnataka failed to establish that surplus water was available at the points where the water is sought to be transferred to Malaprabha Basin.’

·      Protests in North Karnataka; Karnataka Bandh on July 30.

·      Karnataka plans to move the Supreme Court.

Water Disputes:

Chapter 7 of the book discussed the question of inter-country and inter-state disputes over water. It also covered the Cauvery Waters Dispute and the case of Sutlej-Yamuna Canal.

The Mahadayi Case is yet another example of water disputes. The central government’s mechanism for solving such disputes is the setting up of tribunals. However, most decisions of tribunals are seen as favouring one party. Then the other parties protest and go to the Supreme Court. The issue also gets politicized and that hinders any resolution of the conflict.

What is the way out?

Many have suggested that the only way to resolve water disputes is for the affected farmers and others to sit together and come up with an acceptable solution. In the Mahadayi Case, T.N.Prakash, Chairman, Karnataka Agricultural Commission, has suggested this approach:

·      Form a ‘Mahadayi Family’ of farmers, experts, fishermen, academics, and the public from both the states to learn the actual situation and come up with an amicable solution.

Prakash had been a member of such a ‘Cauvery Family’. Though the approach did not work in that case, Prakash feels that the Mahadayi Case is easier to solve since there are surplus waters available, compared to distress sharing in the Cauvery Case.

(This story belongs to Chapter 7: Water Resources of the book)