With reference to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines, discuss the measures to be adopted to mitigate the impact of the recent incidents of cloudbursts in many places of Uttarakhand.
Approach · directive: “discuss”
What it asks · Discuss measures for reducing loss from cloudbursts in the fragile Uttarakhand Himalaya, in line with NDMA's guidelines on floods and landslides.
The question has 2 parts — answer each
- Explain: cloudbursts and why they cause such damage in Uttarakhand
- Discuss, with reference to NDMA guidelines: the measures to mitigate the impact of cloudbursts
Open with · A cloudburst is a sudden, very heavy fall of rain over a small area, and in steep hills it triggers flash floods and landslides, as at Kedarnath in 2013.
Cover
- Hazard: IMD describes a cloudburst as rainfall of about 10 cm (100 mm) or more in an hour over roughly 20-30 sq km; steep slopes and loose debris magnify its effect.
- Hazard mapping: landslide and flash-flood zonation at village scale, mapping of streams, and marking of unsafe sites, with maps used in planning and permissions.
- Regulation: no building in river beds, flood plains and steep unstable slopes; hill-specific building codes; controlled road, hydropower and tourism projects and safe disposal of muck.
- Early warning: more automatic weather stations and radar, rainfall thresholds and timely alerts to villagers and pilgrims through local channels and mobile alerts.
- Structural and eco measures: slope stabilisation with bio-engineering, retaining walls, drainage and check dams, and afforestation with native species on catchments.
- Preparedness and response: community-based disaster plans and volunteers, mock drills, trained SDRF and NDRF units, safe shelters, communication links and stock of relief.
- Recovery: rebuild safer, relocate vulnerable settlements, offer insurance and livelihood support, and monitor implementation of recommendations after each disaster.
Close with · In the Himalaya safety depends on where and how we build; hazard maps, regulation, warning and trained communities together reduce the damage from cloudbursts.
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2016, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 301 words (UPSC limit 200) · Minimalist IAS
A cloudburst is a sudden fall of very heavy rain, about 100 mm or more within an hour over a small area of 20-30 sq km, which in Uttarakhand's steep, debris-laden valleys turns into flash floods and landslides, as at Kedarnath in June 2013 and in Pithoragarh and Chamoli in July 2016.
Why the damage is so high
- Cloudbursts cannot yet be forecast precisely, so losses depend on where and how people build: on river terraces and unstable slopes, along pilgrim routes, with road cutting and hydropower muck adding loose debris to swollen streams.
Measures in line with NDMA guidelines
- Hazard zonation: village-scale landslide and flash-flood zonation, mapping of streams, glacial lakes and unstable slopes, with the maps binding on land-use plans and building permissions.
- Regulation: no construction in river beds, floodplains and on unstable slopes; hill-specific building codes; controlled road, hydropower and tourism projects with safe muck disposal; carrying-capacity limits on pilgrim traffic.
- Early warning: dense automatic weather stations and Doppler radars, rainfall thresholds that trigger alerts, and last-mile dissemination to villages and pilgrims through sirens, mobile alerts and local channels.
- Structural and ecological: slope stabilisation, retaining walls, drainage and check dams, bio-engineering and afforestation with native species on catchments, and natural stream channels kept clear.
- Preparedness and response: community-based disaster plans and trained village volunteers, mock drills, SDRF and NDRF units pre-positioned during the monsoon, safe shelters, satellite phones and helipads for evacuation, and stocked relief.
- Recovery: build back safer, relocate settlements from high-risk sites, insurance and livelihood support, and follow-up on the recommendations of every post-disaster review, which NDMA's guidelines on floods and on landslides both stress.
In the Himalaya safety lies in where and how we build; hazard maps, enforced regulation, timely warning and trained communities together turn a cloudburst from a catastrophe into a manageable event.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.