Passage

How best can the problems of floods and droughts be addressed so that the losses are minimal and the system becomes resilient? In this context, one important point that needs to be noted is that India gets "too much' water (about 75% of annual precipitation) during 120 days (June to September) and "too little' for the remaining 245 days. This skewed water availability has to be managed and regulated for its consumption throughout the year.

QUESTION

CSAT

Medium

Comprehension

Prelims 2022

Which one of the following best reflects the practical, rational and lasting solutions?

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

The passage mentions that the main issue with water availability in India is the disparity between the abundance of water during the monsoon (June to September) and the scarcity in the remaining months. To address this imbalance, a practical, rational, and lasting solution would involve buffer stocking of water — this can be achieved by building dams to store excess water during the monsoon and recharging aquifers to ensure water availability during the dry months. This solution aims to regulate water consumption throughout the year and manage the skewed availability of water in a sustainable way.

The other options, like constructing concrete storage tanks, changing cropping patterns, or interlinking rivers, do not directly address the long-term management of water or may not provide a sustainable solution.

Thus, the correct answer is D, Buffer stocking of water through dams and recharging aquifers.

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