UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice GS 1 & 3 -Test 14

Answers

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1.Man-Animal conflict is one of the rising concerns in our country. What are the reasons for this? Suggest measures to reduce the conflict. (10 Marks​)
Ans : Man animal conflict is increasing now a days .It has got negative impacts both to human life and to the wildlife.

Reasons for this
● protected areas are just 5% of the land
o Thisspaceisnotenoughtohaveafull-fledgedhabitatforwildanimals.
● Fragmented​ ​reserve forest
o blocksanimalcorridor
● The territorial animals do not have enough space within reserves and their prey does not have enough fodder to thrive on.So when the prey moves out, it forces its predator too
● Capability to adapt to new environment and rising population o Rhesusmonkeyadaptedtourbansettlements.
▪ ease of finding food
▪ predator absent .So multiplying humongously
● development pressure
• widening of highway and railway networks near these protected areas bring humans closer to animal habitat
• river interlinking projects submerge reserve forests .Eg the Ken-Betwa river interlinking project will submerge Panna Tiger Reserve.

Way Forward

● Providing greater protection to the animal
o Co-occurrence approach: Building community participation in conservation is a
better idea than just having protected areas.
● early warning systems with simpler damage-prevention practices
• fencing of crops
• detection of animals using thermal senor
● hunting animals in reserve forest should be banned
• as they form the base of food chain
● creating buffer zones around protected area
● Compensation or insurance for animal-induced damage
● Payment for Environmental Services (PES) for the conservation community

2. ​Enumerate the various measures taken by the government to mitigate the issues posed by air pollution.​ ​(10 Marks)
Recently in Delhi, the air quality deteriorated so badly that a state of health emergency had to be declared.

Reasons for air pollution

• vehicular emission
• burning of waste
• construction sector
• fire crackers

Measures taken by government

• Notification of National Ambient Air Quality Standards and sector-specific emission and effluent standards for industries;
• Setting up of monitoring network for assessment of ambient air quality;
• Introduction of cleaner gaseous fuels like CNG, LPG etc and ethanol blending;
• Launching of National Air Quality Index (AQI);
• Leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI standards for vehicles by 1st April 2020;
• Banning of burning of biomass;
• Promotion of public transport network;
• Pollution Under Control Certificate;
• Issuance of directions under Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981;
• Installation of on-line continuous (24×7) monitoring devices by 17 highly polluting industrial sectors;
• Regulating the bursting of pollution-emitting crackers;
• Notification of graded response action plan for Delhi identifying source wise actions for various levels of air pollution, etc.

Way Forward

● Increase public awareness of air pollution.
● Improve public transportation and traffic management.
● Penalise big and non-compliant polluters
● improve waste management
Breathing clean air is a fundamental right of every Indian citizen. Therefore, human health must become a priority when it comes to tackling air pollution.

3. “To ensure sustainable development we must extend the powers and functions of environment impact assessment process rather than diluting it”. Analyse (10 Marks)
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process in which environmental factors are integrated into project planning and decision-making so as to achieve ecologically sustainable development.

Why EIA Needs to be strengthened to ensure sustainable development

● makes it mandatory for various projects such as mining, thermal power plants, river valley, infrastructure to get environment clearance.
•  thus identifying the environmental risks involved in the project
● Positive and negative, reversible and irreversible and temporary and permanent impacts are predicted in EIA report
•  thus informing the decision makers and people concerned about the sustainablity of the project
● The EIA report includes the actions and steps for preventing, minimizing any impacts
•  thus minizing the adverse environmental effects and promoting the sustainability of the project
● On completion of the EIA report, public and environmental groups living close to project site are informed and consulted.
• thislessensconflictandpromotescommunityparticipation
● For every project, possible alternatives should be identified, and environmental attributes are compared.
o betteralternativeshelplaythebaseforenvironmental-soundprojects Way Forward
● projects which are exempted from EIA but pollutes the environment should be included
● experts from various fields such as environmentalists, wildlife experts, Anthropologists and

Social Scientists should be included in the EIA team

● Public hearing should be made mandatory
● quality of EIA Report should not be diluted

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