Q4A · Elaborate in detail the 4 key causes of “Uttarakhand Floods”. Also elaborate in brief…

Answer

Four interacting causes and risk factors

1. Extreme rainfall. Intense, sustained rainfall produced rapid runoff and high river flows.
2. Steep and fragile terrain. Steep slopes, erodible material and narrow valleys encouraged landslides, debris movement and fast flows.
3. River and debris processes. Sediment, debris and channel changes increased destructive force and could obstruct or redirect flow; local lake-related processes affected the Kedarnath area.
4. Exposure and vulnerable development. Settlements, roads and pilgrimage activity in hazardous places increased losses and complicated rescue when links failed.

River interlinking: conditional role

1. Possible diversion. A suitably designed transfer can divert part of a high flow to a basin with spare capacity. The receiving basin must not itself be flooded.
2. Storage and timing. Reservoirs and detention associated with a scheme can hold some inflow and release it later. Benefits depend on available storage and forecasts, not merely the existence of a canal.
3. Coordinated basin operation. Operating rules, monitoring and communication can reduce poorly timed releases and support balanced water use.
4. Limits and safeguards. Conveyance capacity, extreme rainfall, ecological effects, sediment, social impacts and downstream risk require assessment. A transfer can shift risk rather than remove it.
5. Mountain flash-flood limitation. Short, intense rainfall, debris flows and slope failures such as those in Uttarakhand require local and basin risk measures. It is not established that river interlinking would have prevented the 2013 disaster.