Sustainability of Development: Long Answer Questions
Medium (Application & Explanation)
1. What is Sustainable Development? Why is it important for a country like India?
Answer:
- Sustainable Development means meeting present needs without harming future needs.
- It balances economic growth, environmental protection, and social well-being.
- In India, many people depend on soil, water, and forests. So sustainability is vital.
- It reduces pollution, protects health, and saves resources.
- It supports jobs and also protects nature at the same time.
- It ensures intergenerational equity. The future gets a fair share.
- It guides policies in farming, energy, and cities towards long-term safety.
2. What does judicious use of resources mean? Explain with daily life and farming examples.
Answer:
- Judicious use means using resources wisely and with less waste.
- It promotes reduce, reuse, recycle in daily life.
- Use LED bulbs, public transport, and bucket baths to save resources.
- Shift to solar heaters and solar lights at home.
- In farming, use drip irrigation and mulching to save water.
- Practice rainwater harvesting to recharge groundwater.
- Choose less water-intensive crops instead of paddy in dry areas.
- Recycle paper, plastic, and metals to save minerals and energy.
3. How does overuse of resources threaten future development? Explain with impacts.
Answer:
- Overuse leads to depletion of water, forests, and minerals.
- It causes pollution of air, soil, and rivers.
- It brings climate change, droughts, and floods.
- It reduces biodiversity and breaks food chains.
- It raises costs for farming and industry in the long run.
- It creates conflicts over water, land, and forests.
- It harms health, productivity, and quality of life.
- It blocks future growth because key resources are exhausted.
4. What is groundwater depletion? State causes, effects, and solutions with examples.
Answer:
- Groundwater depletion means falling water tables due to overuse.
- Causes: tube wells, free power, and water-greedy crops like paddy.
- Causes: rapid urbanisation and industrial demand.
- Effects: dry wells, higher pumping costs, and crop failure.
- Effects: city water crises, like Chennai (2019).
- Examples: Punjab and Haryana face fast decline due to irrigation.
- Solutions: rainwater harvesting, check dams, and percolation pits.
- Solutions: drip irrigation, crop diversification, and groundwater laws.
5. What is deforestation? Explain its effects and suggest sustainable measures.
Answer:
- Deforestation is large-scale cutting of forests for land and timber.
- It causes soil erosion, floods, and loss of rainfall.
- It reduces biodiversity and harms wildlife habitats.
- It adds to climate change by cutting carbon sinks.
- It hurts tribal and forest communities who depend on forests.
- Measures: afforestation and social forestry with local people.
- Measures: controlled logging and replanting after cutting.
- Measures: protect Western Ghats and North-East with strict rules.
6. Why should India shift to renewable energy? Explain with benefits and steps.
Answer:
- Fossil fuels are limited and cause pollution.
- They add greenhouse gases and global warming.
- Renewables like solar, wind, and hydro are cleaner.
- They reduce imports and improve energy security.
- Steps: subsidies for rooftop solar and net metering.
- Steps: better grids and storage for stable supply.
- Citizens can use solar heaters, efficient appliances, and EVs.
- Industries can adopt energy efficiency and green standards.
High Complexity (Analysis & Scenario-based)
7. A district grows paddy using tube wells. The water table falls each year and power cuts increase. Design a sustainable plan.
Answer:
- Shift to less water-intensive crops like millets and pulses.
- Give MSP and procurement support for these crops.
- Provide drip irrigation and solar pumps with smart meters.
- Build check dams, farm ponds, and recharge wells.
- Enforce groundwater budgeting by local water user groups.
- Reuse treated wastewater for non-drinking uses.
- Ban new deep borewells and control summer irrigation.
- Monitor with satellite data and publish water dashboards.
8. How are poverty, population growth, and environmental degradation linked? Suggest balanced strategies.
Answer:
- The poor depend directly on forests, water, and soil.
- Lack of clean energy pushes firewood use and deforestation.
- Population growth raises demand for land, water, and jobs.
- Pollution increases disease and reduces productivity.
- Strategies: education, women’s empowerment, and healthcare.
- Strategies: clean cooking fuel, sanitation, and safe water.
- Strategies: green jobs, skill training, and urban planning.
- Strategies: community rights over resources to ensure care and share.
9. Mining brings jobs but also harm. Assess mining in Jharkhand/Odisha and propose a sustainable approach.
Answer:
- Benefits: jobs, revenue, and energy for industries.
- Costs: deforestation, displacement, and pollution.
- Costs: acid mine drainage and unsafe labor conditions.
- Do strict EIA, mark no-go zones, and protect critical forests.
- Ensure mine closure plans, backfilling, and land reclamation.
- Treat wastewater and control dust and noise.
- Share royalties with locals; support health and schools.
- Promote recycling of metals to reduce new mining.
10. Fish stocks in the Bay of Bengal are falling due to overfishing. Propose a balanced fisheries policy.
Answer:
- Set closed seasons during breeding months.
- Fix catch size limits and ban destructive gear.
- Create marine protected areas for recovery.
- Promote co-management with fisher cooperatives.
- Shift subsidies to sustainable nets and cold chains.
- Support alternate livelihoods during bans.
- Encourage eco-friendly aquaculture to reduce pressure.
- Use real-time data, patrols, and strict penalties.