Discursive Passage: Living with Foods
Read the following passage carefully:
Living with Foods
- Floods are not new to India and this sub-continent, but in recent years the problem has received much greater attention perhaps largely because it has led to much greater damage than in the past. Even though information on the impending occurrence of floods is now more accurate and certainly more timely, often there is very little time or support infrastructure in place by which damage can be minimized. This is particularly true in the case of flash floods resulting from sudden and excessively heavy rain.
- In the case of India flooding is very much a function of the seasonal nature of our rainfall. The monsoons are spread over a short period during the year and often bring a concentrated volume of rain, which cannot be absorbed by the earth and finds outlet only in the form of streams that join up with our major river systems. But, flooding is not confined only to the main rivers of the country, often smaller tributaries and streams can cause heavy damage as well. Once these streams spill over their banks they could cause excessive harm, mainly because those living near the banks of these streams particularly in mountain areas do not have easy recourse to moving away quickly.
- One major factor that could lead to a higher severity of flooding in the future is the danger of climate change. While the evidence of the nature of impacts resulting from climate change on precipitation and flooding at the regional level is not entirely clear, it could happen that the Indian subcontinent witnesses and suffers the effects of a significantly changed pattern of monsoons. One set of scientists has estimated that the monsoons could be shorter in duration, but far more intensive. In other words, much greater precipitation would take place in a much shorter period of time, thereby increasing the danger of floods. Climate change is the result of human actions through the increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, of which carbon dioxide is the most prominent.
- At the local level also human actions have heightened the danger of flood through the cutting of trees in the mountains as well as in the plains. In the case of India, the ecological damage through deforestation of the Himalayas has led to large-scale erosion of the mountain slopes and high levels of siltation. This leads to deposition of silt on the riverbeds in the plains and hence spill over of water whenever the volume in the river reaches a certain level. With siltation on the river beds, flooding occurs even at very shallow water levels. The vulnerability of the population has increased substantially because of population pressures, symbolized, for instance, by the stubborn and perhaps helpless settling of slum dwellers on the banks of the river Yamuna in Delhi, which is merely a trickle most of the year, but bursting its banks during the monsoons as has been the case this year.
- Flood forecasting is critical to minimizing the damage from floods. It is for this reason that the Central Water Commission has set up a network of forecasting stations, which cover the most important flood prone inter state rivers in the country. These stations produce forecasts that are used to alert the public and to mobilize various official agencies so that they take both preventive as well as relief measures whenever required. However, even in cases where forecasts have been timely and generally accurate, people have often been reluctant to move away, because in most cases they lack the means and physical options for moving away from a danger zone to one that is relatively safe. In the case of flash floods, forecasts are difficult to make, and often the time available for relief is very short.
A. Answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate option:
Q.1. The danger of floods is not minimised as_______
(a) flood forecasting is inaccurate
(b) there is little time available for safety measures
(c) people are scared and act in panic
(d) support infrastructure is poor
Correct Answer is option (b)
there is little time available for safety measures
Q.2. Climate change is the direct result of_______
(a) increased concentration of green house gases
(b) explosion of nuclear devices
(c) fire in oil wells in the gulf region
(d) significantly changed pattern of monsoons
Correct Answer is option (a)
increased concentration of green house gases
Q.3. The word 'precipitation' in para 3 means_______
(a) forming a precipitate
(b) separation of solid material from liquid
(c) falling of rain in an area
(d) the quality of being exact or accurate
Correct Answer is option (c)
falling of rain in an area
Q.4. The problem of floods has been considered important recently because_______
(a) there are flash floods
(b) floods are unpredictable
(c) the rivers change their courses
(d) these cause much greater damage
Correct Answer is option (d)
these cause much greater damage
Q.5. India suffers from floods during monsoons because_______
(a) it rains very heavily and continually
(b) the embankments of the rivers are weak
(c) the streams and rivers spill over
(d) the streams are full of silt
Correct Answer is option (c)
the streams and rivers spill over
Q.6. The worst hit people are slum dwellers because_______
(a) they are stubborn and helpless
(b) they do not have means to move away quickly
(c) they have concentrated in large numbers
(d) they have settled on the banks of the rivers
Correct Answer is option (d)
they have settled on the banks of the rivers
Q.7. What is the result of greenhouse gases?
Climate change is the direct result of increased concentration of greenhouse gases.
Q.8. Which human action have heightened the danger of flood?
Cutting of trees in the mountains as well as in the plains have heightened the danger of flood.
Q.9. Why does India suffer from floods during monsoons?
During monsoon the streams and rivers spill over and it results in flood.
Q.10. Who are the worst hit people?
Slum dwellers are the worst hit people as they have settled on the banks of the rivers.
Q.11. Write the words from passage which are similar in meaning.
(a) Fall of rain in an area (para 3)
(b) Harshness (para 3)
(a) Precipitation
(b) Severity
FAQs on Discursive Passage: Living with Foods
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