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భూగోళశాస్త్రంGS3
GS3

Hydropower Vulnerability to Himalayan Flash Floods in Nepal

Source:The Hindu ↗

ఇది ఎందుకు ముఖ్యం

It directly addresses the intersection of renewable energy expansion (hydropower) and climate change-induced disasters in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem, a critical theme for GS3 (Environment/Disaster Management) and GS1 (Geography).

సారాంశం

The article discusses how recent flash floods in Nepal have shattered assumptions about hydropower being a completely clean, risk-free, and easy source of energy. It highlights the vulnerability of the fragile Himalayan ecosystem to climate change, extreme weather, and GLOFs, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive reassessment of hydropower development in the region.

ముఖ్య అంశాలు

  • Recent flash floods in Nepal have exposed the severe vulnerabilities of hydropower projects in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
  • The illusion of clean, easy, and risk-free hydropower is challenged by climate change impacts, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), and erratic extreme weather events.
  • Run-of-the-river and large dam projects alike face high risks of siltation, structural damage, and disruption to energy security and cross-border power trade.
  • There is an urgent need to reassess developmental models in high-altitude mountain ecosystems, balancing renewable energy goals with ecological carrying capacities.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ ఉచ్చు

Run-of-the-river hydropower projects are completely risk-free and environmentally benign alternatives to large storage dams in the Himalayas.

Aspirants often assume 'run-of-the-river' hydroelectric projects are entirely ecologically benign and immune to large-scale disasters, whereas they remain highly vulnerable to siltation, flash floods, and GLOFs.

అనుసంధానమైన స్థిర భావనలు

Disaster Management & Environment

What are the primary causes and disaster management strategies for Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)?

  • Primary Causes:: Triggered by rapid glacier melting, earthquakes, or heavy rainfall breaching weak moraine dams.
  • NDMA Guidelines:: NDMA guidelines emphasize hazard zonation mapping, automated early warning systems, and lowering lake water levels via siphon or artificial channels.

అంతర-అంశ నమూనాలు

  • Hydropower Vulnerability + India-Nepal Energy Diplomacy

    Himalayan infrastructure development intersects with transboundary river management and bilateral energy trade agreements between India and its northern neighbors.

  • EIA Reform + Climate Change Adaptation Models

    Fragile mountain ecosystems require EIAs that incorporate dynamic climate risks like GLOFs rather than static baseline studies.

Himalayan hydropower vulnerabilities + GLOF risks + transboundary river management likely to feature in Mains GS-3 (Disaster/Environment).

అనుసంధాన PYQలు · 2

అనుసంధాన PYQలు · 2

  • 2017MainsGS3

    'Climate change' is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change?

  • 2016MainsGS1

    The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides. Discuss the causes and suggest suitable measures of mitigation.