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Daily Mains Question - GS 1 - 30th August 2025

  • Writer: TPP
    TPP
  • 5 days ago
  • 4 min read
Daily Mains Question - GS 1 - 30th August 2025

Welcome to your Daily UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice – GS Paper 1 (Geography, Climate & Natural Hazards).

Today’s question examines the changing behaviour of Western Disturbances (WDs) under the influence of climate change, and their far-reaching impact on monsoonal rainfall patterns and disaster vulnerability in the Western Himalayas. Traditionally, WDs are extratropical low-pressure systems originating in the Mediterranean, travelling eastwards with the subtropical westerly jet, and bringing vital winter precipitation to North India and the Himalayas.

However, scientific studies (IMD, IITM Pune, World Bank 2021, IPCC AR6) show that in recent years, WDs are undergoing a shift in seasonality, frequency, and intensity, increasingly intruding during the Southwest Monsoon months. This altered behaviour has led to catastrophic outcomes: Himachal Pradesh floods in 2023, Kedarnath tragedy of 2013, and repeated episodes of cloudbursts, landslides, avalanches, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).

For UPSC aspirants, this topic is directly relevant under GS Paper 1 themes:

  • Physical Geography – Climatology: Dynamics of Western Disturbances and their role in Indian monsoon.

  • Natural Hazards & Disasters: Cloudbursts, landslides, floods, and glacial hazards in the Himalayas.

  • Climate Change & Human Geography: Impact on agriculture, livelihoods, and long-term water security in the Indo-Gangetic plains.

  • Contemporary Issues: Link between global climate drivers (ENSO, Arctic amplification, Indian Ocean warming) and local vulnerability.

Click Here to read the Monthly Current Affairs Pointers (CAP).

QUESTION

Climate Change and Western Disturbances: Analyse how their changing behaviour is reshaping monsoonal rainfall patterns and triggering natural disasters in the Western Himalayas.

Answer: Western Disturbances (WDs) are extratropical low-pressure cyclonic systems embedded in the mid-latitude subtropical westerly jet stream, originating in the Mediterranean region, and travelling eastwards across Central Asia into North India and the Himalayas.


They are crucial for winter precipitation (Dec–Feb), ensuring snow accumulation in the Western Himalayas and winter rains in Punjab, Haryana, and western UP—vital for rabi crops (wheat, mustard, barley).


Studies (IMD, IITM Pune, World Bank Report 2021, IPCC AR6) indicate climate change is altering WD frequency, intensity, and timing, with increasing interactions with the Southwest Monsoon, amplifying disasters.

  • Example: 14 WDs recorded during 2023 monsoon season alone caused floods in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and J&K.

 

Changing Behaviour of WDs

  1. Seasonal Shift

    • Traditionally strongest in winter & spring → now intruding into summer and monsoon months.

    • WD–Monsoon coupling increases heavy rainfall (e.g., July 2023 Himachal floods).

  2. Frequency & Intensity

    • Decline in moderate events but rise in extreme precipitation episodes.

    • WD tracks shifting northward, reducing snow in lower Himalayas but intensifying rainfall in upper reaches.

  3. Moisture & Temperature Dynamics

    • Warmer troposphere = greater water vapour holding capacity (Clausius–Clapeyron relation).

    • Snowfall → Rainfall transition alters glacial accumulation and river recharge.

  4. Climatic Drivers

    • ENSO & IOD events alter jet stream flow.

    • Arctic amplification weakens polar jet, allowing WDs to dip into India.

    • Indian Ocean warming supplies more latent heat.

 

Impact on Monsoonal Precipitation

  • Amplification of Rainfall: WD–Monsoon interaction increases rainfall over NW India & Himalayas, but induces monsoon breaks in central/eastern India.

  • Erratic Spatio-temporal Distribution: Sudden cloudbursts (Uttarakhand, Himachal).

  • Reduced Snowpack & Hydrology:

    • Shift from snow → rain reduces glacier mass balance.

    • Alters long-term river flows in Ganga–Indus system, threatening water security for ~500 million people.

 

Impact on Natural Calamities in Western Himalayas

  1. Flash Floods & Cloudbursts

    • Kedarnath tragedy (2013), Himachal floods (2023).

    • 40+ pilgrims killed (2022, Vaishno Devi) due to sudden deluge.

  2. Landslides & Erosion

    • Himalayas = young fold mountains (still rising), structurally fragile.

    • GSI Landslide Atlas (2023): 66.5% of Uttarakhand, 12% of J&K’s hilly area → “highly susceptible”.

  3. Avalanches & GLOFs

    • Heavy WD snow in upper reaches → avalanche hazards for locals & soldiers.

    • Sudden rainfall → accelerated glacial melting → GLOFs (Chamoli, 2021).

  4. Agriculture & Livelihoods

    • Erratic rainfall disrupts Rabi cropping cycles in Punjab-Haryana.

    • Apple orchards, saffron cultivation, and tourism in Kashmir & Himachal adversely hit.

 

Way Forward

  • Integrated Himalayan Council: Coordination of Centre + Himalayan states for monitoring fragile slopes, ecosystems, and population pressures.

  • Scientific Forecasting:

    • Doppler weather radars, satellite-based monitoring, AI/ML models for rainfall threshold mapping.

    • IMD–ISRO collaboration for WD–Monsoon coupling studies.

  • Disaster Preparedness:

    • National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to strengthen early warning systems and community awareness.

    • Resilient infrastructure codes, regulated urbanisation in hill towns.

  • Climate-Adaptive Agriculture: Drought-resistant and rain-resilient Rabi crops.

  • International Cooperation: Leverage WMO & IPCC platforms for regional forecasting across Hindu Kush–Himalaya.

 

Western Disturbances, once beneficial for winter precipitation and food security, are increasingly becoming drivers of extreme monsoon disasters in the fragile Western Himalayas. Their changing behaviour—induced by climate change and global circulation shifts—has aggravated flash floods, landslides, and glacial hazards, threatening lives, livelihoods, and long-term water security.


A holistic strategy combining science, policy, and community resilience is essential. Without adaptive governance and robust early-warning systems, the Himalayas may face more frequent Kedarnath-type disasters, undermining both ecological balance and human security.

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