Question 11 (a)

How deforestation in the Himalayas creates ecological, social and economic problems

6 marks

Time to write: About 12 minutes
Topic: Land resources: soil, forests, mining and dams

Question

Question 11 (a) · 6 marks

Explain in what way deforestation in the Himalayas gives rise to ecological, social and economic problems. 6

Reworded from the university paper; the task is the same. The original paper belongs to the University of Delhi. See DU's question bank.

Before you write

Read off the question and its marks

12 minfor 6 marks

Read from the question

ExplainEach point stated, then explained in a line or two.

Write it in this order

Read; underline the asks; jot your points 1 min
1 Introduction ½ mark 1 min
2 Ecological problems 2 marks 3 min
3 Social problems 1½ marks 2 min
4 Economic problems 1½ marks 2 min
5 Conclusion ½ mark 1 min
Check: every ask answered, key terms underlined 2 min

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Easy marks

Introduction (step 1, ½ mark): two lines that set up the answer.

Short on time? Keep step 1 short. Trim steps 2–4 evenly rather than skip one: each is capped at its own marks. End with step 5 in a line or two.

Try it first. About 12 minutes for 6 marks. Write it out, then open the solution.

Solution

Hover or tap a marked figure, like 72,000, to see how it is made and where else it appears.

Introduction

The Himalayan forests hold the soil on steep slopes and regulate the water that feeds the great northern rivers. When they are cleared for timber, roads, farming or dams, the damage spreads from the hill slopes to the plains below.

Ecological problems

Soil erosion and loss of soil. On steep Himalayan slopes deforestation leads to rapid erosion; the soil is washed into streams and rivers and finally lost to the sea, which is why these hills are treated as ecologically sensitive areas.
Floods in the plains. Without forest cover, rainwater runs off the mountainsides carrying topsoil instead of soaking in; rivers of the Ganga and Brahmaputra systems swell, change course and flood the land year after year.
A disturbed water regime. The hill forests conserve soil and keep up the natural water regime of the whole region; once they go, the flow of water through the region is disturbed.
Silting of reservoirs. Silt from deforested catchments fills reservoirs and shortens the life of hydroelectric projects.

Social problems

Hardship for hill communities. The forests are the life-support system of local people, supplying produce they need to survive; women, who collect fuelwood and fodder, bear the brunt of their loss, which is why the Chipko movement in Garhwal and Uttarakhand was led mainly by local women.
Loss of life and homes. Himalayan floods kill people and destroy homes in the plains every year.
Displacement. Large dams in the hills, such as Tehri, submerge forests and farmland and displace the people who lived on them, and the Tehri site carries a risk of dam-induced earthquakes.

Economic problems

Crop losses from floods in the Ganga and Brahmaputra basins.
Loss of forest produce that hill households depend on for their living and survival.
Shorter-lived power and irrigation projects, as silting cuts the useful life of reservoirs.
Lost farmland, as fertile topsoil is carried away to the sea.

Conclusion

Deforestation in the Himalayas links a local loss of trees to floods, poverty and lost investment far downstream. Keeping the remaining forest cover and reforesting denuded slopes is therefore essential.

Where the 6 marks sit

#	Component	Marks
1	Introduction	0.5
2	Ecological problems	2
3	Social problems	1.5
4	Economic problems	1.5
5	Conclusion	0.5
	Total	6

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