Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answer should be based on the passage only…
Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answer should be based on the passage only.
How best can the problems of floods and droughts be addressed so that the losses are minimal and the system becomes resilient? In this context, one important point that needs to be noted is that India gets "too much' water (about 75% of annual precipitation) during 120 days (June to September) and "too little' for the remaining 245 days. This skewed water availability has to be managed and regulated for its consumption throughout the year.
Which one of the following best reflects the practical, rational and lasting solutions?
Constructing huge concrete storage tanks and canals across the country
Changing the cropping patterns and farming practices
Interlinking of rivers across the country
Buffer stocking of water through dams and recharging aquifers
Solution
The passage highlights the temporal skew in water availability. The practical, rational and lasting solution is to store excess water and recharge groundwater, i.e. buffer stocking through dams and recharging aquifers. Option D is correct; huge concrete tanks and interlinking of rivers carry large costs and controversies.