APSC Answer Writing (Daily) based on Assam Tribune – 04/08/2025
For APSC CCE and other Assam Competitive examinations aspirants, practicing Daily Answer Writing is vital. This blog covers the most important Main question and its model Answer from the Assam Tribune today (04-08-2025).
📝 Question (GS Paper 3 – Environment & Disaster Management):
“Critically analyze the increasing incidence of landslides in Assam with reference to urban expansion, climate change, and infrastructure development. Suggest effective mitigation strategies.”
🔹 Introduction
Landslides are increasingly threatening life and infrastructure in Assam, particularly in urbanizing hills like Guwahati. Triggered by intense rainfall, poor land-use planning, and unregulated development, landslides reflect the complex interplay between climate change and anthropogenic pressures on fragile ecosystems.
🔍 Rising Landslide Incidences in Assam – A Snapshot
- In 2024 and 2025, Guwahati and Dima Hasao witnessed frequent slope failures, causing fatalities and property loss.
- IMD data shows increased rainfall intensity, which exceeds natural drainage capacities.
- Urban hill encroachments have accelerated after real estate expansion in peri-urban zones.
🔑 Key Factors Behind the Crisis
| Category | Causes |
| Urban Expansion | Encroachment on hills, unplanned road cuts, removal of vegetation |
| Infrastructure Projects | Hill-slope road widening, railway tunneling (e.g., in Dima Hasao) without geological safeguards |
| Climate Variability | Erratic and extreme monsoon events, reducing slope stability |
| Deforestation | Loss of root-binding vegetation and natural drainage |
| Weak Governance | Lack of geospatial mapping and unregulated construction permissions |
📊 Government Reports and Data
- GSI Landslide Susceptibility Mapping: Identifies Assam’s southern hill districts and urban fringes as moderate to high risk
- Northeast Climate Change Assessment (MoEFCC): Predicts increase in high-intensity precipitation events by 2035
- Assam SDG Vision 2030: Highlights disaster resilience and ecosystem protection as priorities
✅ Mitigation Strategies
| Strategy | Action Plan |
| Land Use Planning | Demarcation of “no-construction zones” using GIS-based landslide zoning |
| Green Infrastructure | Promoting slope vegetation, bamboo binding, and terracing in fragile hills |
| Early Warning Systems | Community-level alerts using Doppler radars, mobile-based apps |
| Retrofitting & Engineering | Construction of gabion walls, bio-engineered slopes, and proper drainage channels |
| Public Awareness | Citizen training on landslide risk and evacuation drills |
| Legislative Framework | State-level landslide safety code; enforcement via ULBs and Panchayats |
🧭 Way Forward
- Integration of climate resilience into Smart Cities Mission (e.g., Guwahati).
- Collaboration with institutions like IIT Guwahati and NESAC for micro-hazard mapping.
- Urban mobility plans must include environmental impact assessments (EIA) for all hill-based infrastructure.
- Institutional funding, e.g., via State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) and NABARD RIDF.
🔚 Conclusion
Landslides in Assam are no longer isolated disasters but a chronic urban and ecological challenge. Proactive planning, scientific construction norms, and ecosystem-based adaptation are essential to ensure resilience in Assam’s vulnerable zones amidst a changing climate.
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