Content

1. Follow the rains, not the calendar, to fight floods
2. Just a pinch can reduce an Indian’s salt overload

Follow the rains, not the calendar, to fight floods

What is the issue?

• Urban flooding during monsoons is worsening despite annual preparations.
• Cities still follow outdated rainfall calendars, while climate change alters timing, intensity, and duration.
• Result: flooded roads, stranded commuters, property damage, and rising disaster losses.

Relevance

• GS I (Geography): Climate variability, monsoon patterns, extreme weather events.
• GS II (Governance): Urban local bodies, inter-departmental coordination, disaster preparedness.
• GS III (Disaster Management & Environment): Urban flooding, infrastructure resilience, climate adaptation policies.

Practice Questions

• Urban flooding in India is more a governance failure than a natural disaster. Critically examine in light of changing rainfall patterns. (250 Words)

Current Context & Data

• Extreme events: Punjab floods (all 23 districts), Delhi & Gurugram inundation, Himalayan cloudbursts, Kolkata heavy rains.
• Early rains: Mumbai (135 mm & 161 mm in consecutive days), Delhi (81 mm in hours).
• CEEW data: 64% of Indian tehsils now face more heavy rainfall days.
• Economic cost: Average flood damage ~₹8,700 crore per event.
• Rainfall compression: Rain that used to fall in a day now falls in an hour.

Core Problem

• Preparedness based on seasonal averages, not hourly extremes.
• Drain cleaning & waste management schedules outdated.
• Infrastructure designed for “old rainfall” patterns, not current realities.

Analytical Dimensions

• Climatic Dimension: Changing IDF (Intensity-Duration-Frequency) curves → rainfall is shorter, sharper, more destructive.
• Urban Governance Dimension: Poor coordination between storm water management and waste disposal departments.
• Infrastructure Dimension: Old drainage networks cannot handle sudden downpours.
• Economic Dimension: Floods now the biggest cause of disaster losses in India.
• Social Dimension: Waterlogging disrupts mobility, health, livelihoods, and disproportionately affects urban poor.

Proposed Solutions in Editorial

1. Use sub-daily rainfall data → integrate high-intensity hourly rainfall trends into drainage design.
   1. Example: BMC widening drains to handle 120 mm/hour.
2. Synchronise waste & drain cleaning calendars → joint sanitation + engineering teams, IMD-triggered alerts.
   1. Example: Vijayawada’s coordinated monsoon teams reduced waterlogging.
3. Update IDF curves every 5–10 years → redesign storm water systems based on micro-catchment hydrology & topography.
   1. Ensure separate storm water & sewerage networks.

Broader Implications

• Climate adaptation: Urban resilience requires rethinking monsoon as “not a season but an event”.
• Disaster management: Needs integration of IMD alerts, city planning, and inter-departmental coordination.
• Policy relevance: Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT 2.0, National Urban Flood Risk Mitigation Strategy.
• Global relevance: Lessons for other rapidly urbanising regions facing climate variability.

Challenges Ahead

• Financing urban infrastructure upgrades.
• Capacity gaps in municipal bodies.
• Data availability & sharing (real-time rainfall, hydrology).
• Political will for long-term resilience vs. short-term fixes.
• Public participation in waste management & flood preparedness.

Conclusion

• Indian cities are not losing to the rain, but to outdated assumptions about rain.
• Flood-proofing requires data-driven, coordinated, climate-adaptive planning.
• A shift from reactive desilting to proactive resilience-building is essential.
• Key takeaway: Instead of asking when will monsoon start, cities must ask are we prepared for the rain already falling?

Just a pinch can reduce an Indian’s salt overload

Context

• Rising Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in India: obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases.
• Policy focus so far: sugar and fats (oil boards, awareness campaigns).
• Neglected area: high salt consumption.

Relevance

• GS II (Governance & Health): Role of public health policy, regulation of food industry, behavioural change campaigns.
• GS III (Science & Tech): Nutritional labelling, salt substitutes, health economics.

Practice Questions

• Excess salt intake in India is a “silent killer” with major public health implications. Discuss the need for regulatory and behavioural interventions. (250 Words)

Facts & Data

• Average daily salt intake in India: 8–11 g/day.
• WHO recommended intake: 5–6 g/day.
• 3/4th of salt intake in India: from home-made food (pickles, papad, chutneys, cooked meals).
• Eating out: 20% of adults eat outside food ~3 times/week; restaurants add more oils, butter, and salt.
• Packaged & processed foods: invisible salt in bread, cookies, ketchup, cakes, pastries.

Health Implications

• Hypertension prevalence: 28.1% adults.
• Hypertension → leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
• Children at risk: salt should not be added in infants’ diets; early exposure builds addictive taste preference.
• Myths: Rock salt, black salt, Himalayan pink salt are “healthier” → all contain sodium; some not iodised → risk of iodine deficiency.

Current Gaps

• Policy discourse dominated by sugar and fat, ignoring salt.
• Limited public health attention despite scientific evidence.
• Salt reduction not integrated effectively into food regulations, labelling, or NCD prevention programmes.

Economic & Policy Justification

• WHO: Salt reduction is a “best buy” intervention.
• ROI: Every $1 invested → return of $12 in health savings and productivity.

Recommended Strategies

Regulatory & Structural Measures

• Move from sugar/oil boards to HFSS boards (high fat, sugar, salt).
• Front-of-pack labels: Warning signs for high-salt foods (Chile model).
• Salt ceilings for processed foods.
• Restrict marketing of unhealthy foods to children.

Public Programmes

• Reform food procurement in schools, Anganwadis, hospitals.
• Train cooks, set salt standards in government meals.
• Integrate with National Multisectoral Action Plan (2017–22) and upcoming NCD plans.

Behavioural Change

• Gradual salt reduction while cooking.
• Use herbs & spices as substitutes.
• Promote low-sodium salt substitutes (with caution for kidney patients).
• Community innovations: restaurants removing salt shakers, families doing weekly kitchen reviews.

Early Prevention

• Focus on children’s diets (no added salt in infants).
• Shape taste preference early to prevent lifelong high-salt consumption.

Global Best Practices

• Chile: Mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on high salt foods.
• Latin America: Salt ceilings and strong food labelling laws.
• Lessons: Regulation + awareness works better than awareness alone.

Way Forward

• Salt reduction should be elevated as a public health priority equal to sugar and fat.
• Needs multi-sectoral strategy: health, food processing, consumer affairs, education, and community engagement.
• Combine regulation (mandatory labels, salt ceilings) with community behaviour change.
• Integrate salt reduction into national NCD prevention programmes.
• Adopt a life-cycle approach: start with children, institutional food programmes, and extend to packaged food industry regulation.