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Q13·GS Paper 1 · Prelims 2018

Water Bodies Shrinkage Environmental Impact

EnvironmentWater Resources and Environmental DegradationStatement-basedMediumStatic

Question

Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities?

1Aral Sea
2Black Sea
3Lake Baikal

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. 1.

    Aral Sea has shrunk immensely/dried up in recent past due to human activities

  2. 2.

    Black Sea has shrunk immensely/dried up in recent past due to human activities

  3. 3.

    Lake Baikal has shrunk immensely/dried up in recent past due to human activities

Options

a

1 only

Answer
b

2 and 3

c

2 only

d

1 and 3

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: The Aral Sea has dramatically shrunk due to excessive diversion of water from its tributary rivers (Amu Darya and Syr Darya) for irrigation purposes in Central Asia, particularly for cotton cultivation. This is one of the most severe environmental disasters caused by human activity. Statement 2 is incorrect: The Black Sea has not significantly shrunk or dried up. Statement 3 is incorrect: Lake Baikal is the world's deepest freshwater lake and has not shrunk immensely, though it faces some environmental pressures. Only the Aral Sea qualifies as having shrunk immensely due to human activities. > Aral Sea: The catastrophic ecological disaster - shrunk from human irrigation extraction. Answer: a

Question details

Year

2018

Paper

GS Paper 1

Question

Q13

Subject

Environment

Sub-topic

Water Resources and Environmental Degradation

Type

Statement-based

Difficulty

Medium

Nature

Static

Source hint

NCERT Geography - Environmental Issues and Water Resources

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