UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Ice patches on melting glaciers greater threat than thought: ISRO scientists

Q1. With reference to the 2026 ISRO study on the Dharali flash flood published in npj Natural Hazards, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The study was published in the journal npj Natural Hazards.
  2. The flood was traced to the collapse of an ice patch in the nivation zone of the Srikanta Glacier.
  3. The fan-shaped sediment-debris deposit at Dharali formed at the confluence of the Kheer Gad and the Bhagirathi river.
  4. The event was classified as a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) caused by the breach of a moraine-dammed lake.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. Under which one of the following national missions does the policy framework for monitoring Himalayan glaciers and the cryosphere in India primarily fall?

  • A. National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)
  • B. National Water Mission
  • C. National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
  • D. Green India Mission

Q3. With reference to the August 2025 Dharali flash-flood event and the subsequent ISRO study, consider the following pairings. Which of the pairings given above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Srikanta Glacier — Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand
  2. Dharali village — Bhagirathi river basin
  3. Cartosat-2S — high-resolution Indian Earth observation satellite used by NRSC for damage assessment
  4. Chamoli rock-ice avalanche flood — February 2019
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q4. Which one of the following is the primary Indian satellite series whose very-high-resolution imagery was used by ISRO's NRSC to carry out the rapid damage assessment of the August 2025 Dharali flash flood?

  • A. Cartosat-2S
  • B. Resourcesat-2A
  • C. RISAT-2B
  • D. Oceansat-3 (EOS-06)

Q5. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which conducted the satellite-based investigation of the Dharali flash flood, functions administratively under which one of the following?

  • A. Department of Space, directly under the Prime Minister
  • B. Ministry of Science and Technology
  • C. Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • D. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology