UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Restoring lakes by going beyond quick fixes
Q1. The National Lake Conservation Plan, under which polluted and degraded lakes in urban and semi-urban areas were taken up for conservation from June 2001, was approved by the Government of India under which Plan period and on what funding basis?
- A. During the Ninth Five Year Plan, as a 100 per cent centrally sponsored scheme
- B. During the Tenth Five Year Plan, as a 100 per cent centrally sponsored scheme
- C. During the Ninth Five Year Plan, on a 70:30 Centre-State cost-sharing basis
- D. During the Eleventh Five Year Plan, on a 90:10 Centre-State cost-sharing basis
Q2. Which one of the following is the Union Government's principal umbrella scheme for conservation of lakes and wetlands, into which the National Lake Conservation Plan was subsumed?
- A. Mission Sahbhagita, launched by the Union Environment Ministry for participatory conservation of wetlands
- B. National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems, implemented by the Union Environment Ministry
- C. Amrit Dharohar, announced in the Union Budget for optimal use of wetlands over three years
- D. National River Conservation Plan, implemented by the Union Environment Ministry for polluted river stretches
Q3. Which one of the following ecosystem types covers only about 3-4 per cent of the Earth's land surface, yet stores roughly 30 per cent of global soil organic carbon — almost twice the carbon held in the biomass of all the world's forests?
- A. Tidal salt marshes of temperate coasts
- B. Mangrove forests of tropical and subtropical coasts
- C. Peatlands, including tropical and boreal peat swamps
- D. Seagrass meadows of shallow coastal waters
Q4. Inland freshwater wetlands and peatlands together occupy only about 6 per cent of the Earth's land surface. What share of the global soil organic carbon stock do they contain?
- A. Less than 10 per cent of the global soil organic carbon stock
- B. About 15 per cent of the global soil organic carbon stock
- C. More than 30 per cent of the global soil organic carbon stock
- D. About 60 per cent of the global soil organic carbon stock
Q5. The power of the National Green Tribunal to entertain all civil cases involving a substantial question relating to the environment arising out of the enactments listed in Schedule I — the basis on which it hears urban waterbody encroachment matters — is conferred by which one of the following?
- A. Section 14 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
- B. Section 15 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
- C. Section 16 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
- D. Section 20 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
Q6. In its 2026 order on the Omaxe City project at Lucknow, the National Green Tribunal directed the Municipal Corporation to take over how many waterbodies for cleaning, rejuvenation and maintenance?
- A. Two ponds lying within the project area
- B. Three ponds lying within the project area
- C. Five ponds lying within the project area
- D. Nine ponds lying within the project area
Q7. Consider the following statements about Wular Lake and Hokersar wetland:
1. Hokersar wetland was added to the Ramsar List in the same year as Wular Lake.
2. Wular Lake, designated a Ramsar site in 1990, is the largest freshwater lake in India.
3. The extent of Hokersar has shrunk from about 18.13 sq km recorded in 1969 to about 13.75 sq km.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Hokersar wetland was added to the Ramsar List in the same year as Wular Lake.
- Wular Lake, designated a Ramsar site in 1990, is the largest freshwater lake in India.
- The extent of Hokersar has shrunk from about 18.13 sq km recorded in 1969 to about 13.75 sq km.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q8. Consider the following pairs of Indian Ramsar sites and the States/Union Territories in which they are located:
1. Wular Lake — Jammu and Kashmir
2. Hokersar Wetland — Jammu and Kashmir
3. Chhari-Dhand — Gujarat
4. Patna Bird Sanctuary — Bihar
Which of the above pairs is/are NOT correctly matched?
- Wular Lake — Jammu and Kashmir
- Hokersar Wetland — Jammu and Kashmir
- Chhari-Dhand — Gujarat
- Patna Bird Sanctuary — Bihar
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 4 only
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 2 and 3
Q9. Which one of the following correctly describes the legal position governing construction around lakes in Bengaluru?
- A. All construction within one kilometre of any lake is permanently prohibited, irrespective of the size of the waterbody
- B. Buffer-zone norms apply exclusively to lakes larger than 40 hectares, all smaller waterbodies being entirely exempt from them
- C. Every lake catchment in the State stands notified as a wetland, which makes all conversion of catchment land legally impossible
- D. A no-construction buffer of 30 metres from the lake spread has been reiterated by the National Green Tribunal, widening for larger lakes
Q10. Consider the following pairs of Indian cities and the share of their wetlands reported lost, mainly to construction and pollution-driven eutrophication:
1. Mumbai — about 71 per cent
2. Ahmedabad — about 57 per cent
3. Delhi-National Capital Region — about 56 per cent
4. Pune — about 37 per cent
Which of the above pairs is/are NOT correctly matched?
- Mumbai — about 71 per cent
- Ahmedabad — about 57 per cent
- Delhi-National Capital Region — about 56 per cent
- Pune — about 37 per cent
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 3 only
Q11. Under the Convention on Wetlands adopted at Ramsar in 1971, which one of the following marine areas falls within the scope of the term 'wetland' as defined by the Convention?
- A. Marine waters whose depth at low tide does not exceed two metres
- B. Marine waters whose depth at low tide does not exceed six metres
- C. Marine waters whose depth at high tide does not exceed six metres
- D. Marine waters whose depth at low tide does not exceed ten metres
Q12. Consider the following statements about India's institutional framework for wetland and urban lake governance:
1. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 were notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
2. These Rules provide for the constitution of State Wetlands Authorities.
3. Amrit Dharohar, aimed at optimal utilisation of wetlands, was announced in the Union Budget 2023-24.
4. Mission Sahbhagita is a scheme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for desilting and cleaning urban lakes.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 were notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- These Rules provide for the constitution of State Wetlands Authorities.
- Amrit Dharohar, aimed at optimal utilisation of wetlands, was announced in the Union Budget 2023-24.
- Mission Sahbhagita is a scheme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for desilting and cleaning urban lakes.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 4 only
- D. 1, 2 and 4