UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Keeping pace with a succession of climate shock events
Q1. The flash floods of 26 August 2026 in Nepal affected six districts spread across two provinces. Consider the following district–province pairings relating to that affected set:
1. Rasuwa — Bagmati Province
2. Tanahun — Gandaki Province
3. Chitwan — Gandaki Province
4. Gorkha — Bagmati Province
Which of the above pairings is/are NOT correct?
- Rasuwa — Bagmati Province
- Tanahun — Gandaki Province
- Chitwan — Gandaki Province
- Gorkha — Bagmati Province
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 1 and 4
Q2. Consider the following statements comparing the impact of the August 2026 Himalayan flood disaster on the Nepali and the Chinese (Tibet Autonomous Region) sides of the border:
1. In Nepal the death toll had climbed to 939 with roughly 4,000 people still missing by 31 August 2026, whereas 16 deaths were reported on the Chinese side.
2. Around 560 people remained missing in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
3. The initiating ice-and-rock avalanche and the temporary river damming that produced the surge occurred on the Nepali side of the border, downstream of the Rasuwagadhi crossing.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- In Nepal the death toll had climbed to 939 with roughly 4,000 people still missing by 31 August 2026, whereas 16 deaths were reported on the Chinese side.
- Around 560 people remained missing in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
- The initiating ice-and-rock avalanche and the temporary river damming that produced the surge occurred on the Nepali side of the border, downstream of the Rasuwagadhi crossing.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q3. Within days of the August 2026 Nepal flood disaster, the United Nations released an initial US$2 million for medical care, shelter and water. This came from the UN's principal centrally-managed pooled financing instrument for kick-starting relief in sudden-onset crises. Which one of the following is that instrument?
- A. The Green Climate Fund, the largest dedicated climate finance mechanism serving developing countries
- B. The Central Emergency Response Fund, managed by the UN humanitarian affairs office
- C. The Adaptation Fund, financing concrete adaptation projects in vulnerable developing countries
- D. The Fund for responding to Loss and Damage, serving particularly vulnerable developing countries
Q4. The Fund for responding to Loss and Damage — the instrument built to compensate particularly vulnerable developing countries such as Nepal for climate harm they did little to cause — was operationalised under a decision of which Conference of the Parties, and which institution was invited to host it as a financial intermediary fund for an interim period of four years?
- A. COP27 (2022); hosted by the World Bank as a financial intermediary fund
- B. COP28 (2023); hosted by the World Bank as a financial intermediary fund
- C. COP28 (2023); hosted by the Global Environment Facility as a trust fund
- D. COP26 (2021); hosted by the Green Climate Fund as a dedicated window
Q5. Under the naming system for tropical cyclones over the North Indian Ocean, the name 'Ditwah' carries a specific meaning and a specific national origin. Which one of the following correctly states both?
- A. It denotes a lagoon, and the name was contributed to the regional list by Yemen
- B. It denotes a lagoon, and the name was contributed to the regional list by Oman
- C. It denotes a seasonal monsoon wind, and the name was contributed to the list by Yemen
- D. It denotes a coastal palm grove, and the name was contributed to the list by the Maldives
Q6. Consider the following statements about the river system and the flood mechanism involved in the August 2026 Himalayan disaster:
1. The Bhote Koshi, which carried the surge into Nepal, is known as the Poiqu in Tibet.
2. The immediate trigger involved an ice-and-rock avalanche blocking the Lhende river and forming a temporary lake that subsequently burst.
3. The Trishuli, which receives these waters, crosses into India under the name Kosi.
4. ICIMOD has identified the Poiqu watershed as highly prone to glacial lake outburst floods.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Bhote Koshi, which carried the surge into Nepal, is known as the Poiqu in Tibet.
- The immediate trigger involved an ice-and-rock avalanche blocking the Lhende river and forming a temporary lake that subsequently burst.
- The Trishuli, which receives these waters, crosses into India under the name Kosi.
- ICIMOD has identified the Poiqu watershed as highly prone to glacial lake outburst floods.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 1, 2 and 4
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q7. India's national-level guidelines on the 'Management of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)', together with the accompanying Task Force compendium, were issued by which body and in which year?
- A. The National Disaster Management Authority, in 2010
- B. The National Disaster Management Authority, in 2020
- C. The Central Water Commission, in 2020
- D. The National Institute of Disaster Management, in 2016
Q8. Consider the following statements about SAARC and its institutional framework:
1. SAARC was founded by seven states — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
2. Regional cooperation for preparedness and mitigation of natural disasters was taken up at the 13th SAARC Summit, held at Dhaka.
3. Afghanistan was admitted as the eighth member of SAARC at the 14th Summit, held at New Delhi in April 2007.
4. The South Asian University, set up through an inter-governmental agreement among SAARC states, is located at Colombo.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- SAARC was founded by seven states — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
- Regional cooperation for preparedness and mitigation of natural disasters was taken up at the 13th SAARC Summit, held at Dhaka.
- Afghanistan was admitted as the eighth member of SAARC at the 14th Summit, held at New Delhi in April 2007.
- The South Asian University, set up through an inter-governmental agreement among SAARC states, is located at Colombo.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 2, 3 and 4
- C. 1 and 4 only
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q9. The Interim Unit of the SAARC Disaster Management Centre, set up in India in November 2016 to deliver policy advice, technical support and training to member states, functions from the campus of which one of the following institutions?
- A. The National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi
- B. The Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management, Gandhinagar
- C. The National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad
- D. The Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi
Q10. According to the Independent Power Producers' Association Nepal, how many operational hydropower projects were damaged by the flood of 26 August 2026, and what was their combined installed capacity?
- A. Five projects, with a combined capacity of about 354 MW
- B. Eight projects, with a combined capacity of about 354 MW
- C. Eight projects, with a combined capacity of about 470 MW
- D. Thirteen projects, with a combined capacity of about 111 MW
Q11. As reported by the Ministry of External Affairs on 1 September 2026, how much relief material had India delivered to Nepal in the aftermath of the flash floods?
- A. 11 tonnes
- B. 46.5 tonnes
- C. 68.5 tonnes
- D. 158 tonnes