Cloudburst

Syllabus: Geography
Source: Indian Express

Context:
Cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra and Kullu districts triggered devastating floods, leading to the death of two individuals and several missing.

What is a Cloudburst?

• An extremely intense rainfall event — 100 mm or more within less than one hour over a localized area (~10 km²).
• Common in mountainous regions, leading to flash floods, landslides, and infrastructure damage.

Factors Promoting Cloudbursts:

• Orographic Lifting: Moist air collides with hills, rises, and forms Cumulonimbus clouds.
• Severe Convective Currents: Strong upward drafts (60–120 km/h) lead to the formation of deep clouds.
• Localized Moisture Concentration: Moisture trapped in valleys increases rainfall intensity.
• Latent Heat Release: As per the Clausius-Clapeyron principle, a 1°C rise in temperature allows air to hold 7% more moisture.

How Does a Cloudburst Occur?

• Moist monsoon winds hit hills and cool down → leading to tall cloud formations (up to 15–21 km).
• In highly unstable atmospheric conditions, drainage systems fail.
• Result: Heavy rain concentrated over a small area — up to 2 billion liters per hour over 20 km².

Impacts:

🔸 On Natural Disasters:

• Flash Floods: Sudden floods, e.g., Manikaran (2025)
• Landslides: Water-logged slopes collapse, e.g., Lahaul road (2025)
• Infrastructure Damage: Washed away bridges/roads, e.g., Bhaldi bridge (2025)

🔸 On People:

• Loss of life and property, displacement
• Livelihoods affected — hydroelectricity, agriculture, tourism
• Villages cut off — e.g., Jasrath, Manikaran

🔸 On Environment:

• Soil erosion, destabilization of riverbanks
• Increased sediment load, affecting dams and aquatic ecosystems

Management Measures:

• NDMA Guidelines (2010): Early warning systems, zonation, community awareness
• Technological Improvements: Doppler radar, automated rain gauges, weather modeling
• Local Preparedness: Alert panchayats, avoid sudden release from reservoirs
• Climate Action: As per IPCC, a 1°C rise can lead to a 7–10% increase in rainfall

Conclusion:
Cloudbursts are becoming increasingly destructive in Himalayan regions. A tech-enabled, multi-level strategy is essential.

Gender Equality in Urban Bureaucracy

Syllabus: Gender equality in governance, GS Paper 2
Source: The Hindu

Context:
According to a report by Janaagraha, despite women constituting 46% of elected representatives in urban governance, men continue to dominate administrative and technical posts.

Definition:

Gender equality in urban bureaucracy means equal participation of women in roles such as urban planners, engineers, police personnel, etc.

Statistics:

• Women in IAS: Only 20% (2022)
• Women in local urban bodies (elected): 46%+
• Women in police forces: Just 11.7%
• Engineering: While 40% of STEM graduates are women, only 14% are in the workforce

Why is it Needed?

• Inclusive Planning: Women consider safety, travel needs, and caregiving roles
• Local Priorities: Emphasis on lighting, toilets, health
• Sensitive Policing: Increases reporting of domestic violence, sexual harassment
• Policy Implementation Support: Elected women need administrative backing

Impacts:

🔸 On Citizens:

• Improved safety: Better lighting and surveillance
• Transport access: Accommodates multi-stop travel
• Inclusion of marginalised groups: Elderly, disabled, children
• Better housing and health outcomes, especially for urban poor women

🔸 On Governance:

• Gender Budgeting: Examples from Kerala, Tamil Nadu
• Reduced corruption, increased transparency
• Upholds democratic values of the 74th Amendment

Challenges:

• Entry Barriers: Low female representation in planning and engineering roles
• Workplace Discrimination: Hurdles in promotion, lack of mentorship
• Lack of Gender Data: Hinders uniform policy formulation
• Token Gender Budgeting: Lack of real planning or monitoring

Conclusion:
Bureaucratic gender balance is as essential as political representation. Inclusive cities need inclusive administrative frameworks.

Zero-Dose Children

Context:
According to a new Lancet report (based on Global Burden of Disease data), India ranked second globally, after Nigeria, in the number of “zero-dose” children in 2023.

GS Paper 2 (Governance & Social Justice):

• Health policy shortcomings, review of Universal Immunisation Programme, last-mile delivery issues

GS Paper 3 (Public Health):

• Disease prevention, impact of COVID-19 on health systems, global comparisons

Essay/GS1 (Society):

• Child health inequality, misinformation, rural-urban health access gaps

Zero-dose children are those who have not received even one dose of any routine childhood vaccine.

• In 2023, India had 1.44 million such children.

Key Findings (Lancet Report):

• India ranks second (after Nigeria with 2.5 million such children)
• These children are concentrated in eight countries accounting for over 50% of the global burden
• India's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) covers 12 diseases, but implementation gaps persist

Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP)

Launched: Nationwide in 1985 (originally started in 1978 as Expanded Programme on Immunization)
Objective:

• Protect children from life-threatening diseases
• Ensure universal access to vaccination
• Reduce Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR)

Target Beneficiaries:

• Children aged 0–5
• Pregnant women
• Adolescents (for newer vaccines like HPV)

Vaccines under UIP (12 diseases):

Challenges in UIP:

• High number of zero-dose children (1.44 million in 2023)
• Drop in coverage due to COVID-19 pandemic
• Accessibility issues in rural areas
• Vaccine hesitancy and misinformation
• Human resource and logistics constraints

Government Initiatives:

✅ Mission Indradhanush (2014): Focused campaign in low-coverage districts
✅ Indradhanush 2.0, 3.0, 4.0: Phased strategies to improve coverage
✅ eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network): Tracks vaccine supply/storage digitally
✅ CoWIN Platform: Originally for COVID-19, now expanded to record other vaccinations

UPSC Relevance:

GS Paper 2 – Governance & Social Justice:

• Health service delivery system
• Reaching the last mile
• Review of Mission Indradhanush & UIP

GS Paper 3 – Public Health:

• Disease prevention, nutrition, maternal-child health
• Pandemic response and health policy

Essay / GS1 (Society):

• Child health inequality
• Role of public health education and awareness