16 October: landslides, Himalaya and Ghats
Friday 16 October 2026
GS Paper 1 · 150 words · 10 marks
Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and the Western Ghats.
(UPSC Mains 2021, GS Paper 1, Q4)
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How to approach this question
What the question asks.
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| Differentiate | Compare the two regions on the same factors |
| The causes | Geology, slope, trigger, human activity. Leave out effects |
| Himalayan region and Western Ghats | One example from each |
A shape that works in 150 words.
- One line on the basic difference: young and active, against old and stable.
- A table with four rows: rock, slope, trigger, human factors.
- One example from each region.
- A conclusion on what the difference means for policy.
What to avoid.
| Mistake | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| Two separate paragraphs, one per region | A table or paired points on the same factors |
| Writing about effects and relief | Keep to causes |
| "Deforestation" for both, with nothing more | Say which human activity matters in each region |
| No example | Name one event in each region, with a year |
A model answer
Both regions have frequent landslides. The Himalaya are young and tectonically active. The Western Ghats are old and stable, and rain does most of the damage.
| Cause | Himalayan region | Western Ghats |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | Young, folded, fractured sedimentary and metamorphic rock | Old basalt and gneiss, weathered into laterite and soil |
| Slope | Very steep, still rising | Steep scarp on the western face |
| Main trigger | Earthquakes, cloudbursts, glacial lake floods | Intense monsoon rain saturating thick soil over hard rock |
| Human factors | Road cutting, hydropower tunnels, building on old debris | Plantations, quarrying, construction on slopes |
| Example | Kedarnath, 2013. Joshimath subsidence, 2023 | Malin, Maharashtra, 2014. Wayanad, Kerala, 2024 |
Conclusion
The causes differ, so the response should too. The Himalaya need seismic zoning and limits on tunnelling. The Western Ghats need limits on quarrying and slope construction, as the Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports proposed. In both, the Geological Survey of India's landslide susceptibility maps should guide building.
Word count: 150.
Why this answer works. The table compares the regions on the same factors. Every row is a cause. The conclusion draws a policy point from the comparison.
Where it could be stronger. The example row could say what triggered each event, such as the cloudburst above Kedarnath.