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General Studies 2025 GS Paper I 15 marks 250 words Compulsory Discuss

GS Paper I — Q17

Discuss the distribution and density of population in the Ganga River Basin with special reference to land, soil and water…

Discuss the distribution and density of population in the Ganga River Basin with special reference to land, soil and water resources. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

भूमि, मिट्टी और जल संसाधनों के विशेष संदर्भ के साथ गंगा नदी बेसिन में जनसंख्या वितरण और घनत्व पर चर्चा कीजिए। (उत्तर 250 शब्दों में दीजिए) 15 marks

Q17 of the 2025 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper I, as printed
The question as printed in the 2025 General Studies paper
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Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 250-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

The Ganga River Basin is India’s most densely populated river basin, holding about 40 per cent of the country’s population on roughly 26 per cent of its land. Its demographic pattern is shaped less by political boundaries than by landform, soil and water resources. In the Middle Ganga Plain of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the deepest alluvial deposits, flat topography and abundant groundwater have supported intensive agriculture and nucleated settlements, producing the basin’s highest densities. The Upper Ganga Plain, mainly western Uttar Pradesh with adjoining Haryana and Delhi, is also thickly settled because canal irrigation, market access and an industrial-agricultural economy concentrate labour and services. In the Lower Ganga Plain of West Bengal, deltaic soils, paddy cultivation, fishing and port-based trade sustain high densities, though salinity and flood risk shape local settlement.

The resource-population nexus is central. Fertile alluvium permits kharif-rabi double cropping, anchoring food security and rural livelihoods. Yet the same fertility attracts overpopulation, land fragmentation and groundwater extraction; in Haryana and the wider Punjab-Haryana canal belt, water-table decline and canal dependence reveal the limits of resource-led growth. Flood-prone stretches of the middle and lower plains push settlements to higher ground or embankments, while the Himalayan foothills, with terraced farming and limited arable land, remain comparatively less dense. Thus population is densest where land, soil and water combine most productively, but this concentration now demands integrated water management, flood resilience, climate adaptation and equitable land-use planning to keep the basin productive and sustainable.

What "Discuss" is asking you to do

Lay the issue out from more than one side — how it arose, what is claimed for it, what is held against it, and where it now stands. UPSC attaches discuss to broad topics with several live dimensions, so coverage of the dimensions earns more than the strength of your opinion.

Structure that answers it

Set the issue up → the case as it is made → the case against → the dimension both sides leave out → where the balance now lies

Where marks are lost

Listing facts with no thread between them, or arguing one side throughout and calling it a discussion.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: Geography: explain the mechanism, then location follows. discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close Full marks: Mechanism clearly links physical geography to human settlement patterns.

Key points expected

  • Link fertile alluvial soil to high density
  • Explain water resource availability (irrigation) as a driver
  • Contrast high-density plains with low-density uplands
  • Mention specific sub-regions (e.g., Doab, Terai)

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Explain how land, soil, and water resources determine population distribution and density in the Ganga Basin. 15 marks · 250 words

    discuss— intro → 3-4 dimensions → example → balanced close

    Must cover

    • Link fertile alluvial soil to high density
    • Explain water resource availability (irrigation) as a driver
    • Contrast high-density plains with low-density uplands
    • Mention specific sub-regions (e.g., Doab, Terai)

    Loses marks

    • Narrating history of the river
    • Ignoring the 'soil' aspect
    • Listing cities without explaining why

    Earns more

    • Reference to specific river tributaries (Yamuna, Gogra)
    • Mention of soil types (Khadar vs Bhangar)
    • Link to agricultural productivity
    • Reference to urbanization along river banks

    Extra mark

    • 30-second sketch map of Ganga Basin
    • One robust statistic on population density

Practice this exact question

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