Q. One of the biggest ironies around water is that it comes from rivers and other wetlands.
Yet it is seen as divorced from them. While water is used as a resource, public policy does not always grasp that it is a part of the natural ecosystem. Efforts at engineering water systems are thus efforts at augmenting water supply rather than strengthening the capacities of ecological systems.
Q1. Which one of the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?
(a) Rivers and other wetlands should be protected under Ramsar Convention.
(b) Engineering water systems should be modernized and further augmented.
(c) Wetlands need to be reinforced as more than just open sources or water.
(d) Water supply should not be free of cost so as to prevent its misuse or overuse.
Correct Answer: (c) Wetlands need to be reinforced as more than just open sources or water.
Question from UPSC Prelims 2020 CSAT Paper
Explanation :
(c) Wetlands need to be reinforced as more than just open sources or water is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the passage.
The passage highlights the irony that water comes from rivers and wetlands but is often divorced from them. It suggests that public policy does not always grasp that water is a part of the natural ecosystem and that efforts at engineering water systems are primarily focused on augmenting water supply rather than strengthening the capacities of ecological systems. Therefore, it can be inferred that wetlands need to be reinforced as more than just open sources of water, but also recognized as an integral part of the natural ecosystem. The passage does not suggest that rivers and wetlands should be protected under the Ramsar Convention, that engineering water systems should be modernized and further augmented, or that water supply should not be free of cost to prevent its misuse or overuse.
