UPSC CARE Mains Practice 6th october 2025
Topic – Sir Creek Issue between India and Pakistan
Q1. Examine the strategic significance of the Sir Creek region and analyse how Pakistan’s recent activities there have implications for India’s security and diplomacy. (15 marks, 250 words)
Introduction
Sir Creek, a 96-kilometre-long estuarine channel in the Rann of Kutch between Gujarat (India) and Sindh (Pakistan), is among the last unresolved territorial disputes between the two nations. Despite being a marshy, uninhabited terrain, it holds immense strategic, economic, and maritime significance. Recent reports of Pakistani military mobilisation and drone operations near the area have revived security concerns, highlighting the intersection of climate vulnerability, boundary ambiguity, and geopolitical tension.
Body
- Geographical and Strategic Context
- Boundary Dispute and the Thalweg Principle
- Pakistan’s Recent Activities and Emerging Concerns
- Security and Diplomatic Implications for India
- Way Forward: Strategic Prudence and Cooperative Diplomacy
Conclusion
The Sir Creek dispute is a reminder that even seemingly barren marshlands can carry high strategic and diplomatic stakes. While India’s position based on the Thalweg principle is legally sound, it must be complemented by persistent diplomacy, advanced surveillance, and regional environmental cooperation. Unlike the Siliguri Corridor, which secures India’s land connectivity, Sir Creek secures India’s maritime gateway. Managing it with foresight and restraint will reinforce India’s coastal defence architecture and regional stability
UPSC Syllabus
India-Pakistan Relations
Why was this question asked?
Q. Terrorist activities and mutual distrust have clouded India–Pakistan relations. To what extent the use of soft power like sports and cultural exchange could help generate goodwill between the two countries. Discuss with suitable examples. [2015]
Introduction
Sir Creek, a 96-kilometre-long estuarine channel in the Rann of Kutch between Gujarat (India) and Sindh (Pakistan), is among the last unresolved territorial disputes between the two nations. Despite being a marshy, uninhabited terrain, it holds immense strategic, economic, and maritime significance. Recent reports of Pakistani military mobilisation and drone operations near the area have revived security concerns, highlighting the intersection of climate vulnerability, boundary ambiguity, and geopolitical tension.
Body
Geographical and Strategic Context
- Location: Sir Creek forms part of the Indo–Pak border in the southern sector, opening into the Arabian Sea. The area’s shifting tidal channels make navigation and demarcation extremely complex.
- Economic significance: The region is rich in fishery resources and potentially in offshore oil and gas deposits, making it valuable for economic and energy security.
- Strategic proximity: Close to India’s major ports—Kandla and Mundra—which are essential to the nation’s trade and naval logistics.
- Security presence: The BSF, Indian Army, Coast Guard, and Air Force maintain layered defence systems to prevent infiltration and protect energy corridors.
Boundary Dispute and the Thalweg Principle
- Historical origin: The dispute stems from the 1914 Resolution between the Government of Bombay and the Ruler of Kutch, which ambiguously described the boundary.
- India’s stand: India supports the Thalweg principle, which defines the boundary along the deepest navigable channel of a river or estuary — a fair and internationally accepted method under customary law and UNCLOS (1982).
- Pakistan’s claim: Pakistan argues the border should lie along the eastern bank, thus granting it a larger Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Arabian Sea.
- Significance: The dispute affects maritime delimitation, influencing rights over marine resources, trade routes, and naval movement.
Pakistan’s Recent Activities and Emerging Concerns
- Increased militarisation: Reports suggest Pakistan has ramped up troop movement and infrastructure near Sir Creek, possibly for surveillance or signalling.
- Drone operations: During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan reportedly deployed around 400 drones across sectors from Leh to Sir Creek, marking an expanded operational frontier.
- Chinese-backed projects: Mining and power projects near Pakistan’s Rann of Kutch, supported by Chinese investment, raise fears of dual-use facilities with potential military implications.
- Testing India’s vigilance: Such moves could be attempts to probe India’s coastal defences or divert attention from the western border and northern frontiers.
Security and Diplomatic Implications for India
- Maritime and energy security: Proximity to offshore oil fields and India’s western ports makes this region strategically vital.
- Infiltration and smuggling risks: The marshy, uninhabited terrain can enable covert operations, arms movement, or drone-based reconnaissance.
- Geostrategic linkages: Pakistan’s activities must be viewed alongside China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) dynamics, as Chinese involvement in the Arabian Sea region strengthens Islamabad’s leverage.
- Diplomatic dimension: The last round of talks in 2012 stalled, but India continues to maintain that the issue can be resolved through dialogue under international law.
Way Forward: Strategic Prudence and Cooperative Diplomacy
- Strengthen surveillance and coordination: Integrate satellite monitoring, coastal radar chains, and UAVs for real-time intelligence.
- Institutional cooperation: Enhance synergy among the BSF, Navy, Coast Guard, and Defence Intelligence Agency for border management.
- Eco-sensitive approach: Develop sustainable monitoring infrastructure that preserves the fragile Rann of Kutch ecosystem.
- Diplomatic outreach: Re-engage Pakistan via Track-II channels and propose technical-level meetings on the Thalweg-based delimitation.
- Monitor external influence: Maintain vigilance over Chinese investments in Pakistan’s coastal regions that could shift the regional balance.
Conclusion
The Sir Creek dispute is a reminder that even seemingly barren marshlands can carry high strategic and diplomatic stakes. While India’s position based on the Thalweg principle is legally sound, it must be complemented by persistent diplomacy, advanced surveillance, and regional environmental cooperation. Unlike the Siliguri Corridor, which secures India’s land connectivity, Sir Creek secures India’s maritime gateway. Managing it with foresight and restraint will reinforce India’s coastal defence architecture and regional stability
Topic – Recurring landslides
Q 2. How do recurring landslides threaten Darjeeling’s environment and livelihood, and why do they carry national security implications for India? Discuss with reference to unsustainable development, climate change, and institutional neglect. (15 marks, 250 words)
Introduction
Darjeeling, often called the “Queen of the Hills,” lies in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem and is prone to frequent landslides. These disasters, intensified by erratic rainfall patterns and unregulated development, have not only endangered local lives and infrastructure but also posed serious challenges to India’s environmental sustainability, economic stability, and national security.
Body
- Causes and Pattern of Landslides in Darjeeling
- Human Factors: Unsustainable Development and Urbanisation
- Institutional and Governance Failures
- Socio-Economic and Environmental Consequences
- National Security and Strategic Implications
Conclusion
The recurring landslides in Darjeeling highlight a deeper crisis of climate vulnerability, unplanned development, and institutional inertia. The region demands a national-level Himalayan Disaster Resilience Framework, integrating early warning systems, sustainable land use planning, and climate-adaptive infrastructure. Given its strategic location near the Siliguri Corridor, protecting Darjeeling is not just an environmental necessity — it is a matter of national security and regional stability for India.
UPSC Syllabus
Landslides and disaster management
Why was this question asked?
Q. Describe the various causes and the effects of landslides. Mention components of the important components of National Landslide Risk Management strategy. [2021]
Introduction
Darjeeling, often called the “Queen of the Hills,” lies in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem and is prone to frequent landslides. These disasters, intensified by erratic rainfall patterns and unregulated development, have not only endangered local lives and infrastructure but also posed serious challenges to India’s environmental sustainability, economic stability, and national security.
Body
Causes and Pattern of Landslides in Darjeeling
- Natural vulnerability: Darjeeling’s steep slopes, heavy monsoons, and young fold mountains make it geologically unstable. Historical records show major landslides in 1899, 1934, 1950, 1968, 1980, 1991, 2011, and 2015, each causing severe damage.
- Changing rainfall patterns: Climate change has shifted steady monsoon showers into short, intense cloudbursts (locally called mushaldhare varsha), triggering sudden slope failures.
- Altered river courses: Streams (jhoras) and rivers have changed their paths due to deforestation and unplanned construction, increasing erosion and flooding.
Human Factors: Unsustainable Development and Urbanisation
- Unplanned infrastructure: Heavy projects like hydropower plants, hotels, and roads exceed the carrying capacity of the hills.
- Encroachment: Settlements along riverbanks, streams, and unstable slopes block natural drainage channels.
- Tourism pressure: Rapid urbanisation driven by tourism has increased waste generation and deforestation.
- Hydropower risks: The 2023 Sikkim Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) destroyed the 1,200 MW Chungthang hydropower project, showing the dangers of locating critical infrastructure in fragile zones.
Institutional and Governance Failures
- Weak local governance: Institutions like the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and municipalities lack technical expertise, funds, and disaster management training.
- Lack of early warning: Despite ISRO’s Landslide Atlas of India (2023) ranking Darjeeling among the most vulnerable districts, warning systems remain poor.
- Neglected waste management: Poor solid waste disposal and drainage blockage exacerbate slope instability.
- Absence of dedicated research centres: Proposals for an Eastern Himalayan Climate Change and Disaster Management Centre remain unaddressed.
Socio-Economic and Environmental Consequences
- Loss of lives and livelihoods: Frequent landslides destroy tea gardens, roads, and schools, affecting thousands dependent on agriculture and tourism.
- Economic disruption: Blocked highways and bridges, such as the Dudhia bridge collapse, disrupt trade routes linking Siliguri to hill towns and Nepal.
- Environmental degradation: Soil erosion, deforestation, and hydrological imbalance further reduce the ecosystem’s resilience.
- Migration and instability: Repeated disasters force rural populations to migrate, creating social stress and urban congestion in Siliguri and nearby plains.
National Security and Strategic Implications
- Geopolitical sensitivity: Darjeeling lies close to the Siliguri Corridor (Chicken’s Neck) — India’s narrow land link to the Northeast — bordered by Nepal, Bhutan, and China (Tibet).
- Infrastructure vulnerability: Landslides damage highways and defense logistics vital for troop movement and supply lines to Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Cross-border effects: River systems like Teesta flow into Bangladesh; floods or GLOFs can strain bilateral relations.
- Act East Policy link: A destabilised Darjeeling region undermines connectivity projects under India’s Act East Policy, affecting regional trade and security cooperation.
Conclusion
The recurring landslides in Darjeeling highlight a deeper crisis of climate vulnerability, unplanned development, and institutional inertia. The region demands a national-level Himalayan Disaster Resilience Framework, integrating early warning systems, sustainable land use planning, and climate-adaptive infrastructure. Given its strategic location near the Siliguri Corridor, protecting Darjeeling is not just an environmental necessity — it is a matter of national security and regional stability for India.