State PCS
The 'Mitti Bachao Andolan' (Save the Soil Movement) was started in 1977 in:
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Answer: Option C — Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh
Detailed Solution
The "Mitti Bachao Andolan" (Save the Soil Movement) was started in 1977 in the Hoshangabad district (now Narmadapuram) of Madhya Pradesh.
About the Mitti Bachao Andolan:
It was a farmers' movement against the problems caused by the Tawa Dam, built on the Tawa river (a tributary of the Narmada) in Hoshangabad district.
The dam's irrigation canals brought large amounts of water to the fields. Because of poor drainage and over-irrigation, the land became waterlogged, and salts accumulated in the soil (salinity).
This reduced soil fertility and crop yields, and damaged farmers' land.
The farmers organised protests to demand proper drainage, compensation for damaged land and better management of irrigation water.
It drew attention to the environmental problems of large dams and badly planned irrigation.
It was one of the early environmental movements in India, alongside the Chipko Movement.
About waterlogging and salinity:
- Waterlogging happens when the soil becomes saturated with water, so that plant roots cannot get enough oxygen.
- Salinity happens when water evaporates from waterlogged soil and leaves behind salts on the surface.
- These problems are common in canal-irrigated areas of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan.
- The Central Soil Salinity Research Institute at Karnal works on reclaiming saline and alkaline soils.
Other environmental movements of India:
- Chipko Movement (1973): Uttarakhand; villagers hugged trees to save them.
- Silent Valley Movement (1970s): Kerala; against a hydroelectric project.
- Appiko Movement (1983): Sirsi, Karnataka; a tree-hugging movement in the Western Ghats.
- Narmada Bachao Andolan (1985): led by Medha Patkar and Baba Amte, against the Sardar Sarovar and other dams on the Narmada.
- Tehri Dam Andolan: led by Sunderlal Bahuguna against the Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand.
- Jungle Bachao Andolan (1982): in Bihar (now Jharkhand), against replacing sal forests with teak.
About Hoshangabad (Narmadapuram):
- It was renamed Narmadapuram in 2022.
- It is on the banks of the Narmada river.
- The Security Paper Mill, which makes paper for currency notes, is located here.
- The Satpura Tiger Reserve and Pachmarhi hill station are in the district.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Tehri is associated with the anti-Tehri Dam movement.
- ✗Silent Valley is associated with the Silent Valley Movement.
- ✗Sirsi is associated with the Appiko Movement.
Quick tip
Remember: Mitti Bachao Andolan = Hoshangabad (Narmadapuram), MP, 1977 (against waterlogging and salinity from the Tawa Dam canals); Appiko = Sirsi, Karnataka; Chipko = Uttarakhand; Narmada Bachao = Medha Patkar.
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This question tests your understanding of Environmental Conventions, Laws & Organisations, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers international environmental agreements, such as the Montreal Protocol, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity, Indian environmental laws, and environmental organisations and movements such as the Chipko movement. Questions usually ask what an agreement deals with (the Montreal Protocol protects the ozone layer, and the Ramsar Convention protects wetlands), when India passed an environmental law (such as the Environment Protection Act 1986), and who led a movement (Sunderlal Bahuguna is associated with the Chipko movement). Climate summit outcomes change every year, so check current affairs. Practise the environmental conventions and laws questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.