BharatNotes Siltation
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
Decades of unregulated catchment deforestation have accelerated the siltation of major reservoirs, sharply curtailing their live storage capacity and undermining the irrigation and hydropower dividends on which the region's food and energy security depend.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
silt (n/v), silted (adj), silting (v pres.p), silty (adj), desiltation (n)
Root
Middle English cylte = gravel (possibly Scandinavian, related to salt deposits); silt + -ation (Latin suffix = action/process); first attested 1930s
Etymology
From English silt (Middle English cylte, "gravel," possibly from a Scandinavian source related to salt deposits) + -ation (Latin suffix denoting action or process); first attested in the 1930s.
Memory Hook
"Silt" + "-ation" = the action of silt settling. Picture a SILT-laden river quietly STATIONing (parking) its mud at the bottom until the channel chokes.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The accumulation of fine sediment in a channel, reservoir or harbour. Its GS3 significance runs in two directions at once: siltation reduces reservoir storage and therefore both irrigation supply and flood-cushioning capacity, while raising riverbeds so that the same discharge produces higher water levels and more frequent spilling. Catchment treatment upstream addresses the cause, whereas dredging treats the symptom and must be repeated.
Don’t Confuse It With
Siltation is the accumulation of fine sediment. Sedimentation is the general settling process of which it is one form. Erosion is the upstream detachment supplying the material. Aggradation is the resulting rise in a riverbed level, which is the consequence that drives flooding.
Hindi Meaning
गाद जमाव (gād jamāv) or सिल्टेशन.
Common Questions
- What is siltation?
- The accumulation of fine sediment in a channel, reservoir or harbour.
- How does siltation worsen flooding?
- By raising the riverbed, so the same volume of water produces higher levels and spills more readily, and by reducing reservoir capacity available to absorb flood peaks.
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