{"id":91606,"date":"2025-06-01T11:00:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T11:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/?p=91606"},"modified":"2025-06-01T11:00:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T11:00:53","slug":"which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand\/","title":{"rendered":"Which of the following is\/are the possible consequence\/s of heavy sand"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Which of the following is\/are the possible consequence\/s of heavy sand mining in riverbeds ?<br \/>\nConsider the following statements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Decreased salinity in the river<\/li>\n<li>Pollution of groundwater<\/li>\n<li>Lowering of the water-table<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Select the correct answer using the code given below:<\/p>\n<p>[amp_mcq option1=&#8221;1 only&#8221; option2=&#8221;2 and 3 only&#8221; option3=&#8221;1 and 3 only&#8221; option4=&#8221;1, 2 and 3&#8243; correct=&#8221;option2&#8243;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"psc-box-pyq-exam-year-detail\">\n<div class=\"pyq-exam\">\n<div class=\"psc-heading\">This question was previously asked in<\/div>\n<div class=\"psc-title line-ellipsis\">UPSC IAS &#8211; 2018<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pyq-exam-psc-buttons\"><a href=\"\/pyq\/pyq-upsc-ias-2018.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"psc-pdf-button\" rel=\"noopener\">Download PDF<\/a><a href=\"\/pyq-upsc-ias-2018\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"psc-attempt-button\" rel=\"noopener\">Attempt Online<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"pyq-correct-answer\">\nThe correct answer is B) 2 and 3 only.<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"pyq-key-points\">\nLet&#8217;s evaluate each statement:<br \/>\n1.  **Decreased salinity in the river:** Heavy sand mining typically impacts the physical structure of the riverbed and flow dynamics, and potentially groundwater interaction. It does not directly cause a decrease in salinity in the river water itself. In coastal areas, it might affect the balance between freshwater and saltwater, potentially leading to increased saltwater intrusion rather than decreased salinity in river areas influenced by tides. This statement is incorrect.<br \/>\n2.  **Pollution of groundwater:** Sand and gravel in a riverbed act as a natural filter, helping to purify water as it infiltrates into the groundwater system. Heavy sand mining removes this protective layer, making the groundwater aquifer more vulnerable to contamination from surface pollutants (like agricultural runoff, industrial waste, sewage). This statement is correct.<br \/>\n3.  **Lowering of the water-table:** Riverbeds are often hydraulically connected to the surrounding groundwater table. Removing large quantities of sand from the riverbed lowers the base level of the river and disrupts this connection. This can lead to a corresponding drop in the groundwater table in adjacent areas, affecting wells and vegetation that rely on shallow groundwater. This statement is correct.<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"pyq-additional-information\">\nBesides pollution of groundwater and lowering of the water table, heavy sand mining can also cause erosion of riverbanks, destabilize bridges and other infrastructure, degrade riparian habitat, and alter river morphology, impacting aquatic life. It can also lead to a coarsening of the riverbed sediment downstream.<br \/>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Which of the following is\/are the possible consequence\/s of heavy sand mining in riverbeds ? Consider the following statements: Decreased salinity in the river Pollution of groundwater Lowering of the water-table Select the correct answer using the code given below: [amp_mcq option1=&#8221;1 only&#8221; option2=&#8221;2 and 3 only&#8221; option3=&#8221;1 and 3 only&#8221; option4=&#8221;1, 2 and 3&#8243; &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Which of the following is\/are the possible consequence\/s of heavy sand\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand\/#more-91606\">Detailed Solution<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Which of the following is\/are the possible consequence\/s of heavy sand<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1092],"tags":[1114,1136,1137],"class_list":["post-91606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-upsc-ias","tag-1114","tag-environment-and-ecology","tag-pollution","no-featured-image-padding"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.2 (Yoast SEO v23.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Which of the following is\/are the possible consequence\/s of heavy sand<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The correct answer is B) 2 and 3 only. Let&#039;s evaluate each statement: 1. **Decreased salinity in the river:** Heavy sand mining typically impacts the physical structure of the riverbed and flow dynamics, and potentially groundwater interaction. It does not directly cause a decrease in salinity in the river water itself. In coastal areas, it might affect the balance between freshwater and saltwater, potentially leading to increased saltwater intrusion rather than decreased salinity in river areas influenced by tides. This statement is incorrect. 2. **Pollution of groundwater:** Sand and gravel in a riverbed act as a natural filter, helping to purify water as it infiltrates into the groundwater system. Heavy sand mining removes this protective layer, making the groundwater aquifer more vulnerable to contamination from surface pollutants (like agricultural runoff, industrial waste, sewage). This statement is correct. 3. **Lowering of the water-table:** Riverbeds are often hydraulically connected to the surrounding groundwater table. Removing large quantities of sand from the riverbed lowers the base level of the river and disrupts this connection. This can lead to a corresponding drop in the groundwater table in adjacent areas, affecting wells and vegetation that rely on shallow groundwater. This statement is correct.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Which of the following is\/are the possible consequence\/s of heavy sand\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The correct answer is B) 2 and 3 only. Let&#039;s evaluate each statement: 1. **Decreased salinity in the river:** Heavy sand mining typically impacts the physical structure of the riverbed and flow dynamics, and potentially groundwater interaction. It does not directly cause a decrease in salinity in the river water itself. In coastal areas, it might affect the balance between freshwater and saltwater, potentially leading to increased saltwater intrusion rather than decreased salinity in river areas influenced by tides. This statement is incorrect. 2. **Pollution of groundwater:** Sand and gravel in a riverbed act as a natural filter, helping to purify water as it infiltrates into the groundwater system. Heavy sand mining removes this protective layer, making the groundwater aquifer more vulnerable to contamination from surface pollutants (like agricultural runoff, industrial waste, sewage). This statement is correct. 3. **Lowering of the water-table:** Riverbeds are often hydraulically connected to the surrounding groundwater table. Removing large quantities of sand from the riverbed lowers the base level of the river and disrupts this connection. This can lead to a corresponding drop in the groundwater table in adjacent areas, affecting wells and vegetation that rely on shallow groundwater. This statement is correct.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MCQ and Quiz for Exams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-01T11:00:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"rawan239\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"rawan239\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Which of the following is\/are the possible consequence\/s of heavy sand","description":"The correct answer is B) 2 and 3 only. Let's evaluate each statement: 1. **Decreased salinity in the river:** Heavy sand mining typically impacts the physical structure of the riverbed and flow dynamics, and potentially groundwater interaction. It does not directly cause a decrease in salinity in the river water itself. In coastal areas, it might affect the balance between freshwater and saltwater, potentially leading to increased saltwater intrusion rather than decreased salinity in river areas influenced by tides. This statement is incorrect. 2. **Pollution of groundwater:** Sand and gravel in a riverbed act as a natural filter, helping to purify water as it infiltrates into the groundwater system. Heavy sand mining removes this protective layer, making the groundwater aquifer more vulnerable to contamination from surface pollutants (like agricultural runoff, industrial waste, sewage). This statement is correct. 3. **Lowering of the water-table:** Riverbeds are often hydraulically connected to the surrounding groundwater table. Removing large quantities of sand from the riverbed lowers the base level of the river and disrupts this connection. This can lead to a corresponding drop in the groundwater table in adjacent areas, affecting wells and vegetation that rely on shallow groundwater. This statement is correct.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Which of the following is\/are the possible consequence\/s of heavy sand","og_description":"The correct answer is B) 2 and 3 only. Let's evaluate each statement: 1. **Decreased salinity in the river:** Heavy sand mining typically impacts the physical structure of the riverbed and flow dynamics, and potentially groundwater interaction. It does not directly cause a decrease in salinity in the river water itself. In coastal areas, it might affect the balance between freshwater and saltwater, potentially leading to increased saltwater intrusion rather than decreased salinity in river areas influenced by tides. This statement is incorrect. 2. **Pollution of groundwater:** Sand and gravel in a riverbed act as a natural filter, helping to purify water as it infiltrates into the groundwater system. Heavy sand mining removes this protective layer, making the groundwater aquifer more vulnerable to contamination from surface pollutants (like agricultural runoff, industrial waste, sewage). This statement is correct. 3. **Lowering of the water-table:** Riverbeds are often hydraulically connected to the surrounding groundwater table. Removing large quantities of sand from the riverbed lowers the base level of the river and disrupts this connection. This can lead to a corresponding drop in the groundwater table in adjacent areas, affecting wells and vegetation that rely on shallow groundwater. This statement is correct.","og_url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand\/","og_site_name":"MCQ and Quiz for Exams","article_published_time":"2025-06-01T11:00:53+00:00","author":"rawan239","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"rawan239","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand\/","url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand\/","name":"Which of the following is\/are the possible consequence\/s of heavy sand","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-06-01T11:00:53+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-01T11:00:53+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/5807dafeb27d2ec82344d6cbd6c3d209"},"description":"The correct answer is B) 2 and 3 only. Let's evaluate each statement: 1. **Decreased salinity in the river:** Heavy sand mining typically impacts the physical structure of the riverbed and flow dynamics, and potentially groundwater interaction. It does not directly cause a decrease in salinity in the river water itself. In coastal areas, it might affect the balance between freshwater and saltwater, potentially leading to increased saltwater intrusion rather than decreased salinity in river areas influenced by tides. This statement is incorrect. 2. **Pollution of groundwater:** Sand and gravel in a riverbed act as a natural filter, helping to purify water as it infiltrates into the groundwater system. Heavy sand mining removes this protective layer, making the groundwater aquifer more vulnerable to contamination from surface pollutants (like agricultural runoff, industrial waste, sewage). This statement is correct. 3. **Lowering of the water-table:** Riverbeds are often hydraulically connected to the surrounding groundwater table. Removing large quantities of sand from the riverbed lowers the base level of the river and disrupts this connection. This can lead to a corresponding drop in the groundwater table in adjacent areas, affecting wells and vegetation that rely on shallow groundwater. This statement is correct.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/which-of-the-following-is-are-the-possible-consequence-s-of-heavy-sand\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UPSC IAS","item":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/category\/upsc-ias\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Which of the following is\/are the possible consequence\/s of heavy sand"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#website","url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/","name":"MCQ and Quiz for Exams","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/5807dafeb27d2ec82344d6cbd6c3d209","name":"rawan239","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/761a7274f9cce048fa5b921221e7934820d74514df93ef195a9d22af0c1c9001?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/761a7274f9cce048fa5b921221e7934820d74514df93ef195a9d22af0c1c9001?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"rawan239"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com"],"url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/author\/rawan239\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91606\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}