The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary– July 27, 2021; Day 108

The importance of reading editorials of reputed newspapers is not hidden from anybody. What causes obstruction are difficult words which act like speed-breakers forcing you to either refer to a dictionary for its meaning or simply guess it. While getting the meaning from the dictionary is the best way to understand it, sometimes a dictionary is not within your reach. Also, a number of aspirants get confused when they see more than one meaning next to a word in a dictionary. It becomes a difficult process for them to pick the relevant meaning.

We at PracticeMock understand this and that’s why we have come up with a series of Editorials’ Difficult Words where we shortlist the important editorials of the day and pick the difficult words/ phrases therein. Next to the word, we put only the contextual sense of the word/ phrase so that you don’t get confused. Now let’s go through today’s editorial.

Difficult Word/ Phrase	Contextual Sense
Landslide	a collapse of a mass of earth or rock from a mountain or cliff
Landslip	a mass of rock and earth that falls down a slope, usually smaller than a landslide
Fragility	the quality of being easily broken or damaged
Pummel	to hit something repeatedly
Terrain	a stretch of land, especially with regard to its physical features
Unwary	not cautious; not aware of possible dangers or problems
Vista	a pleasing view, especially one seen through a long, narrow opening
Vigil	a watch or a period of watchful attention
Bootstrap	the technique of starting with existing resources to create something more complex and effective
Fossil fuel	a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms

Wounded mountains: on Himachal landslide (a collapse of a mass of earth or rock from a mountain or cliff) tragedy

Tourist tragedy in Himachal Pradesh points to the importance of preserving ecology

The tragic death of nine tourists in a landslip (a mass of rock and earth that falls down a slope, usually smaller than a landslide) in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh is another pointer to the fragility (​​the quality of being easily broken or damaged) of the ecology of the Himalayan States. Extraordinarily heavy rain pummelled (to hit something repeatedly) the State recently, leaving the hill slopes unstable and causing floods in built-up areas including Dharamshala. The descending boulders from destabilised terrain (a stretch of land, especially with regard to its physical features), which crushed a bridge like a matchstick, are a source of worry even for cautious local residents, and for unwary (not cautious; not aware of possible dangers or problems) visitors, such as the tourists travelling in a van, they can turn into sudden disaster. Himachal is famed for its scenic vistas (a pleasing view, especially one seen through a long, narrow opening) and welcoming summer climate, and drew a few hundred thousand tourists in June this year as States began relaxing the controls for COVID-19. There was justified alarm at the prospect of a fresh surge in infections, prompting Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to appeal for COVID-appropriate behaviour. Unfortunately, there was not enough vigil (a watch or a period of watchful attention) against travel to risky areas, in the wake of a disastrous year for tourism, resulting in the mishap in Kinnaur’s Basteri area. What should worry Himachal, and neighbouring Uttarakhand, is that the States may be entering a phase of irreversible decline because of losses to their ecology; frequent landslides may become inevitable. Bootstrapping (the technique of starting with existing resources to create something more complex and effective) an incompatible model of development in the hills, represented by big hydroelectric projects and large-scale construction activity involving destruction of forests and damming of rivers, is an invitation to harm.

Mega hydropower, which Himachal Pradesh is working to tap as a significant source of “green” power that substitutes energy from fossil fuels (a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms), could alter several aspects of ecology, rendering it vulnerable to the effects of extreme events such as cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and earthquakes. The parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy during 2018-19 noted that the State could more than double its existing harnessed hydropower potential of 10,547 MW. Kinnaur is a focus point for such development, centred around the potential of the glacially-fed Sutlej valley, but one scientific estimate warns that avaricious tapping of the river through all planned projects would impound nearly a quarter of its waters in dams, and divert a staggering 72% through tunnels. Other researchers, studying the 2015 Nepal earthquake, point to high seismicity causing fatal landslides and severe damage to hydropower structures in the Himalayas; the cost of power produced was underestimated, while the potential was overestimated. Evidently, it is impossible to assign a real value to the costs to people and communities, together with the loss of pristine forests that weak afforestation programmes cannot replace. As catastrophic weather events inflict frequent, heavy losses, Himachal Pradesh and other Himalayan States can only watch their ecological base erode. Changing course may yet preserve a lot of their natural riches.

Hope you got to know some new words/phrases which will definitely be useful in the English section of upcoming competitive exams. Wishing you all the best in your preparation!

Want to improve your vocabulary further? Download the Lists of Word-Meanings of Previous Months here.