The Hindu Editorial (Slippery slopes) – Oct 19, 2021

Even as the Southwest monsoon retreats along parts of northern Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha, Bengal and the northeastern States in October, it is leaving a trail of destruction in several districts. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Slippery slopes) – Oct 19, 2021.

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The Hindu Editorial (Slippery slopes) – Oct 19, 2021:

slippery slope (noun) – a series of actions that can’t be controlled over once it has begun and the series of actions are going to create a lot of problems.
retreat (noun) – decline, withdrawal, pulling back.
preserve (verb) – conserve, protect, maintain.
integrity (noun) – soundness, robustness, strength, solidity, durability, stability.
leave a trail (phrase) – leave a trace, leave a mark, have a significant effect, have a lasting effect.
downpour (noun) – a heavy rainfall.
as much as (phrase) – to the degree that; surprisingly large.
Gangetic (adjective) – relating to the river Gange.
invaluable (adjective) – indispensable, crucial, critical, key, extremely helpful/useful, vitally important.
sustain (verb) – support, give strength to, help, assist, succour.
pose (verb) – constitute, present, create, cause (a problem or danger or risk).
host (verb) – have.
stretch (noun) – area, sweep, extent, spread.
Western Ghats (noun) – The mountain range that runs along the west coast of peninsular India from Tamil Nadu through Kerala, Karnataka and Goa to Maharashtra is known as the Western Ghats. Spread across six states, Western Ghats is a treasure trove of biodiversity and source of major rivers, including Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery.
contend with (verb) – deal with, cope with, face, grapple with (a difficult or unpleasant situation).
respite (noun) – rest, break, interval, halt, breathing space, stoppage.
spell (noun) – a period of rain; rainy period/time.
recurrent (adjective) – repeated, regular, cyclical, continual, periodic.
burst (noun) – spell, session; sudden outbreak (of a heavy rain).
anomaly (noun) – something different, abnormal, unusual; oddity, peculiarity, deviation, aberration, exception.
precipitation (noun) – rain, rainfall.
spectacularly (adverb) – strikingly, shockingly, conspicuously.
inundation (noun) – flooding, deluge.
idyllic (adjective) – ideal/perfect, picturesque, peaceful.
mudslide (noun) – landslip, landslide, rockfall, earthfall.
landslide (noun) – a landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope. Landslides are a type of “mass wasting,” which denotes any down-slope movement of soil and rock under the direct influence of gravity; landslip, rockfall, mudslide, earthfall/slip.
comprehensive (adjective) – all-inclusive, broad-based; all-embracing, universal, complete, thorough.
adaptation (noun) – alteration, modification, adjustment, transformation.
adaptation plan (noun) – a process of adjustment to the impacts of climate change, including actions taken to reduce the negative impacts of climate change, or to take advantage of emerging opportunities.
torrential (adjective) – (of rain) severe, heavy, copious, relentless.
so far (phrase) – until now, up to the present, up to this point.
alarm (noun) – danger signal, distress signal, alert.
reservoir (noun) – a source of water supply; pool, lake, pond.
reaches (noun) – a continuous extent of water.
lie ahead (phrasal verb) – draw near, await, loom, to be in the future, be going to happen.
put in place (phrase) – establish, set up, create/form.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) (noun) – an agency under the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India which is responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. It has the responsibility for forecasting, naming and distributing warnings for tropical cyclones in the Northern Indian Ocean region, including the Malacca Straits, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.
precarity (noun) – the state of being uncertain/insecure/unsafe.
persistent (adjective) – continuous, constant, unending, unrelenting, unceasing.
nurture (verb) – protect, care for, take care of, attend to, look after.
encroachment (noun) – intrusion, trespass, appropriation, infringement, invasion.
mining (noun) – the extraction of valuable minerals (e.g. iron ore) or other geological materials (e.g. coal) from the Earth.
deforestation (noun) – it is when humans remove or clear large areas of forest lands and related ecosystems for non-forest use.
incompatible (adjective) – irreconcilable, conflicting, opposed, opposite, contradictory; inharmonious, discordant.
hold the key (phrase) – to have control over something.
ecological (adjective) – environment-friendly, eco-friendly.
imperative (noun) – necessary condition, precondition, essential requirement.
devastation (noun) – destruction, damage, havoc/wreckage.
echo (verb) – repeat, say again, restate, reiterate.
Madhav Gadgil committee report (noun) – Western Ghats ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) was constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) comprising of 14 members and chaired by Prof. Madhav Gadgil. The commission submitted the report to the Government of India on 31 August 2011. In a 552-page report, the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, commonly called Gadgil Commission, suggested shifting from large-scale cultivation of single commercial crops on steep slopes, which was leading to soil erosion and increased run-off (the draining away of water), and controlling massive encroachment and deforestation in the catchment areas of major rivers.
scarce (adjective) – insufficient, deficient, inadequate.
extractive (adjective) – relating to/involving extraction (of something (resources) completely without provision for redevelopment).
montane (adjective) – relating to or inhabiting mountainous regions.
incalculable (adjective) – inestimable, indeterminable, immeasurable.
quarrying (noun) – the process of removing rock, sand, gravel or other minerals from the ground in order to use them to produce materials for construction or other uses.
hit (verb) – be affected/impacted by.
unconscionable (adjective) – unethical, immoral, unprincipled, wrong.
pursuit (noun) – push towards, quest for, search for; aim of, goal of.
at the cost of (phrase) – by sacrificing/losing/giving up something.
benign (adjective) – considerate, thoughtful, helpful; agreeable, favourable, advantageous, beneficial; not harmful to the environment.
impediment (noun) – obstacle, barrier, obstruction, hindrance.
map (verb) – chart, plot, trace out, survey.
glacier (noun) – a large body of ice which flows under its own mass. Glaciers are made of layers of compressed snow that move or “flow” due to gravity and the softness of ice relative to rock.
cloudburst (noun) – a sudden and very heavy rainfall.
climate change (noun) – a long-term change in the Earth’s climate, or of a region on Earth (Courtesy: NASA).
defence (noun) – fortification, bulwark, buttress, bastion; shelter, protection.