Geography - 2 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Gandak River

Context

Recently, under Namami Gange Program, the development of river front on Gandak River in the district of Gopalganj, Bihar has been undertaken and two Ghats have been constructed.

• River Gandak was declared as National Waterway (NW)-37 from Bhaisalotan Barrage to Gandak and Ganga River confluence at Hajipur, Bihar along with 111 NWs in the country vide National Waterways Act, 2016.

What are the Key Facts about River Gandak ?

• About:
  • The river Gandak, is also known as the Gandaki and Narayani River in Nepal. It is a significant river that flows through the northern part of India and Nepal.
  • Valmiki National Park and Tiger Reserve in Bihar is located on the banks of this river.
• Source:
  • The river Gandak originates at an altitude of 7620 m above main sea level in the north of Dhaulagisi in Tibet near Nepal border. Originating from the Himalayas, the river stretches over a length of 630 kilometers, with 445 kilometers running through India and 185 kilometers in Nepal.
• Drainage Basin:
  • The Gandak River has a total drainage basin area of 29,705 square kilometers.
  • The river flows through the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and joins the Ganges near Patna just downstream of Hajipur.
• Tributaries:
  • The major tributaries of the Gandak River include the Mayangadi, Bari, Trisuli, Panchand, Sarhad, Budhi Gandak.

What is National Waterways Act-2016?

• The National Waterways Act, 2016 is an act of the Indian parliament that was passed in March 2016. The act provides for the declaration of 111 waterways as National Waterways in India, including inland rivers, and canals.
  • The act aims to promote the development of inland water transport and provide an alternative mode of transportation for goods and passengers.

Vernal Equinox

Context

The vernal equinox is observed on March 21st 2023.

What is Equinox?

• About:
  • Equinox happens twice a year when the sun is directly above the equator, and it occurs on approximately 21^st March and 23^rd September.
  • During an equinox, both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres have equal day and night time. The vernal equinox (spring equinox) takes place in the Northern Hemisphere around 20^th or 21^st March, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it happens on 22^nd or 23^rd September.
  • Conversely, during the autumn season in the Northern Hemisphere on 23rd September (autumn equinox), it is springtime in the Southern Hemisphere, and on 21^st March, it is the opposite.
• Significance:
  • As a result, the Sun is located directly above the equator, and both hemispheres receive an almost equal amount of sunlight.
  • After the spring equinox, the northern hemisphere tilts closer to the sun in March, resulting in more hours of daylight, with earlier sunrises and later sunsets.
  • According to Hindu astrology, Vernal Equinox is known as Vasant Vishuva or Vasant Sampat.
  • The Spring equinox brings earlier sunrises, later sunsets, and sprouting plants in the northern hemisphere.
  • Later sunrises, earlier sunsets, chillier winds, and dry and falling leaves are observed in the south of the equator (southern hemisphere).

Protests in Chhattisgarh Over Coal Mining

Context

Recently, the Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) coal mining project in Chhattisgarh has sparked a controversy due to its impact on the environment and local communities.

• AEL has been mining coal in the Parsa East and Kente Basan coal blocks of Chhattisgarh's Surguja district for over a decade now.
• For more than a year now, locals, largely from the Gond tribe, in Hariharpur, Ghatbarra, and Fattepur villages of Chhattisgarh, have been holding a sit-in at the entrance to Hariharpur against mining.

What are the Impacts of the Mining Operations?

• Impact on the Environment:
  • Mining in the region will lead to the loss of about 8 lakh trees of the Sal forests in Hasdeo Aranya. This will end up affecting the catchment of the Hasdeo river.
  • Around the time that mining was beginning, there had been an attempt to save the trees. The National Green Tribunal (NGT), in 2014, stayed the mining licenses, ordering studies on the environmental impact of the mines. However, the Supreme Court set the NGT order aside, and mining began.
• Impact on Locals:
  • The mining project has adversely affected the lives of locals. As the mine has consumed forest land.
    • 'Save Hasdeo Campaign' is also being run to save the forests of Hasdeo.
  • The mines have destroyed grazing land for cattle, affected the groundwater level, and the blasting has loosened the earth around borewells, and tube wells people had been using for minor farming.
  • The stream next to Hariharpur, once used to have water and fish throughout the year, has turned into a muddy stream since the digging has affected the catchment area.

What is Coal?

• About:
  • It is a type of fossil fuel found in the form of sedimentary rocks and is often known as 'Black Gold'.
  • It is a conventional source of energy and is widely available. It is used as a domestic fuel, in industries such as iron and steel, steam engines and to generate electricity. Electricity from coal is called thermal power.
  • The leading coal producers of the world include China, US, Australia, Indonesia, India.
• Distribution of Coal in India:
  • Gondwana Coal Fields (250 million years old):
    • Gondwana coal makes up to 98% of the total reserves and 99 % of the production of coal in India.
    • It forms India’s metallurgical grade as well as superior quality coal and has a high ash content.
    • It is found in Damodar (Jharkhand-West Bengal), Mahanadi (Chhattisgarh-Odisha), Godavari (Maharashtra), and Narmada valleys.
  • Tertiary Coal Fields (15 – 60 million years old):
    • Carbon content is very low but is rich in moisture and sulphur.
    • Tertiary coalfields are mainly confined to extra-peninsular regions.
    • Important areas include Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himalayan foothills of Darjeeling in West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala.
• Classification:
  • Anthracite (80 - 95% carbon content, found in small quantities in J&K).
  • Bituminous (60 - 80% carbon content and is found in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh).
  • Lignite (40 to 55% carbon content, high moisture content and is found in Rajasthan, Lakhimpur (Assam) and Tamil Nadu).
  • Peat (less than 40% carbon content and it is in the first stage of transformation from organic matter (wood) to coal).
• Coal Reserves:
  • Top States in terms of total coal reserves in India are Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh.

Ningaloo Eclipse

Context

The Ningaloo Eclipse was witnessed on April 20, 2023. It is a rare ‘hybrid solar eclipse’ , caused by the curvature of the earth's surface and a shift from annular to total eclipse.

• The last one was seen in 2013, and the next one will appear in 2031.

What are the Major Points Related to Hybrid Solar Eclipse?

• A total solar eclipse was visible in Australia, Timor-Leste and Indonesia (West Papua and Papua).
  • At the same time, a partial solar eclipse was visible in southeast Asia, East Indies, Australia, Philippines and New Zealand. It was not visible in India.
• Its uniqueness is such that it has already been named as Ningaloo, a part of western Australia from which the eclipse was most visible.
  • The Ningaloo region is also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

What is a Solar Eclipse?

• About:
  • A solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, casting a shadow on the Earth's surface, resulting in a temporary darkening of the Sun.
    • The moon's shadow has two parts: a central region (umbra) and an outer region (penumbra).
• Types of Solar Eclipse:
  • Total Solar Eclipse: A total eclipse happens when the Moon completely blocks out the Sun while passing between the Earth and the Sun.
    • The Baily's Beads effect, also known as the diamond ring effect, is a phenomenon that occurs during a total solar eclipse or annular solar eclipse.
  • Annular Eclipse: It happens when the Moon is at its farthest point from the Earth.
    • The sun is covered in such a way that only a small ring-like sliver of light is seen from the sun's disc. This ring is known as the ring of fire.
  • Partial Eclipse: It occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun but is not perfectly aligned.
    • Hence, only a part of the Sun appears covered.
  • Hybrid Eclipse: A hybrid solar eclipse occurs when the eclipse is total from some locations on Earth and annular from others, due to the viewer's position relative to the Moon's shadow.
    • It means that for some observers, the Moon appears to fully cover the Sun, resulting in a total solar eclipse, while for others, the Moon only partially covers the Sun, resulting in an annular solar eclipse.

First Waterbodies Census

Context

The Jal Shakti ministry has released the report of India’s first water- body census, which provides a comprehensive database of ponds, tanks, lakes and reservoirs in the country.

What is the need for water-body census?

• To get a more accurate picture of the status of India’s water.
• To formulate policies to address ground water crisis and biodiversity loss.
• Water bodies contribute to food and water security and livelihoods by recharging ground water.
• Water bodies are the sources of irrigation and livestock.
• Water bodies have an important role in supporting biodiversity.
• Water bodies are increasingly under threat from pollution, encroachment, urbanization, and drying up.

What are the salient features of the census?

• Objective - To develop a national database for all water bodies by collecting information on all important aspects of the subject including their size, condition, status of encroachments, use, storage capacity, status of filling up of storage.
• Water bodies - Are structures where water from ice-melts, streams, springs, rain or drainage from residential or other areas is accumulated.
• Storage of water diverted from a stream, river is also included.
• The definition excludes oceans, rivers, waterfalls, and swimming pools, covered water tanks made by individuals, factories and temporary water bodies.
• Water bodies - India has 2.42 million water bodies, out of which 97.1% are in rural areas and 2.9% in urban areas.
• Non-functional - 83.7% are ‘in use’ and the remaining 16.3% are non-functional on account of drying up, silting and construction activities and so on.
• Private entities - 55.2% are owned by private entities and 44.8% are under public ownership.
• In the wetter states like Kerala, West Bengal and North Eastern states more than three-quarters of the water bodies are privately owned.
• Encroachment - Only 1.6% water bodies out of all the enumerated bodies have been encroached out of which 95.4% are in rural areas and remaining 4.6% in urban areas.
• Water conservation - Maharashtra State is the leading state for water conservation schemes.
• Others - West Bengal has highest number of ponds and reservoirs.
• Andhra Pradesh has highest number of tanks.
• Tamil Nadu has highest number of lakes.
• Mid-sized water bodies are largely panchayat-owned.
• In drier states, the water bodies are primarily used for irrigation and groundwater recharge.

What are the shortcoming of the census?

• Lack of categorization - The water bodies which were abandoned were had no categories such as industrial pollution, construction, and salinity.

• Lack of focus - No focus to conserve water bodies instead focuses on human use.
• Lack of clarity in definition - Glossary of the census defines a pond as a smaller water body than a tank, while “water conservation structures” might include check dams and percolation tanks.
• Lack of standardization across states - Some states like Gujarat don’t show any water bodies not being in use, whereas Karnataka reports almost 80% of its water bodies as being in a state of disuse.