DNA 13Th August 2019
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Summary of Daily News Analysis - by Jatin Verma 13th August, 2019 https://www.jatinverma.org Page | 1 ©Jatin Verma All Rights Reserved. https://www.jatinverma.org Page | 2 Important News Articles (Taking Delhi/Noida edition as the base) Page 1: In Manasarovar, Chinese lend a helping hand to Indian pilgrims Page 5: From Assam to Chhattisgarh, a maiden 1,500-km journey for wild buffaloes Page 5: Six killed in H.P. landslides Page 6: World Elephant Day Page 6: Odisha would get floods due to Polavaram dam Page 7: National Highway 4 opens after eight days, toll rises to 43 Page 7: Proposal to build houses under PMAY ©Jatin Verma All Rights Reserved. https://www.jatinverma.org Page | 3 Page 1: In Mansarovar, Chinese lend a helping hand to Indian pilgrims [GS1 : Indian Geography, GS2: International Relations] • Accommodation facilities, called reception centres, have been built at various points of the pilgrimage, thanks to an initiative by the Chinese government to improve the material comforts of the pilgrims. About Kailash Manasarovar Yatra: • Kailash Mansarovar Yatra (KMY) is known for its religious importance, cultural significance and arduous nature. • The annual pilgrimage holds religious importance for Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. • The Yatra is organized by the government of India in close cooperation with the Government of the People’s Republic of China. • State Governments of Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Delhi, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam Limited (KMVN) are other major Indian partners of the Ministry in organizing the Yatra. Mansarovar Geography • Mansarovar Lake is located at an altitude of 14,950 ft (4,558 m) is said to be the highest freshwater lake in the world. • It is located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China, 940 kilometres from Lhasa. • To the west of it is Lake Rakshastal and to the north is Mount Kailash. • Nathu La is a mountain pass in the Himalayas. • It connects the Indian state of Sikkim with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. • It is also one of the four officially agreed BPM (Border Personnel Meeting) points between the Indian Army and People’s Liberation Army of China for regular consultations and interactions between the two armies, which helps in defusing stand-offs. • The four BPM are: Chushul in Ladakh, Nathu La in Sikkim, Bum La Pass in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh, and Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand. • New route: The shortest land pass for trade between China and India, Nathu La is between Tibet’s Yadong county, and the Indian state of Sikkim. • The Old Route: Lipulekh in Uttarakhand • The earlier route, that is still in existence, is via the Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand. Starting from Delhi, the pilgrims need to trek through rough terrains in Uttarakhand and Nepal, crossing over to Tibet on foot via Lipulekh, then journey by bus and foot to Kailash. • While the old yatra through Lipulekh takes 22 days, the journey from Nathu La will take only 19 days (from Delhi and back). ©Jatin Verma All Rights Reserved. https://www.jatinverma.org Page | 4 Nathula Pass route ©Jatin Verma All Rights Reserved. https://www.jatinverma.org Page | 5 The Lipulekh Pass route Page 5: From Assam to Chhattisgarh, a maiden 1,500-km journey for wild buffaloes [GS3 : Environmental Conservation] • Around the end of monsoon in October, five female wild buffaloes will travel from Assam to the Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary in Raipur district, to help revive the waning population of Chhattisgarh’s State animal. • The survival hazard of inbreeding, continuing lineage and increasing male population have necessitated the translocation. • 20-25 buffaloes of Indravati National Park in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, also frequently travel to neighbouring Kolamarka Conservation Reserve in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra. Endangered species • The estimated population of the wild buffaloes (Bubalus arnee) in the Northeast accounts for 92% of the world population. • It is listed under Schedule 1 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, according to the WTI. • The government verified genetic samples from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, and got the approval. ©Jatin Verma All Rights Reserved. https://www.jatinverma.org Page | 6 Distribution and habitat • Wild water buffalos occur in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, and Cambodia, with an unconfirmed population in Myanmar. • They have been extirpated in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Laos, and Vietnam. • They are associated with wet grasslands, swamps and densely vegetated river valleys. Distribution and habitat • In India, they are largely restricted to in and around Kaziranga, Manas and Dibru- Saikhowa National Parks, Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary and Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary and in a few scattered pockets in Assam; and in and around D'Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. • A small population survives in Balpakram National Park in Meghalaya, and in Chhattisgarh (formerly part of Madhya Pradesh) in the Indravati National Park and the Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary. Prelims 2016 Question. What is/are unique about ‘Kharai camel’, a breed found in India? 1. It is capable of swimming up to three kilometres in seawater. 2. It survives by grazing on mangroves. 3. It lives in the wild and cannot be domesticated. Select the correct answer using the code given below. (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 GS3, 2018 Q) How does biodiversity vary in India? How is the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 helpful in conservation of flora and fauna? Page 5: Six killed in H.P. landslides [GS1 : Indian Geography, GS3: Disaster Management] • Six persons were buried alive as landslides triggered by heavy rains hit three different villages in Ghat area of Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. What is landslide? • The sudden movement of rock, debris or earth along the slope is called landslide. ©Jatin Verma All Rights Reserved. https://www.jatinverma.org Page | 7 The various causes of landslides are: Natural causes- • Landslides are generally associated with natural calamities like earthquake, volcanic eruptions, floods, cloudburst, etc. • Long spell of rainfall • Loose soil cover and sloping terrain Page 5: Six killed in H.P. landslides Anthropogenic causes- • Rapid urbanization and changes in land use patterns • Rampant deforestation and mining activities like blasting and quarrying, etc. • Increased industrialisation leading to climate change and weather disturbances • Change in river flow due to construction of dams, barriers, etc. • Various measures needed to mitigate them are- – Hazard mapping by demarcating areas prone to landslides and avoiding stress on those areas for settlement – Construction of retention walls to avoid land from slipping – Increasing afforestation and vegetation cover – Practise measures to check soil erosion like terrace farming, contour ploughing, etc. – Implementing surface drainage control works to control the movement of landslide along with rain water and spring flows. Hazards in the Himalayan Eco-System earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, flash floods forest fires soil erosion Mains Question: Landslides have become frequent hazards in the Himalayan regions. Examine the causes of these landslides and measures needed to mitigate them. Mains Question: Differentiate between soil creep, soil flow and landslides. Which of these is/are commonly found in India? Why and where? Examine. ©Jatin Verma All Rights Reserved. https://www.jatinverma.org Page | 8 Page 6: World Elephant Day • World Elephant Day is observed on 12 August annually to make people understand to preserve and protect the giant animal elephant. • This is the way to bring world together to help elephants. • Therefore, it is necessary to raise awareness about the urgency to protect such an intelligent and huge animal from extinction. Page 6: Odisha would get floods due to Polavaram dam [GS2 :Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.] • Recent slow drainage of floodwaters in Odisha’s Malkangiri district hints at the vagaries this region would face after completion of the Polavaram project in adjoining Andhra Pradesh, alleged anti-Polavaram organisations and leaders of Odisha. • According to Malkangiri district residents, this year the Saveri river overflowed. About the Polavaram project: • Polavaram Project is a multi-purpose irrigation project. • The dam across the Godavari River is under construction located in West Godavari District and East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh state and its reservoir spreads in parts of Chhattisgarh and Orissa States also. • The project is multipurpose major terminal reservoir project on river Godavari for development of Irrigation, Hydropower and drinking water facilities to East Godavari, Vishakhapatnam, West Godavari and Krishna districts of Andhra Pradesh. • The Polavaram project was accorded national status in 2014 in the Andhra Pradesh Bifurcation Act and its design was changed. Objectives of this project • To interlink Godavari & Krishna • Storage of water at Polavaram dam in West Godavari district • To Irrigate more than 2 lakh hectare agricultural land • To generate hydro-electricity • To Supply Water to Visakhapatanam & Vizag steel plant • Union declares it a national project & puts it under Ministry of Water resource. ©Jatin Verma All Rights Reserved. https://www.jatinverma.org Page | 9 Location Why objection to Polavaram DAM? • Orissa