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News 1: Rule Curve for Mullaperiyar Dam
What is the Rule Curve?
- Rule Curve is a tabulation which specifies quantum of storage of water or empty space to be maintained in a reservoir during different times of a year, based on the rainfall data for 35 years.
- It is a ready-reckoner in decision-making for officials in charge of the dam, for smooth operation of shutters, especially for moderation of flood, during monsoon times without having to seek permission from the top hierarchical ladder.
- First dam to have Rule Curve
A Bone on Contention:-
- Water of the Mullaperiyar dam, has remained a bone of contention between Tamil Nadu and Kerala for over four decades. After a long legal battle, the Tamil Nadu Government was allowed by Supreme Court to raise the water level from 136 feet to 142 feet in 2014.
- The dam is in Kerala but maintained by Tamil Nadu.
About Mullaperiyar dam:-
- The dam is on the Periyar River in the Indian state of Kerala.
- It is located on the Cardamom hills of Western Ghat in Kerala.
- Periyar National Park is located around the dam’s reservoir. It is a tiger as well as elephant reserve in Kerala.
- The dam is built at the confluence of Mullayar and Periyar rivers
- In a UN report published in 2021, the dam was identified as one among the world’s big dams which needs to be decommissioned for being ‘situated in a seismically active area with significant structural flaws and poses risk to 3.5 million people if the 100+ years old dam were to fail
News 2: Mudumalai National Park
About:-
- Mudumalai National Park is a national park in the Nilgiri Mountains in Tamil Nadu.
- The national park has been part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve since 1986 and was declared a tiger reserve
- It is bordered in the west by Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala), in the north by Bandipur National Park(Karnataka) , in the east by Sigur Reserve Forest (Tamil Nadu) and by Singara Reserve Forest (Tamil Nadu) in south.
- The Moyar River enters the national park in the south and is joined by five tributaries. Together they drain this area, and several artificial waterholes provide drinking water for wildlife during dry seasons. [Moyar river which is a tributary of Bhavani which in turn is a tributary of Kaveri]
- Moyar river line of separation between the state of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and a separation between the forest of Bandipur National Park and the Mudumalai sanctuary to the south.
News 3: IMF to extend $2.9 billion to Srilanka
Background:-
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently approved a loan of $2.9 billion to Sri Lanka,. The island country, which is battling its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, witnessed widespread protests earlier this year that forced Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign as President, and brought Ranil Wickremesinghe to power.
Details:-
- Sri Lanka owes more than $51 billion in foreign debt, of which $28 billion has to be repaid by 2028.
- According to the IMF, the country’s economy will shrink by 8.7 per cent in 2022 while inflation rises to above 60 per cent
- Economists say the crisis stems from domestic factors such as years of mismanagement and corruption.
About IMF:-
- IMF helps countries who face Balance of Payment (BoP) Crisis. Srilanka has been facing a BoP crisis and does not have enough forex to pay debts or buy essential things such as petrol, fertilizer etc. from world market.
- It has been facing severe Inflation, mostly driven by shortage of supply of essential goods and products. (Demand pull inflation)
- The IMF was conceived at a UN conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, in July 1944. Along with World Bank it is known as the Bretten Wood Twins.
- The IMF is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
Important Reports Published by IMF :-
- Global Financial Stability Report
- World Economic Outlook
New 4: CERVAVAC
- India’s first indigenously developed vaccine, “CERVAVAC” for the prevention of cervical cancer.
- Developed by Serum Institute of India ( Mr. Adar C. Poonawalla, CEO)
- Cervical cancer ranks as the 2nd most prevalent cancers in India and accounts for nearly one-fourth of the world’s cervical cancer deaths despite being largely preventable.
- Current estimates indicate that every year approximately 1.25 lakhs women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 75 thousand die from the disease in India
- The most promising intervention for preventing cervical cancer is vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV). It is estimated that HPV types 16 and 18 (HPV-16 and HPV-18) together contribute to approximately 70% of all invasive cervical cancer cases worldwide.
- ‘CERVAVAC’ is an outcome of a partnership of DBT (Dept of Biotechnology) and BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council ) with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, supported by Serum Institute of India for the indigenous development of quadrivalent vaccine.
- CERVAVAC is a quadrivalent vaccine, meaning it is effective against at least four variants of cancer-causing Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
New 5: UN accuses China of Uighur rights abuses
Background:-
The United Nations has accused China of committing serious human rights violations, following an investigation into allegations of abuse against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang province.
Who are Uighurs?
- The Uighurs are a nomadic Turkic people native to China’s Xinjiang province.
- About 12 million Uighurs live in Xinjiang, with smaller groups in Kazakhstan, Turkey and other countries.
- They are considered as one of China’s 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities.
Where is Xinjiang province?
- The region produces about a fifth of the world’s cotton.
- It is rich in oil and natural gas and because of its proximity to Central Asia and Europe, it is seen by China as an important trade link.
- In the early 20th Century, the Uighurs briefly declared independence for the region but it was brought under the complete control of China’s new Communist government in 1949.
Concerns:-
- Human rights groups have accused China of sweeping a million or more people from the minority groups into detention camps.
- UN accused China of serious human rights violations that may amount to “crimes against humanity”.
News 6: UN inspectors arrive at Ukraine nuclear plant amid shelling
- A UN inspection team arrived at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on a mission to safeguard it from catastrophe, reaching the site amid heavy shelling that prompted the shutdown of one reactor and underscored the urgency and danger of the task.
- Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of attacking the plant and of “nuclear terrorism”, with the IAEA urging “utmost restraint” around the site.
Where is Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and why is it important?
- Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is the largest nuclear plant in Europe.
- It is located in the southern Ukrainian steppe on the Dnieper River
- Rafael Mariano Grossi, director-general of the IAEA, described the situation as “completely out of control”
IAEA-International Atomic Energy Agency
- The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957. Though established independently of the United Nations through its own international treaty (the IAEA Statute), the IAEA reports to both the General Assembly and the Security Council of the UN.
- IAEA serves as an intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation on the peaceful use of nuclear technology and nuclear power worldwide
- Head Quarter- Vienna, Austria
- India is a member. Almost all except few countries like North-Korea are not its members.
News 7: Jobless rate zooms to 1year high of 8.3%
- India’s unemployment rate surged to a one year high of 8.3% in August as employment sequentially fell by 2 million to 394.6 million, according to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).
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Recent Posts
- Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest Finance (LEAF) Coalition, a collective of the United States, United Kingdom and Norway governments, came up with a $1 billion fund.
- LEAF is supported by transnational corporations (TNCs) like Unilever plc, Amazon.com, Inc, Nestle, Airbnb, Inc as well as Emergent, a US-based non-profit.
- The world lost more than 10 million hectares of primary tropical forest cover last year, an area roughly the size of Switzerland.
- Ending tropical and subtropical forest loss by 2030 is a crucial part of meeting global climate, biodiversity and sustainable development goals. Protecting tropical forests offers one of the biggest opportunities for climate action in the coming decade.
- Tropical forests are massive carbon sinks and by investing in their protection, public and private players are likely to stock up on their carbon credits.
- The LEAF coalition initiative is a step towards concretising the aims and objectives of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) mechanism.
- REDD+ was created by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It monetised the value of carbon locked up in the tropical forests of most developing countries, thereby propelling these countries to help mitigate climate change.
- It is a unique initiative as it seeks to help developing countries in battling the double-edged sword of development versus ecological commitment.
- The initiative comes at a crucial time. The tropics have lost close to 12.2 million hectares (mha) of tree cover last year according to global estimates released by Global Forest Watch.
- Of this, a loss of 4.2 mha occurred within humid tropical primary forests alone. It should come as no surprise that most of these lost forests were located in the developing countries of Latin America, Africa and South Asia.
- Brazil has fared dismally on the parameter of ‘annual primary forest loss’ among all countries. It has lost 1.7 mha of primary forests that are rich storehouse of carbon. India’s estimated loss in 2020 stands at 20.8 kilo hectares.
- Between 2002-2020, Brazil’s total area of humid primary forest reduced by 7.7 per cent while India’s reduced by 3.4 per cent.
- Although the loss in India is not as drastic as in Brazil, its position is nevertheless precarious. For India, this loss is equivalent to 951 metric tonnes worth carbon dioxide emissions released in the atmosphere.
- It is important to draw comparisons between Brazil and India as both countries have adopted a rather lackadaisical attitude towards deforestation-induced climate change. The Brazilian government hardly did anything to control the massive fires that gutted the Amazon rainforest in 2019.
- It is mostly around May that forest fires peak in India. However, this year India, witnessed massive forest fires in early March in states like Odisha, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram among others.
- The European Union’s Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service claimed that 0.2 metric tonnes of carbon was emitted in the Uttarakhand forest fires.
- Implementation of the LEAF Coalition plan will help pump in fresh rigour among developing countries like India, that are reluctant to recognise the contributions of their forest dwelling populations in mitigating climate change.
- With the deadline for proposal submission fast approaching, India needs to act swiftly on a revised strategy.
- Although India has pledged to carry out its REDD+ commitments, it is impossible to do so without seeking knowledge from its forest dwelling population.
Context:-
At the recently concluded Leaders’ Summit on Climate in April 2021, Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest Finance (LEAF) Coalition, a collective of the United States, United Kingdom and Norway governments, came up with a $1 billion fund plan that shall be offered to countries committed to arrest the decline of their tropical forests by 2030.
[wptelegram-join-channel link=”https://t.me/s/upsctree” text=”Join @upsctree on Telegram”]What is LEAF Coalition?
Why LEAF Coalition?
Brazil & India
According to the UN-REDD programme, after the energy sector, deforestation accounts for massive carbon emissions — close to 11 per cent — in the atmosphere. Rapid urbanisation and commercialisation of forest produce are the main causes behind rampant deforestation across tropical forests.
Tribes, Forests and Government
Disregarding climate change as a valid excuse for the fires, Indian government officials were quick to lay the blame for deforestation on activities of forest dwellers and even labelled them “mischievous elements” and “unwanted elements”.
Policy makers around the world have emphasised the role of indigenous tribes and local communities in checking deforestation. These communities depend on forests for their survival as well as livelihood. Hence, they understand the need to protect forests. However, by posing legitimate environmental concerns as obstacles to real development, governments of developing countries swiftly avoid protection of forests and rights of forest dwellers.
For instance, the Government of India has not been forthcoming in recognising the socio-economic, civil, political or even cultural rights of forest dwellers. According to data from the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs in December, 2020 over 55 per cent of this population has still not been granted either individual or community ownership of their lands.
To make matters worse, the government has undertaken systematic and sustained measures to render the landmark Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 ineffective in its implementation. The Act had sought to legitimise claims of forest dwellers on occupied forest land.
Various government decisions have seriously undermined the position of indigenous people within India. These include proposing amendments to the obsolete Indian Forest Act, 1927 that give forest officials the power to take away forest dwellers’ rights and to even use firearms with impunity.
There is also the Supreme Court’s order of February, 2019 directing state governments to evict illegal encroachers of forest land or millions of forest dwellers inhabiting forests since generations as a measure to conserve wildlife. Finally, there is the lack of data on novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) deaths among the forest dwelling population;
Tardy administration, insufficient supervision, apathetic attitude and a lack of political intent defeat the cause of forest dwelling populations in India, thereby directly affecting efforts at arresting deforestation.
Way Forward
Tuntiak Katan, a global indigenous leader from Ecuador and general coordinator of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, aptly indicated the next steps at the Climate Summit:
“The first step is recognition of land rights. The second step is the recognition of the contributions of local communities and indigenous communities, meaning the contributions of indigenous peoples.We also need recognition of traditional knowledge practices in order to fight climate change”
Perhaps India can begin by taking the first step.