Insights Daily Current Events, 06 June 2015

Insights Daily Current Events, 06 June 2015

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Suit against Karnataka for polluting rivers

The Tamil Nadu government recently moved the Supreme Court, accusing the State of Karnataka for dumping untreated sewage and industrial effluents in the Cauvery and Pennaiyar rivers, considered life-giving water sources for Tamil Nadu.

Details:

• The Tamil Nadu government, in a suit for permanent and mandatory injunction, blamed Karnataka for “gross dereliction of duty as a welfare State under the Constitution” by denying the people of Tamil Nadu the right to access clean water. It has also contended that Karnataka government’s inaction has become a threat to lives and crops in Tamil Nadu.
• Tamil Nadu has sought the right to claim damages from Karnataka for discharging polluted water into Tamil Nadu.
• The Kerala State government has made the Union also a party in the suit, saying it failed in its legal and constitutional duty to ensure that Karnataka complied with its social obligation and responsibility to comply with the prescribed standards before letting effluents into rivers.
• The suit also quotes Karnataka’s Minor Irrigation Minister as saying that around 889 million litres of sewage water enters Tamil Nadu through the Pinakini and South Pennar river courses and the remaining sewage water flows to Cauvery through the Arkavathi River on a daily basis into Tamil Nadu.

Cauvery River:

Cauvery is a sacred river of southern India, rising on Brahmagiri Hill in the Western Ghats in Coorg district of Karnataka state.

• It flows in a south-easterly direction for 765 km through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states across the Deccan Plateau, and descending the Eastern Ghats in a series of great falls.
• Before emptying into the Bay of Bengal south of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, it breaks into a large number of distributaries forming a wide delta.
• It is also known as “Daksina Ganga” (But, River Godavari is widely considered as Dakshin Ganga)
• The Kaveri basin is estimated to be 81,155 square kms with many tributaries including the Shimsha, the Hemavati, the Arkavati, Honnuhole, Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Bhavani River, the Lokapavani, the Noyyal and the Amaravati River.
• The river’s basin covers four states and Union Territories: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.
• After the river leaves the Kodagu hills and flows onto the Deccan plateau, it forms two islands, Srirangapatna and Shivanasamudra in Karnataka. At Shivanasamudra the river drops 98 metres (320 ft), forming the famous Shivanasamudra Falls known separately as Gagana Chukki and Bhara Chukki. Asia’s first hydroelectric plant (built in 1902) was on the left falls and supplied power to the city of Bangalore.
• Tamil Sangam literature (300BCE to 500CE) mentions the kaveri and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple.

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki.

Konkan Railway takes the green route

Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) has replaced power-guzzling high pressure sodium vapour (HPSV) lamps in its railway tunnels with light emitting diode (LED) lamps, which were dedicated on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5th.

• As many as 1.41 lakh LED bulbs have found a place in 91 tunnels of KRCL across coastal Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.
• KRCL has said that with the installation of LED bulbs, the corporation has considerably reduced carbon footprint thereby contributing to energy conservation and environment preservation.
• Each 24 Watt LED bulb would consume just one-third of the energy used by 70 Watt HPSV bulbs.

Konkan Railway: Quick Facts

• It is a railway line which runs along the Konkan coast of India between Mumbai and Mangaluru.
• It was constructed and is operated by the Konkan Railway Corporation.
• It runs from Roha in Maharashtra till Thokur in Karnataka for a total distance of 741 km, along the west coast of India and Western Ghats. It connects Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka States.
• The Konkan is a coastal strip of land bounded by the Sahyadri hills on the east, and Arabian Sea on the west.

Sources: The Hindu, Konkanrailway.

Nepal snow leopard gets a radio collar

Nepalese conservationists recently announced that they had successfully radio-collared a second snow leopard near Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain.

• Data received from the satellite collar will enable conservationists to identify critical habitats for the elusive species, including transboundary links across India and China.
• The collaring expedition was led by the government of Nepal in partnership with the WWF, the National Trust for Nature Conservation, the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project and citizen scientists from the local Snow Leopard Conservation Committee.
• The radio collaring was especially vital in helping identify snow leopard hotspots and managing local logistics.
• There is an estimated 350 to 590 snow leopards in Nepal as per 2009 population data on the species.

Snow Leopards – Quick Facts:

• They are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• They inhabit alpine and subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m (9,800 to 14,800 ft). In the northern range countries, they also occur at lower elevations.
• The snow leopard is the National Heritage Animal of Pakistan.
• Their habitat extends through twelve countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. China contains as much as 60% of all snow leopard habitat areas.
• In India, their geographical range encompasses a large part of the western Himalayas including the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas.
• The snow leopard, like all big cats, is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), which makes trading of animal body parts (i.e., fur, bones and meat) illegal in signatory countries. It is also protected by several national laws in its range countries.

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki, WWF.

World Environment Day

World Environment Day (WED) is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

• It is celebrated every year on June 5th. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 on the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began.
• Over the years it has grown to be a broad, global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated by stakeholders in over 100 countries.
• The theme for 2015 is “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.”
• Italy will serve as the host of the WED 2015.

Sources: The Hindu, UNEP, WED.

Insights Secure Prelims 2015

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Welcome to Insights Secure Prelims – 2015 initiative. The following questions are based on current events that appear in PIB (Public Information Bureau) and from some important newspapers. For more challenging question papers (Full Length), please join our Preliminary Exam – 2015 Test Series (Please Click Here for Reviews)

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1. Question 1 of 4

   1. Question

   Consider the following statements regarding the Cauvery River:

   1. It is also known as “Daksina Ganga”.
   2. It forms two islands, Srirangapatna and Shivanasamudra in Karnataka.
   3. Shimsha, Hemavati and Amaravati are its tributaries.

   Which of the above statements are CORRECT?

   • a) 1 and 2 Only
   • b) 1 and 3 Only
   • c) 2 and 3 Only
   • d) All
   Correct
   

   Solution: c

   Incorrect
   

   Solution: c

    
2. Question 2 of 4

   2. Question

   Consider the following statements with reference to the World Environment Day (WED):

   1. It is celebrated every year on June 5th.
   2. The theme for the year 2015 is “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.”

   Which of the above statements are CORRECT?

   • a) 1 Only
   • b) 2 Only
   • c) Both
   • d) None
   Correct
   

   Solution: c

    

   Incorrect
   

   Solution: c

    
3. Question 3 of 4

   3. Question

   Consider the following statements regarding the Snow Leopards:

   1. They are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
   2. They are found only in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
   3. In India, they are found only in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

   Which of the above statements are INCORRECT?

   • a) 1 and 2 Only
   • b) 1 Only
   • c) 3 Only
   • d) All
   Correct
   

    

   Solution: d

   Explanation: They are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Their habitat extends through twelve countries. In India, their geographical range encompasses a large part of the western Himalayas including the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas.

    

   Incorrect
   

   Solution: d

   Explanation: They are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Their habitat extends through twelve countries. In India, their geographical range encompasses a large part of the western Himalayas including the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas.

    
4. Question 4 of 4

   4. Question

   With reference to Konkan Railway, consider the following statements:

   1. It was constructed and is operated by Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC).
   2. It connects Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka States.
   3. It extends over a length of approximately 2000Km.

   Which of the above statements are INCORRECT?

   • a) 1 and 2 Only
   • b) 2 and 3 Only
   • c) 1 and 3 Only
   • d) All
   Correct
   

   Solution: c

   Explanation: It was constructed and is operated by the Konkan Railway Corporation. It runs from Roha in Maharashtra till Thokur in Karnataka for a total distance of 741 km, along the west coast of India and Western Ghats.

   Incorrect
   

   Solution: c

   Explanation: It was constructed and is operated by the Konkan Railway Corporation. It runs from Roha in Maharashtra till Thokur in Karnataka for a total distance of 741 km, along the west coast of India and Western Ghats.