Monthly Archives: March 2020

Background on plastic pollution in India According to the recent CPCB data, India generates more than 25,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day, of which 40% remains uncollected and ends up as waste. This uncollected causing choking of drainage and river systems, littering of the marine ecosystem, soil and water pollution, ingestion by stray animals,Continue reading “Background on plastic pollution in India”

Organophosphates Organophosphates are a group of human-made chemicals, esters of phosphoric acid,  that poison insects and mammals. Organophosphates are used in agriculture, homes, gardens and veterinary practices. In the past decade, several OPs have been discontinued for use. Common organophosphates include: Parathion Malathion Methyl parathion Chlorpyrifos Diazinon Terbufos   Toxicokinetics: Mechanism of organophosphate toxicity The chemical canContinue reading “Organophosphates”

Elephant Corridors in India Elephant corridors are essentially linear patches of natural vegetation that connect two habitats which is important for jumbo movement and to maintain a healthy population. However, sprouting of roads, railway lines, electricity towers, canals, and human settlements in these corridors are forcing elephants to stray from their natural paths, causing conflictContinue reading “Elephant Corridors in India”

What is landfall? Landfall is the event of a storm or waterspout moving over land after being over water. A tropical cyclone is classified as making landfall when the center of the storm moves across the coast; in strong tropical cyclones this is when the eye moves over land.   Reason for cyclone development inContinue reading “What is landfall?”

About Blackbuck Blackbucks are herbivore antelope species usually found in open grasslands, dry scrub areas and thinly forested areas. Its predators include Feral dogs, wolf, Hyena, Jackal, Wild Pigs etc. (Cheetah, when found in India, was the important predator of Blackbuck). In India, they are found in arid and semi-arid short grass plains of Punjab, Haryana,Continue reading “About Blackbuck”

About Seaweed Seaweed is increasingly seen as a solution to nutritional deficiency in population. However seaweed cultivation has not taken off in India.   About Seaweed Seaweeds are photosynthetic algae. They are primitive plants and roots, stems and leaves are absent in seaweed. They are macrophytic algae which mean they live in water or moistContinue reading “About Seaweed”

About Western Ghats The Western Ghats extends over a distance of approx. 1,500 km from Tapti river in the north to Kanyakumari in the south. It extends along the West Coast of India covering area of 150,000 square kilometres. It is a UNESCO world Heritage site. It is one of the hottest hotspots of biological diversity.Continue reading “About Western Ghats”

About Green India Mission The National Mission for a Green India is one of the 8 Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) introduced in 2010-2011. The mission emphasizes the role of afforestation in the context of climate change adaptation and mitigation. It aims at addressing climate change by Enhancing carbon sinksContinue reading “About Green India Mission”

Why in news? Recently ‘fake news’ has become a catch to discredit genuine stories that make the people in power uncomfortable. It has been co-opted to mean anything the reader or the observer doesn’t want to hear. Even while the US grapples with the issue of whether Russia influenced its elections, experts have warned thatContinue reading “What is fake news?”

About: Tardigrades Also known as water bears or moss piglets, tardigrades are microscopic organisms considered one of the toughest animals on the planet that can easily survive in any environment. They can live in water or on land, and are capable of surviving temperatures as high as 150° Celsius and as low as minus 272°Continue reading “About: Tardigrades”

About India State of Forest Report • Forest Survey of India (FSI) an organization under the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change Government of India has been assessing the forest and tree resources of our country on a biennial basis since 1987. • The results of the assessment are published in its biennial report titled “India State of Forest Report (ISFR)”. • The reportContinue reading “About India State of Forest Report”

About Soil Moisture Water contained in soil is called soil moisture. The water is held within the soil pores. Soil water is the major component of the soil in relation to plant growth. If the moisture content of a soil is optimum for plant growth, plants can readily absorb soil water. Not all the water,Continue reading “About Soil Moisture”

About Eurasian Otter IUCN status of Eurasian Otter is “near threatened”. The Eurasian otter is a semi-aquatic species living in a wide range of freshwater habitats and along coasts. The Eurasian otter has been recorded historically from the Western Ghats (Coorg in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiri and Palani hill ranges). However, this is the first photographic andContinue reading “About Eurasian Otter”

Air Pollution The following are the major gaseous and particulate pollutants present: Gaseous air pollutants: Oxides of sulphur, nitrogen and carbon, hydrogen sulphide, hydrocarbons, ozone and other oxidants. Particulate pollutants: Dust, mist, fumes, smoke, smog etc. In India, thermal power plant account for 80% of all industrial emissions of particulate matter, sulphur and nitrous oxidesContinue reading “Air Pollution”

About SwachhSurvekshan SwachhSurvekshan is an annual ranking exercise taken up by the Government of India since 2016 to assess rural and urban areas for their levels of cleanliness and active implementation of Swachhata mission initiatives in a timely and innovative manner. The objective of the survey is to- Encourage large scale citizen participation and createContinue reading “About SwachhSurvekshan”

Stubble Burning: The issue As mentioned above the stated objective of the government in various policies is to route the crop residue for producing biofuels thereby reducing stubble burning. However, stubble burning still remains a major problem across the country. According to estimates, crop residue burnt in India range from 200 million tonnes to 240Continue reading “Stubble Burning: The issue”

About National Board for Wildlife • In accordance with section 5 A added in the 2002 amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the union government is empowered to constitute the National Board for Wildlife as a statutory body. • Headed by Prime Minister, NBWL is the highest decision making body on matters relating to wildlifepolicy in India. • Environment Protection Act and Wildlife Protection Act have provisionsContinue reading “About National Board for Wildlife”

The El Niño Effect El Niño is a climate phenomenon in which surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean see an unusual rise. El Niño is not a regular cycle, or predictable in the sense that ocean tides are. El Niño events repeat themselves in a two- to seven-year cycle, with a strong El NiñoContinue reading “The El Niño Effect”

About Black spotted turtle The black spotted turtle or spotted pond turtle is native to South Asia, and a heavily trafficked chelonian. It is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of threatened species. The medium-sized freshwater turtle has a black shell with yellow streaks. The species was once smuggledContinue reading “About Black spotted turtle”

Silent Valley National Park: It is the last remaining rain forest of Kerala. Silent Valley was declared as National Park in 1984 and formally inaugurated in the year 1985. Initially there was only 89.52 sq.km. area under the Division which forms the core zone of the National Park. In 2007, an area of 148 sq.km. was addedContinue reading “Silent Valley National Park:”

About Pangolins Pangolins are shy and secretive nocturnal creatures that live on ants and termites. Of the eight species found worldwide (four each in Asia and Africa), two are known from India- Indian Pangolin and Chinese Pangolin. Their defense mechanism is quickly to curl into a ball when threatened It is covered under as manyContinue reading “About Pangolins”

News Summary Five Asian Rhino–range countries have signed the New Delhi Declaration on protection and conservation of Asian Rhino population: India Nepal Bhutan Indonesia Malaysia Three types of Asian Rhinos include Greater one-horned Rhino in India, Nepal and Bhutan Javan Rhino Sumatran Rhino   New Delhi Declaration: Rhino Conservation Strategy Trans-boundary collaboration between India, Nepal andContinue reading “In-Brief: About Asian Rhinos”

Organophosphates Poisoning: A backgrounder According to WHO classification of Pesticides by Hazard, organophosphate pesticides belong to class 1, which means the pesticide is extremely/highly hazardous. The organophosphates are commonly found in various commercial pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides. The organophosphates present in the pesticides enters the human body through: Skin Lungs when inhaled 10-15% Enters the bloodContinue reading “Organophosphates Poisoning: A backgrounder”

About Polar Vortex Normal Condition Polar vortex is a low-pressure system where strong cold air masses circulate in counter-clockwise direction, 2 meters over the poles (both North and South). Usually the upper cold air mass is trapped in the poles due to existence of low-pressure belt at the poles.(See figure)     Distorted Condition SometimesContinue reading “About Polar Vortex”

About Bandipur National Park Bandipur National Park is located in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. It constitutes of forest landscape comprising Nagarahole (Karnataka), Mudumalai and Sathyamangalam (Tamil Nadu) and Wayanad (Kerala). Bandipur constitutes an integral part of ‘Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve’ along with. Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala Nagarhole National Park in KarnatakaContinue reading “About Bandipur National Park and Forest Fires”

What are E-wastes? Typically E-waste includes discarded computer monitors, motherboards, Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT), Printed Circuit Board (PCB), mobile phones and chargers, compact discs, headphones, white goods such as Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD)/ Plasma televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators etc. Computer equipment accounts for almost 70% of e-waste material followed by telecommunication equipment (12%), electrical equipment (8%) and medical equipmentContinue reading “What are E-wastes?”

What is Disaster risk reduction (DRR)? Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is a systematic approach to identifying, assessing and reducing the risks of disaster. It aims to reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities to disaster as well as dealing with the environmental and other hazards that trigger them   Background In May 2017, Global Platform for Disaster Risk ReductionContinue reading “What is Disaster risk reduction (DRR)?”

Waste-Energy Plants: A backgrounder What are Waste-Energy plants? Waste-To-Energy (WTE) plants are innovative ways of converting non-recyclable wastes, organic and inorganic, into usable forms of energy including heat, electricity and fuel. Different types of WTE processes include: Incinerators which are used to produce usable form of heat by complete combustion of waste Pyrolysis – thermal degradation of organicContinue reading “Waste-Energy Plants: A backgrounder”

In Brief: World Wildlife Day The UN World Wildlife Day is being celebrated on 3rd March every year since 2013, to raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. In 2013, it was first proclaimed by a United Nations General Assembly resolution. 3rd March is chosen as World Wildlife Day because it was on this date that the CITESContinue reading “World Wildlife Day”

About Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife sanctuary Today, it is the only area in Asia, where Asiatic lions occur, and is considered one of the most important protected areas in Asia due to its supported species. 1,412 square km of which 258 square km is fully protected as national park and 1,153 square km Continue reading “About Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife sanctuary”

What is Talc? Talc, or talcum, is a clay mineral consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate.   What are its uses? It is widely used in cosmetics, paints and ceramics.   What are the risks? Breathing in products containing talc can lead to coughing, difficulty in breathing, decreased lung function, scarring of the lung tissue.These effectsContinue reading “Talc”

About River Ganga Basin and its tributaries The Ganga basin outspreads in India, Tibet (China), Nepal and Bangladesh over an area of 10,86,000 Sq.km. In India, it covers states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Delhi. It drains an area of 8,61,452 Sq.km which isContinue reading “About River Ganga Basin and its tributaries”

What is Formalin? Formalin is a chemical of 37–50 percent aqueous solution of dissolved formaldehyde (CH2O) in water.   What is the use of formalin? Formalin is a preservative mostly used in forensic museums and morgues where autopsies are conducted. Other usage includes pressed wood products, paper, textile fibers, adhesives and plastics, carpeting, foam insulation, cosmetics, nailContinue reading “What is Formalin?”