Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Gujarat on alert as cyclonic storm ‘Vayu’ inches towards coast

News

• Cyclonic storm “Vayu” has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, forcing authorities to put Gujaraton high alert.
• The State authorities have swung into action, ordering closure of schools for three days in coastal districts and deploying teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and asking fishermen to return to the coast from high seas.

Beyond News

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said the speed of “Vayu” had increased to 17 km per hour and was located in the Arabian Sea, about 350 km west-northwest of Goa, 410 km south-southwest of Mumbai and 530 km nearly south of Veraval (Gujarat).
• It is very likely to move nearly northwards and cross Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva around Veraval and the Diu region as a severe cyclonic storm, with a wind speed of 110-120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph.
• The cyclone will make a landfall near Veraval in Gir Somnath district but it will be preceded by heavy rainfall in isolated places.
• In all, 36 NDRF teams will be deployed for rescue operations.
• According to the State government, around three lakh people from coastal villages will be shifted from low lying areas in Saurashtra and the Union Territory of Diu.
• The government has advised fishermen against venturing into the sea in the next few days while ports have been directed to flag a danger signal.
• The government has decided to deploy 30 teams of the NDRF in the coastal districts.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Pakistan decides to let Narendra Modi’s aircraft fly over its airspace to Bishkek

News

• Pakistan decided in principle to let Indian Prime Minister’s aircraft fly over its airspace to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan where he has to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, where his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan would also be present.

Beyond News

• Pakistan had fully closed its airspace after an Indian Air Force (IAF) strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot. Since then, it has only opened two routes, both of them pass through southern Pakistan, of the total 11.
• India requested Pakistan to let Mr. Modi’s aircraft fly over its airspace to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan.
• No bilateral meeting has been planned between Mr. Modi and Mr. Khan on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.
• Pakistan had given special permission to India’s then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to fly directly through Pakistan air spaceto attend the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meet in Bishkek.
• Apart from the two routes through southern Pakistan, the neighbouring country’s airspace remains closed for commercial airliners.
• The IAF announced that all temporary restrictions imposed on Indian airspace post the Balakot airstrike have been removed. However, it is unlikely to benefit any commercial airliners unless Pakistan reciprocates and opens its complete airspace.
• Among Indian airlines, the international operations of Air India and IndiGo have been affected by the closure of Pakistani airspace.

Tuberculosis Clubs show the way out

News

• Telangana Health Department officials appear to have found a solution to a few long-standing problems: decrease number of Tuberculosis (TB) patients who do not adhere to treatment for the disease (default rate) and the stigma associated with the disease.

Beyond News

• Under the TB Clubs with community participation initiative, people who are cured of TB are roped in to drive the message that treatment should not be stopped abruptly, and that there is a treatment for it.
• The TB Clubs initiative was launched in a few districts in Telangana in April-2018 and expanded to all districts by December 2018. Comparing default rate since 2018 and 2019 helps to know the effect of the initiative.
• Discontinuing first line treatment for the disease leads to Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB), which requires patient to take more medicines for 18-months to 24-months. Untreated patients can spread the disease to 10 to 15 people a year. The patients become non-infective in two-weeks of treatment.
• When a TB patient opts for treatment for first time, he/she has to take medicines for six-months without interruption.
• When the medicines are taken, people can experience some drug-induced discomfort such as nausea, joint pains, and others which stop when treatment is completed.
• The TB Clubs are formed at Gram Panchyat-levels. Accredited Social Health Worker (ASHA) are chairperson of the clubs.
• Awareness sessions are organised once in three-months at Anganwadi Centres or any other place where people diagnosed with TB, those undergoing treatment for it, those who stopped taking medicines are urged to participate in the meetings.
• People who successfully took the medication for six-months and got treated for it are made to speak about the discomfort they faced while taking medicines, precautions they followed, and how they were cured of the disease because of the medication.

Missing AN-32’s wreckage located by IAF copter

News

• The wreckage of the AN-32 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) that went missing with 13 personnel over Arunachal Pradesh was located.

Beyond News

• The wreckage of the aircraft was spotted today 16 km north of Lipo, northeast of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12,000 feet by an IAF Mi-17 helicopter undertaking search in the expanded search zone.
• The AN-32 got airborne from Jorhat in Assam for the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in Arunachal Pradesh but lost contact.
• Several aircraft, helicopters and ground teams were deployed in the Search And Rescue (SAR) mission to locate the missing plane. The IAF deployed SU-30 fighter aircraft, one C-130J transport aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Mi-17 helicopters.
• The Navy put in use a P-8I long range maritime surveillance aircraft. The Army too pressed in one ALH and ground teams. Locals were roped as they had knowledge of the terrain. Satellites were also utilised in identifying probable locations for search.
• During the search, aircraft were assigned different paths based on the coordinates within the search area. The search aircraft, equipped with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), also scan through Infra-Red (IR) and Electro Optic modes.
• They identify heat signatures and do terrain mapping to identify possible differences. Once a possible lead is identified, helicopter and ground teams are sent in to verify it.
• However, the terrain posed the biggest challenge the Northeast has dense forests and thick foliage, coupled with high altitude. Unpredictable weather and rains further hampered the operations, affecting flight movement and dampening IR signatures.
• All AN-32s have Flight Data Recorders (FDR) or black boxes that, once recovered and analysed, would provide critical details of what went wrong with the aircraft and how it crashed.
• The AN-32s are the workhorses of the IAF, and about 100 of them are in service. They are four decades old but are rugged and dependable. A major upgrade process is on to extend their service life. The aircraft that went down was not an upgraded one. 

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Kerala to amend jumbo rules

News

• The Kerala government will amend the rules to ensure that captive elephants in the State are looked after well.

Beyond News

• The amendment is in the wake of the increasing harassment of elephants.
• It will ensure that captive elephants are looked after well and given proper diet and rest and the prescribed guidelines are followed while they are taken for public functions and festivals, the Minister said, replying to questions in the Assembly on Monday.
• The number of captive elephants in the State had come down from 521 to 507 as 14 deaths had been reported after the first ever census of captive elephants held on November 29 last year by the Forests and Wildlife Department.
• Of the 521 listed in the enumeration, 401 were male elephants, 98 female, and 22 ‘makhna’ (tuskless male elephants). In 2018, the Forest Minister said, 34 captive elephants died in the State and a committee that looked into the issue had cited lack of proper rest and upkeep as the major reasons.
• The Minister said the majority of temples in the State had not registered for parading of captive elephants for festivals as directed by the Supreme Court. The department had trained 159 mahouts in four districts and issued photo identity cards to them.
• For implementing the captive elephant guidelines, a mobile and web application had been prepared and online monitoring had commenced. A databank of captive elephants was ready with the department on the basis of the findings of the census.
• Medical certificates had been made mandatory for captive elephants of four years and above for parading at public functions.
• The captive elephants found weak would be shifted to the elephant rescue and rehabilitation centre at Kappukad, Kottoor, in Thiruvananthapuram coming up at an estimate of ₹108 crore.
• The owners of the captive elephants being shifted on temporary basis by the department would have to fund the stay.

Phase 5 of Keezhadi excavations to look for sub-surface structures

News

• The fifth phase of excavations at Keezhadi in Tamil Nadu is set to begin.
• The excavation team will be looking for structures beneath the surface.

Beyond News

• The State Archaeological Department, which took over the excavations from the Archaeological Survey of India, has tied up with IIG, a technical agency.
• The government has sanctioned ₹55 lakh for this phase of excavations. This phase will be undertaken for a period of one year. A team of 10 archaeologists will undertake the excavations.
• The survey would look for structures underneath the surface, which would be indicated as anomalies in the report.
• Archaeologists have also found evidence of Keezhadi being part of a possible cluster of places. A burial site very near to Keezhadi, at a place called Konthagai, seems to be part of the cluster.
• In the previous phase of excavations, the team found various antiquities, including terracotta artefacts and copper, gold, iron and ivory objects, including an ivory dice. A total of 5,820 antiquities were found. The team also found an animal bone.

Aviation sector faces heat over warming

News

• Under pressure from frequent flyers alarmed over climate change, the airline industry says it is “hellbent” on reducing emissions but the technology needed to drastically reduce its carbon footprint is still out of reach.

Beyond News

• The industry has been under fire over its carbon emissions,which at 285 g of CO2 emitted per km travelled by a passenger far exceed all other modes of transport. Road transportation follows at 158 and rail travel is at 14.
• The International Civil Aviation Organization estimates that air transport is responsible for 2% of global CO2 emissions roughly equivalent to the overall emissions of Germany.
• But aircraft also emit particles such as nitrogen oxides, which can trap heat at high altitude, meaning the industry is responsible for 5% of warming.
• The industry has committed to improving fuel efficiency by 1.5% per year from 2009 to 2020 and stabilising its CO2 emissions in preparation for a 50% reduction by 2050 compared to 2005.
• Companies are banking on a new generation of less polluting planes with updated engines, aerodynamic modifications and fittings that weigh less.

Microplastics in mangroves

News

• Scientists have underlined the need to conduct a detailed study on the impact of microplastics on the mangrove eco-system in the country, as it is believed that these tiny plastic particles can adversely affect marine life.

Beyond News

• As far as Goa is concerned, the previous studies had confirmed the presence of microplastics along the coastline in the famous tourist destination.
• It is important to know what type of microplastics are accumulated in the mangrove sediments and sediment-related flora and fauna, and their sources in abundance.
• The findings will provide a new insight into distribution, transportation and transformation of microplastics in mangrove ecosystems located on semi-enclosed sea.
• The mangrove eco-systems always serve as buffers and act as barriers to prevent delivery of land-based inorganic and organic contaminants into sea.

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