Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Indus civilisation flourished without a flowing river: study

News

• Contrary to current belief, it was the departure of a large river — not its arrival — that triggered the growth of Indus urban centres that developed in what is now northwest India and Pakistan some 5,300 years ago, says a new study.

Beyond News

• The researchers said the time gap between the river shifting course and the Indus civilisation settlements appearing rules out the existence of a Himalayan-fed river that nourished Indus civilisation urban settlements along the river channel.
• They used a method called optically stimulated luminescence dating to determine when the river last flowed.

Historical notes:

• The Indus civilisation developed at about the same time as urban civilisations developed in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
• Archaeological evidence shows that many of the settlements in the Indus civilisation developed along the banks of a river called the Ghaggar-Hakra.

Important findings:

• But the new study, has now provided evidence that a major Himalayan river did not flow at the same time as the development of Indus civilisation urban settlements.
• The study, published in the journalNature Communications , showed that today’s Sutlej River used to flow along the trace of the Ghaggar-Hakra river but rapidly changed course upstream 8,000 years ago.

This meant that 3,000 years later, when the Indus people settled the area, there was only an abandoned large river valley occupied by seasonal monsoon river flow instead of a large Himalayan river.

Cyclone Ockhi claims four lives in Kanniyakumari

News

• Named Ockhi, the cyclone is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm causing heavy rainfall in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Beyond News

• The deep depression over the Comorin area has intensified into a cyclone and is likely to move towards Lakshadweep Islands, according to the Met Department.
• Cyclone ‘Ockhi’ has claimed four lives as gusty winds, coupled with heavy downpour, uprooted 550 trees and 950 electric poles.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Singapore offers India logistical base

News

• India and Singapore agreed on greater cooperation and activity in the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea even as the two countries concluded a wide ranging naval agreement for maritime cooperation including logistical support.

Beyond News

• Singapore had accepted India’s proposal to institutionalise naval engagements in the shared maritime space, including setting up maritime exercises with like-minded countries and other ASEAN partners.
• The two countries also agreed to explore joints projects in research and development.

The two countries concluded a bilateral agreement for naval cooperation, which includes maritime security, joint exercises and temporary deployments from the naval facilities of each other and mutual logistical support.

India unlikely to cut malaria burden by half in 2020: WHO

Beyond News

• India accounted for 6% of global malaria cases and 7% of deaths caused by it in 2016, according to a report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Beyond News

• WHO figures also suggest that India is unlikely to reduce its case burden beyond 40% by 2020.
• There were an estimated 4,45,000 deaths from malaria globally in 2016, compared with 4,46,000 estimated deaths in 2015. About 80% of the deaths were accounted for by 15 countries, namely India and 14 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• 51% of Plasmodium vivaxcases — the milder cousin of the  falciparum— were traced in India.

Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Indonesia, are among the countries poised to reduce malaria incidence by over 40% by 2020.

In 2016, an estimated Rs. 13,000 crore was invested in malaria control and elimination efforts globally by governments of malaria endemic countries and their international partners.

U.S. now within range of N. Korea’s nuclear weapons

News

• North Korea said it successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a “breakthrough” that puts the U.S. mainland within the range of its nuclear weapons whose warheads could withstand re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere.

Beyond News

• The missile test came a week after U.S. President Donald Trump put North Korea back on a U.S. list of countries it says support terrorism, allowing it to impose more sanctions.
• North Korea, which also conducted its largest nuclear test in September, has tested dozens of ballistic missiles under its leader, Kim Jong Un, in defiance of international sanctions.
• The latest was the highest and longest any North Korean missile had flown, landing in the sea near Japan.

North Korea said that,the new missile reached an altitude of about 4,475 km — more than 10 times the height of the International Space Station — and flew 950 km during its 53-minute flight.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Shutter breach at KRP dam triggers flood alert

News

• A shutter at KRP dam breached triggering a flood alert in five districts along Thenpennai river.

KRP dam

• The Krishnagiri Dam is a dam that spans the Thenpennai River by the village of Dhuduganahalli, located in Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu, India.
• The Krishnagiri Dam is also known as Krishnagiri Reservoir Project Dam.

Beyond News

• The water level in the reservoir prior to the breach was 51 feet as against the capacity of 52 feet.
• A low flood alert was already in place ever since the water level crossed 50 feet in August.
• The Krishnagiri Reservoir was filling up to its capacity after eight years and has seen a consistent water level of 51 feet for the last three months.

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