UG-CLAT CURRENT AFFAIRS AND GK QUIZ 1

To mark World Wetland Day on(I), the environment ministry designated two new ‘Ramsar’ wetlands in India. This gives these wetlands international recognition and more conservation significance.

Environment minister Bhupender Yadav also released a ‘wetland atlas’ according to which India’s overall wetland area increased by 0.64 million hectares (Mha) over the last decade.

However, around 1,340 wetlands have ‘disappeared’ between 2007 and 2018, according to the ‘atlas’. Natural wetlands saw losses in area while man-made ones increased. What do these changes mean, and does designating a wetland as a Ramsar site really help conserve it?

Wetlands are areas filled with static or flowing water. These could be natural or man-made, and include marshes, fens and peatlands. They could also be inland and coastal. Lakes and ponds, estuaries, swamps, marshes, floodplains of rivers and even man-made water bodies – such as reservoirs that are created when rivers are dammed – qualify as wetlands according to the Wetlands Division under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

As per the Division, India is home to more than 7.5 lakh wetlands.

The many ecosystem functions that wetlands provide to both people and biodiversity make it important to conserve them. These include flood control (such as this study by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science shows) and livelihood support for numerous communities including fishers.

Wetlands also support a wide range of biodiversity, from small mammals such as the endangered fishing cat, to migratory birds and invertebrates. They serve as crucial carbon sinks too in the fight against climate change: wetlands have some of the highest soil carbon densities compared to other natural ecosystems.

(Taken from Science The Wire article published on 04th February 2022 by Aathira Perinchery)

To mark World Wetland Day on(I), the environment ministry designated two new ‘Ramsar’ wetlands in India. This gives these wetlands international recognition and more conservation significance.

Environment minister Bhupender Yadav also released a ‘wetland atlas’ according to which India’s overall wetland area increased by 0.64 million hectares (Mha) over the last decade.

However, around 1,340 wetlands have ‘disappeared’ between 2007 and 2018, according to the ‘atlas’. Natural wetlands saw losses in area while man-made ones increased. What do these changes mean, and does designating a wetland as a Ramsar site really help conserve it?

Wetlands are areas filled with static or flowing water. These could be natural or man-made, and include marshes, fens and peatlands. They could also be inland and coastal. Lakes and ponds, estuaries, swamps, marshes, floodplains of rivers and even man-made water bodies – such as reservoirs that are created when rivers are dammed – qualify as wetlands according to the Wetlands Division under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

As per the Division, India is home to more than 7.5 lakh wetlands.

The many ecosystem functions that wetlands provide to both people and biodiversity make it important to conserve them. These include flood control (such as this study by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science shows) and livelihood support for numerous communities including fishers.

Wetlands also support a wide range of biodiversity, from small mammals such as the endangered fishing cat, to migratory birds and invertebrates. They serve as crucial carbon sinks too in the fight against climate change: wetlands have some of the highest soil carbon densities compared to other natural ecosystems.

(Taken from Science The Wire article published on 04th February 2022 by Aathira Perinchery)

To mark World Wetland Day on(I), the environment ministry designated two new ‘Ramsar’ wetlands in India. This gives these wetlands international recognition and more conservation significance.

Environment minister Bhupender Yadav also released a ‘wetland atlas’ according to which India’s overall wetland area increased by 0.64 million hectares (Mha) over the last decade.

However, around 1,340 wetlands have ‘disappeared’ between 2007 and 2018, according to the ‘atlas’. Natural wetlands saw losses in area while man-made ones increased. What do these changes mean, and does designating a wetland as a Ramsar site really help conserve it?

Wetlands are areas filled with static or flowing water. These could be natural or man-made, and include marshes, fens and peatlands. They could also be inland and coastal. Lakes and ponds, estuaries, swamps, marshes, floodplains of rivers and even man-made water bodies – such as reservoirs that are created when rivers are dammed – qualify as wetlands according to the Wetlands Division under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

As per the Division, India is home to more than 7.5 lakh wetlands.

The many ecosystem functions that wetlands provide to both people and biodiversity make it important to conserve them. These include flood control (such as this study by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science shows) and livelihood support for numerous communities including fishers.

Wetlands also support a wide range of biodiversity, from small mammals such as the endangered fishing cat, to migratory birds and invertebrates. They serve as crucial carbon sinks too in the fight against climate change: wetlands have some of the highest soil carbon densities compared to other natural ecosystems.

(Taken from Science The Wire article published on 04th February 2022 by Aathira Perinchery)

To mark World Wetland Day on(I), the environment ministry designated two new ‘Ramsar’ wetlands in India. This gives these wetlands international recognition and more conservation significance.

Environment minister Bhupender Yadav also released a ‘wetland atlas’ according to which India’s overall wetland area increased by 0.64 million hectares (Mha) over the last decade.

However, around 1,340 wetlands have ‘disappeared’ between 2007 and 2018, according to the ‘atlas’. Natural wetlands saw losses in area while man-made ones increased. What do these changes mean, and does designating a wetland as a Ramsar site really help conserve it?

Wetlands are areas filled with static or flowing water. These could be natural or man-made, and include marshes, fens and peatlands. They could also be inland and coastal. Lakes and ponds, estuaries, swamps, marshes, floodplains of rivers and even man-made water bodies – such as reservoirs that are created when rivers are dammed – qualify as wetlands according to the Wetlands Division under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

As per the Division, India is home to more than 7.5 lakh wetlands.

The many ecosystem functions that wetlands provide to both people and biodiversity make it important to conserve them. These include flood control (such as this study by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science shows) and livelihood support for numerous communities including fishers.

Wetlands also support a wide range of biodiversity, from small mammals such as the endangered fishing cat, to migratory birds and invertebrates. They serve as crucial carbon sinks too in the fight against climate change: wetlands have some of the highest soil carbon densities compared to other natural ecosystems.

(Taken from Science The Wire article published on 04th February 2022 by Aathira Perinchery)

To mark World Wetland Day on(I), the environment ministry designated two new ‘Ramsar’ wetlands in India. This gives these wetlands international recognition and more conservation significance.

Environment minister Bhupender Yadav also released a ‘wetland atlas’ according to which India’s overall wetland area increased by 0.64 million hectares (Mha) over the last decade.

However, around 1,340 wetlands have ‘disappeared’ between 2007 and 2018, according to the ‘atlas’. Natural wetlands saw losses in area while man-made ones increased. What do these changes mean, and does designating a wetland as a Ramsar site really help conserve it?

Wetlands are areas filled with static or flowing water. These could be natural or man-made, and include marshes, fens and peatlands. They could also be inland and coastal. Lakes and ponds, estuaries, swamps, marshes, floodplains of rivers and even man-made water bodies – such as reservoirs that are created when rivers are dammed – qualify as wetlands according to the Wetlands Division under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

As per the Division, India is home to more than 7.5 lakh wetlands.

The many ecosystem functions that wetlands provide to both people and biodiversity make it important to conserve them. These include flood control (such as this study by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science shows) and livelihood support for numerous communities including fishers.

Wetlands also support a wide range of biodiversity, from small mammals such as the endangered fishing cat, to migratory birds and invertebrates. They serve as crucial carbon sinks too in the fight against climate change: wetlands have some of the highest soil carbon densities compared to other natural ecosystems.

(Taken from Science The Wire article published on 04th February 2022 by Aathira Perinchery)

In what could be yet another peoples’ movement in the making, local residents and activists are opposed to Kerala’s ambitious (I) project, a 530-km semi-high speed rail project that intends to reduce the travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and (II) to four hours from the current 12.

Protestors said they are opposed to the project’s potential to displace around 20,000 families and its environmental impact – especially on the flow of rivers across the state.

The Project is being implemented by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation, or ‘K-Rail’, a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Union railway ministry. The railway line will run roughly parallel to the Western Ghats along Kerala’s coast and pass through 11 districts. K-Rail has estimated that the project will cost Rs 63,940.67 crore (including taxes and land acquisition costs). The Kerala government has agreed to foot the entire land acquisition cost, of Rs 13,700 crore. Once completed, the locomotive on this line will apparently run at 200 km/hr, on standard gauge, reportedly based on technologies developed in (III).

In an interview in April this year, K-Rail managing director V. Ajith Kumar said the project will “enable a ‘mode shift’ from conventional polluting public transport systems and private vehicles” and that its construction will be completed in a “completely eco-friendly manner”. He also said that as more passengers use the SilverLine, carbon dioxide emissions could drop by about 2.87 lakh tonnes in the first year of operation, and by about a cumulative 5.94 lakh tonnes by 2052.

On December 6, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting his “personal intervention” to sanction the project, which, in Vijayan’s words, would benefit Kerala as well as India for its contributions to both the economy and the environment.

K-Rail has also estimated that the project will directly and indirectly employ around 50,000 people directly and indirectly during its construction and around 10,000 people once it is operationalised.

For all these gains, however, K-Rail will have to acquire 1,383 ha of land, including for track alignments and station yards. Of this, 1,198 hectares will be private land. This is one of the principal reasons the project is expected to face stiff resistance.

(Taken from Science The Wire article published on 14th December 2021 by Aathira Perinchery)

In what could be yet another peoples’ movement in the making, local residents and activists are opposed to Kerala’s ambitious (I) project, a 530-km semi-high speed rail project that intends to reduce the travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and (II) to four hours from the current 12.

Protestors said they are opposed to the project’s potential to displace around 20,000 families and its environmental impact – especially on the flow of rivers across the state.

The Project is being implemented by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation, or ‘K-Rail’, a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Union railway ministry. The railway line will run roughly parallel to the Western Ghats along Kerala’s coast and pass through 11 districts. K-Rail has estimated that the project will cost Rs 63,940.67 crore (including taxes and land acquisition costs). The Kerala government has agreed to foot the entire land acquisition cost, of Rs 13,700 crore. Once completed, the locomotive on this line will apparently run at 200 km/hr, on standard gauge, reportedly based on technologies developed in (III).

In an interview in April this year, K-Rail managing director V. Ajith Kumar said the project will “enable a ‘mode shift’ from conventional polluting public transport systems and private vehicles” and that its construction will be completed in a “completely eco-friendly manner”. He also said that as more passengers use the SilverLine, carbon dioxide emissions could drop by about 2.87 lakh tonnes in the first year of operation, and by about a cumulative 5.94 lakh tonnes by 2052.

On December 6, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting his “personal intervention” to sanction the project, which, in Vijayan’s words, would benefit Kerala as well as India for its contributions to both the economy and the environment.

K-Rail has also estimated that the project will directly and indirectly employ around 50,000 people directly and indirectly during its construction and around 10,000 people once it is operationalised.

For all these gains, however, K-Rail will have to acquire 1,383 ha of land, including for track alignments and station yards. Of this, 1,198 hectares will be private land. This is one of the principal reasons the project is expected to face stiff resistance.

(Taken from Science The Wire article published on 14th December 2021 by Aathira Perinchery)

In what could be yet another peoples’ movement in the making, local residents and activists are opposed to Kerala’s ambitious (I) project, a 530-km semi-high speed rail project that intends to reduce the travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and (II) to four hours from the current 12.

Protestors said they are opposed to the project’s potential to displace around 20,000 families and its environmental impact – especially on the flow of rivers across the state.

The Project is being implemented by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation, or ‘K-Rail’, a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Union railway ministry. The railway line will run roughly parallel to the Western Ghats along Kerala’s coast and pass through 11 districts. K-Rail has estimated that the project will cost Rs 63,940.67 crore (including taxes and land acquisition costs). The Kerala government has agreed to foot the entire land acquisition cost, of Rs 13,700 crore. Once completed, the locomotive on this line will apparently run at 200 km/hr, on standard gauge, reportedly based on technologies developed in (III).

In an interview in April this year, K-Rail managing director V. Ajith Kumar said the project will “enable a ‘mode shift’ from conventional polluting public transport systems and private vehicles” and that its construction will be completed in a “completely eco-friendly manner”. He also said that as more passengers use the SilverLine, carbon dioxide emissions could drop by about 2.87 lakh tonnes in the first year of operation, and by about a cumulative 5.94 lakh tonnes by 2052.

On December 6, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting his “personal intervention” to sanction the project, which, in Vijayan’s words, would benefit Kerala as well as India for its contributions to both the economy and the environment.

K-Rail has also estimated that the project will directly and indirectly employ around 50,000 people directly and indirectly during its construction and around 10,000 people once it is operationalised.

For all these gains, however, K-Rail will have to acquire 1,383 ha of land, including for track alignments and station yards. Of this, 1,198 hectares will be private land. This is one of the principal reasons the project is expected to face stiff resistance.

(Taken from Science The Wire article published on 14th December 2021 by Aathira Perinchery)

In what could be yet another peoples’ movement in the making, local residents and activists are opposed to Kerala’s ambitious (I) project, a 530-km semi-high speed rail project that intends to reduce the travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and (II) to four hours from the current 12.

Protestors said they are opposed to the project’s potential to displace around 20,000 families and its environmental impact – especially on the flow of rivers across the state.

The Project is being implemented by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation, or ‘K-Rail’, a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Union railway ministry. The railway line will run roughly parallel to the Western Ghats along Kerala’s coast and pass through 11 districts. K-Rail has estimated that the project will cost Rs 63,940.67 crore (including taxes and land acquisition costs). The Kerala government has agreed to foot the entire land acquisition cost, of Rs 13,700 crore. Once completed, the locomotive on this line will apparently run at 200 km/hr, on standard gauge, reportedly based on technologies developed in (III).

In an interview in April this year, K-Rail managing director V. Ajith Kumar said the project will “enable a ‘mode shift’ from conventional polluting public transport systems and private vehicles” and that its construction will be completed in a “completely eco-friendly manner”. He also said that as more passengers use the SilverLine, carbon dioxide emissions could drop by about 2.87 lakh tonnes in the first year of operation, and by about a cumulative 5.94 lakh tonnes by 2052.

On December 6, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting his “personal intervention” to sanction the project, which, in Vijayan’s words, would benefit Kerala as well as India for its contributions to both the economy and the environment.

K-Rail has also estimated that the project will directly and indirectly employ around 50,000 people directly and indirectly during its construction and around 10,000 people once it is operationalised.

For all these gains, however, K-Rail will have to acquire 1,383 ha of land, including for track alignments and station yards. Of this, 1,198 hectares will be private land. This is one of the principal reasons the project is expected to face stiff resistance.

(Taken from Science The Wire article published on 14th December 2021 by Aathira Perinchery)

In what could be yet another peoples’ movement in the making, local residents and activists are opposed to Kerala’s ambitious (I) project, a 530-km semi-high speed rail project that intends to reduce the travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and (II) to four hours from the current 12.

Protestors said they are opposed to the project’s potential to displace around 20,000 families and its environmental impact – especially on the flow of rivers across the state.

The Project is being implemented by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation, or ‘K-Rail’, a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Union railway ministry. The railway line will run roughly parallel to the Western Ghats along Kerala’s coast and pass through 11 districts. K-Rail has estimated that the project will cost Rs 63,940.67 crore (including taxes and land acquisition costs). The Kerala government has agreed to foot the entire land acquisition cost, of Rs 13,700 crore. Once completed, the locomotive on this line will apparently run at 200 km/hr, on standard gauge, reportedly based on technologies developed in (III).

In an interview in April this year, K-Rail managing director V. Ajith Kumar said the project will “enable a ‘mode shift’ from conventional polluting public transport systems and private vehicles” and that its construction will be completed in a “completely eco-friendly manner”. He also said that as more passengers use the SilverLine, carbon dioxide emissions could drop by about 2.87 lakh tonnes in the first year of operation, and by about a cumulative 5.94 lakh tonnes by 2052.

On December 6, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting his “personal intervention” to sanction the project, which, in Vijayan’s words, would benefit Kerala as well as India for its contributions to both the economy and the environment.

K-Rail has also estimated that the project will directly and indirectly employ around 50,000 people directly and indirectly during its construction and around 10,000 people once it is operationalised.

For all these gains, however, K-Rail will have to acquire 1,383 ha of land, including for track alignments and station yards. Of this, 1,198 hectares will be private land. This is one of the principal reasons the project is expected to face stiff resistance.

(Taken from Science The Wire article published on 14th December 2021 by Aathira Perinchery)