×

UPSC Courses

DNA banner

DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

  • 09 February, 2021

  • 5 Min Read

Uttarakhand floods

Uttarakhand floods

Introduction

  • The staggering collapse of part of a glacier in Uttarakhand’s Nanda Devi mountain and the ensuing floods that have claimed many lives come as a deadly reminder that this fragile, geologically dynamic region.

Reason of flash floods

  • A significant slice of the glacier, dislodged by a landslide, produced roaring torrents in the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga rivers in Chamoli district, trapping unsuspecting workers at two hydro power project sites (Tapovan project and Tapovan-Vishnughad project).

Risks of hydroelectric power projects

  • Once the crucible of environmentalism, epitomised by Sunderlal Bahuguna, Gaura Devi and the Chipko movement.
  • The State’s deep gorges and canyons have attracted many hydroelectric projects and dams, with little concern for earthquake risk.
    • Example: Red flags have been raised repeatedly, particularly after the moderate quake in 1991 in the region where the Tehri dam was built and the 2013 floods that devastated Kedarnath, pointing to the threat from seismicity, dam-induced microseismicity, landslides and floods from a variety of causes, including unstable glacial lakes and climate change.
  • India is heavily invested in dam development and growth of hydropower, largely in the Himalaya region — especially to cut carbon emissions.
    • Data: By one estimate, if the national plan to construct dams in 28 river valleys in the hills is realised in a few decades, the Indian Himalayas will have one dam for every 32 km, among the world’s highest densities.
  • There may be a miscalculation for reasons, including potential earthquake impacts, monsoonal aberrations that could repeat a Kedarnath-like flood, severe biodiversity loss and extreme danger to communities downstream.
  • The life of dams is often exaggerated, and siltation, which reduces it, is grossly underestimated:
    • Case study: In the Bhakra dam in Himachal Pradesh, for instance, siltation was higher by 140% than calculated.

Way forward

  • The need is to rigorously study the impact of policy on the Himalayas and confine hydro projects to those with the least impact.
  • Relying more on low-impact run-of-the-river power projects that need no destructive large dams and reservoirs.

Source: TH


World bank logistic performance index 2023

World bank logistic performance index 2023 India is now ranked 38th out of 139 nations in the Logistic Performance Index (LPI) 2023 of the World Bank. From its previous rankings of 44th in 2018 and 54th in 2014, this is a notable improvement. Earlier, the Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) Report 2022 was published by the Mini

Smuggling of Gold

Smuggling of Gold Airports discovered more than 63% of this illegal gold. The Department of Revenue Intelligence recently conducted the Golden Dawn Operation across India, seizing 101.7 kg of illegal gold valued at Rs 51 crore. Despite the fact that India receives a legal import of about 800-1,000 tonnes of gold each year, the illicit mar

India-Thailand Relations

India-Thailand Relations Both parties expressed satisfaction with the ongoing bilateral defence cooperation at the 8th India-Thailand Defence Dialogue, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand. Cultural ties and mutual cooperation that have been shaped by thousands of years of lasting historical and cultural ties characterise India and Thailand

Translocation of Elephants

Translocation of Elephants The Kerala government's appeal of the order of the Kerala High Court is rejected by the Supreme Court. The Kerala government's appeal against the Kerala High Court's directive to move Arikomban (Wild Elephant), the "rice tusker" of Munnar, to the Parambikulam tiger reserve was recently dismis

Global Buddhist Summit

Global Buddhist Summit In order to improve diplomatic and cultural ties with other nations, the Ministry of Culture recently organised the First Global Buddhist Summit 2023 in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC). About the summit "Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis" is

Toppers

Search By Date

Post Feed

Newsletter Subscription
SMS Alerts