Geography Current Affairs by Pmfias.

com – October 2020

Contents

{Geo – DM – 2020/10/27} Tsunami Early Warning System ............................................................................................................................. 1

{Geo – EG – 2020/10/19} International Day for the Eradication of Poverty ................................................................. 4
{Geo – In News – 2020/10/31} Daylight Saving Time ........................................................................................................................................ 7
{Geo – Indian Geography – 2020/10/28} New Tectonically Zone of Himalayas ..................................................................................... 8

{Geo – Infra – 2020/10/07} Kozhikode-Wayanad Tunnel Road................................................................................................................... 10

{Geo – Infra – 2020/10/21} India's First Multi-Modal Logistics Park in Assam ...................................................................................... 11

{Geo – Infra – 2020/10/21} Kaleshwaram Project.............................................................................................................................................. 13

{Geo – Infra – 2020/10/22} 1st Seaplane Project ................................................................................................................................................ 17

{Geo – Oceanography – 2020/10/30} Corals Translocation .......................................................................................................................... 18

{Geo LBT – India – 2020/10/03} Atal Tunnel ................................................................................................................. 19

{Geo LBT – India – 2020/10/11} Khardungla Pass ............................................................................................................................................. 22
{Geo LBT – India – 2020/10/13} Chushul .............................................................................................................................................................. 22

{Geo LBT – India – 2020/10/21} Demchok Sector ............................................................................................................................................. 24

{Geo LBT – India – 2020/10/28} Feni Bridge ........................................................................................................................................................ 25

{Geo LBT – World – 2020/10/05} Mecca ............................................................................................................................................................... 26

{Geo LBT – World – 2020/10/05} New Caledonia ............................................................................................................................................. 28

{Geo LBT – World – 2020/10/07} Protests Erupted in Kyrgyzstan .............................................................................................................. 29

{Geo LBT – World – 2020/10/26} Yellow Dust .................................................................................................................................................... 30

{Geo LBT – World – 2020/10/29} Protest in Chile ............................................................................................................................................. 31

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{Geo – DM – 2020/10/27} Tsunami Early Warning System

TH | GS1 > Disaster & Disaster Management

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• Context: India is much safer against tsunami threats than it was in 2004, due to the establishment of a state-
of-the-art tsunami early warning system at INCOIS.

• India have reached a stage where we can detect large under sea earthquakes in real-time & provide a tsu-
nami warning in 10 – 20 minutes after the earthquake occurrence.
• IOC-UNESCO accredited Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre as Tsunami Service Provider (TSP) for 28
Indian Ocean rim countries, along with Indonesia & Australia in 2011, for issuing regional warnings.
• INCOIS has also partnered with ISRO & Airports Authority of India (AAI) to develop a satellite-based message
broadcasting service through the indigenous navigational satellite communication system 'NAVIC'.
• Seafarers, anywhere in the northern Indian Ocean, have access to this fisheries & safety information on their
mobile phones.

Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)

• INCOIS was established as an autonomous body in 1999 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• It is located in Hyderabad (not Chennai).
• INCOIS provides ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies, etc.

Activities of INCOIS

• INCOIS provides warning services for the coastal population on tsunamis, storm surges, high waves, etc.
through the in-house Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC).
• The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO designated ITEWC as a Regional Tsu-
nami Service Provider (RTSP) to provide tsunami warnings to countries on the Indian Ocean Rim.
• It conducts IOWave i.e. tsunami mock drill biannually.
• Provides daily Potential Fishing Zone advisories to fisher folk.
• Short term (3-7 days) Ocean State Forecasts (waves, currents, sea surface temperature, etc.) are issued daily.
• Established a VSAT aided Emergency Communication System (VECS) to provide tsunami warnings with the
least possible time delay even when there is a failure in conventional communication systems.

Tsunami Warning Systems

• While the earthquake cannot be predicted in advance, it is possible to give a three-hour notice of a potential
tsunami.
• Such early warning systems are in place across the Pacific Ocean. Post-2004, they were installed in the Indian
Ocean as well.

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• In 1965, early warning system was started by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). The member states of the NOAA include the major Pacific Rim countries.
• NOAA has developed the ‘Deep Ocean Assessment & Reporting of Tsunamis’ (DART) gauge.
• Each gauge has a very sensitive pressure recorder on the sea floor. Data is generated whenever changes in
water pressure occur.
• The data is transmitted to a surface buoy which then relays it over satellite.
• Computer systems at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) in Hawaii monitor data.
• Based on the data, warnings are issued.

About ‘Tsunami Ready’ Tag

3
• Tsunami Ready Programme of UNESCO is a community performance-based programme that facilitates
tsunami preparedness.
• The main objective of this programme is to: -
1. Improve coastal community preparedness for tsunami emergencies,
2. To minimize the loss of life & property and,
3. To ensure structural & systematic approach in building community preparedness.
• Tag is given by Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
• Tsunami Ready in India is implemented by the National Board, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) under
the Chairmanship of Director, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Centre (INCOIS).

UNESCO-IOC

• UNESCO-IOC is leading a global effort to establish ocean-based tsunami warning systems as part of an
overall multi-hazard disaster reduction strategy.
• The IOC Tsunami Unit works with Member States, together with other UN agencies & NGOs, to build sus-
tainable tsunami early warning systems.
• The Unit’s mission is to ensure appropriate design & development of tsunami warning systems & to ulti-
mately provide adequate protection at local, regional, & global scales.

{Geo – EG – 2020/10/19} International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

DTE | GS2 > Poverty

• Context: The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed at a time when the COVID-
19 pandemic has undone years of gains in reducing poverty across the world.
• This year’s theme: ‘Acting Together to Achieve Social & Environmental Justice for All’.

Findings

• A world that has reported an increase in poverty the first time in a quarter century.
• More than 90 per cent countries have reported a dip in per capita income blame the novel coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) pandemic & the ensuing economic disruptions.
• More than 115 million new poor have been added to the world, & their spread is universal, from the rich
Europe to the already poor Asia; & from rural to urban areas.
• Every tenth people were extremely poor — living on less than a $.

4
• In 2019, according to the World Bank estimate, one out of every 10 people was an extreme poor, or lived
with income less than US$ 1.90/day known as the global extreme poverty line.
• Two out of every three people survived with US$10/day & this being the threshold line from where an escape
from poverty seems to be feasible, even though there is no surety of it.

The Ecology of Poverty

• The closer the one is to natural resource the higher is the chance to be a poor.
• And the equation of poverty is also generally similar.
• The more the reliance on ecology/nature for survival, higher is the probability to be poor.
• A few countries – like India & Nigeria as two prime examples - host the world’s largest number of poor &
this have been the case for decades.
• In these countries, invariably the poor live in very ecologically fragile areas.
• So, ecological degradation has an impact on level of income, thus, on poverty level. That is why the
income poverty should be termed as the ecological poverty.
• Various estimates say the natural capital accounts for 9 per cent of wealth globally, but it accounts for 47
per cent of the wealth in low income countries.
• This shows the dependence of people on natural resources in developing & poor countries.
• A Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) study shows that more than a billion people are forest-de-
pendent, & most of them survive below the poverty line.
• One in every seven people is a forest dependent person in the world. Most of them are in Africa & Asia.

India

• In India, the poorest regions are invariably the forested areas of the country in states like Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand & Madhya Pradesh.

• These areas in India feature constantly in the poverty map.

• Some 275 million people in India depend on forest for subsistence.

• In the country’s poorest regions, forests provide up to 30 per cent of their total income.

• This is more than agriculture & other sources of income.

Africa

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 • Poverty in absolute terms is increasing in areas usually associated with the likes of sub-Saharan Africa &
South Asia.

• But as one analyses the change in the geographical distribution of poverty, another picture emerges.

• Now sub-Saharan Africa & South Asia host over 85 per cent of the poor in the world.

• In 1990, half of the world’s poor lived in East Asia & the Pacific. Further, 26 of the world’s 27 poorest
countries were in sub-Saharan Africa.

• This region had just a quarter of the world’s poor in 2002. But by 2015, it has now poorer than the rest of
the world combined.

• At the global level, just five countries—India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ethiopia & the Democratic Republic
of Congo—account for half of the extreme poor in the world.
• This is at a time when half of the countries in the world have less than 3 per cent poverty level. & strikingly,
the above five countries, barring Congo, are witnessing rapid economic growth.

Geography of the Poor

1. One is that the poor reside mostly in rural areas. Going by the Bank’s report, three-fourths of the total poor
live in rural areas.
2. Secondly, these places have a highly degraded ecology. Most of the poor depend on natural resources like
land, forests & livestock for survival. So, for them, economy is all about ecology.
Degradation of the ecology, thus, leads to poverty.

Ecology & Entitlement

• The resource of the poorest in the world is also a trillion-dollar economy.

• According to the just released Forests, Trees & the Eradication of Poverty: Potential & Limitations by
the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, forestry contributes at least $ 539 billion di-
rectly to the world Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
• If one accounts for its direct, indirect & induced effects, the monetary turnover is $ 1.2 trillion, or almost
equal to Australia’s GDP.
• The population of extreme poor (as share to total population) has come down from 60 per cent in 1970 to
less than 10 per cent in 2018.
• The latest IPBES global assessment reported a decline in 14 of 18 categories of nature’s contributions to
people since 1970.

6
• It clearly said that “extraction of provisioning services has increased, while provision of regulating & mainte-
nance services has declined”.
• An extensive study by UNEP shows that that globally produced capital per head doubled & human capital
per head increased, but the value of the stock of natural capital per head declined.
• It means those who depend on environment witnessed a decline in their assets thus triggering poverty.
• When the ecology decides your survival & wealth, access to it & availability of it unilaterally decide your level
of prosperity.

Importance of Ecology

• The importance ecology to overall world development including poverty eradication can be gauged from
the fact that 86 out of 169 SDG targets directly or indirectly seek to reduce environmental damage or
emphasize the critical role of natural resources & ecosystem services.
• There are various reasons for environmental degradation that ultimately trigger poverty among the nature-
dependent people.
✓ Climate change is the latest to add on to this list. & it makes the situation for these communities com-
pletely uncertain.
✓ Ecological poverty, one way, is going to be further precipitated thus making the world to eradicate
poverty almost impossible.

{Geo – In News – 2020/10/31} Daylight Saving Time

IE | In News for Prelims

Daylight Saving Time

• DST is the practice of resetting clocks ahead by an hour in spring, & behind by an hour in autumn (or fall).
• During these months, countries that follow this system get an extra hour of daylight in the evening.
• Because the spring to fall cycle is opposite in the Northern & Southern Hemispheres, DST lasts from March
to October/November in Europe & the US, & from September/October to April in New Zealand & Australia.
• Dates for this switch, which happens twice a year (in the spring & autumn) are decided beforehand.
• By law, the 28 member states of the European Union switch together — moving forward on the last Sunday
of March & falling back on the last Sunday in October.
• In the US, clocks go back on the first Sunday of November.

How many countries use DST?

7
• DST is in practice in some 70 countries, including those in the European Union.
• India does not follow daylight saving time.
• Countries near the Equator do not experience high variations in daytime hours between seasons.
• There is, however, a separate debate around the logic of sticking with only one time zone in a country as
large as India.
• Most Muslim countries do not use DST — during the holy month of Ramzan, this could mean delaying the
breaking of the fast for longer.

What does this system mean to achieve?

• The rationale behind setting clocks ahead of standard time, usually by 1 hour during springtime, is to ensure
that the clocks show a later sunrise & later sunset — in effect a longer evening daytime.
• Individuals will wake an hour earlier than usual, complete their daily work routines an hour earlier, & have
an extra hour of daylight at the end.
• The key argument is that DST is meant to save energy.

So, has DST achieved its aims?

• A century ago, when DST was introduced, more daylight did mean less use of artificial light.
• But modern society uses so much energy-consuming appliances all day long that the amount of energy
saved is negligible.
• Various studies have been conducted on the benefits & disadvantages of DST.
• Among the biggest cons is the disruption of the body clock or circadian rhythm.
• A USA Today report cites a study showing that DST increases the risk of heart attack by 25%, while a return
to original times lowers the risk by 21%.
• Researchers said that it disrupted sleep patterns might affect memory, learning, social interactions & overall
cognitive performance.
• One hour of lost sleep in the US, one study calculated, increases the fatal crash rate by 5.4% to 7.6% for six
days following the transition.
• Other studies found a higher rate of workplace injuries after the switch, leading to lost days of work; a slight
drop in stock market performance; health problems as a result of disruption of the circadian rhythm (body
clock) — & even longer sentences ordered by judges deprived of sleep.

{Geo – Indian Geography – 2020/10/28} New Tectonically Zone of Himalayas

PIB | GS1 >Important Geophysical Phenomena such as Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Tsunami etc.

8
• Context: Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), have that the suture zone of
Himalaya that was conventionally thought to be locked is tectonically active.

Findings

• The Indus Suture Zone (ISZ) in the Ladakh region where Indian & Asian Plates are joined has been
found to be tectonically active, as against current understanding that it is a locked zone.
• This could have major implications in terms of earthquake study, prediction, understanding the seismic struc-
ture of the mountain chains well as its evolution.
• The geologists observed that sedimentary beds are tilted & thrust broken, the rivers are associated with
uplifted terraces, & the bedrock shows brittle deformation that occurred at much shallower depths.
• The new findings, which suggest a more remote fault at the suture zone being neo-tectonically active, could
call for a serious relook into the existing evolutionary models using new techniques.

Suture Zone

• The subduction of the continental crust is not possible beyond 40 km because of the normal buoyancy of the
continental crust.
• Thus, the fragments of oceanic crust are plastered against the plates causing welding of two plates known
as suture zone.
• A suture zone is a linear belt of intense deformation, where distinct terranes, or tectonic units with
different plate tectonic histories join together.
• The suture zones also provide the only record of deep oceanic crust & of ancient sea floor processes for
roughly the first 90% of Earth’s history.
• The study of suture zones provides a means to understand the end-product of plate tectonic processes in
time & space.
• Example: The Indus-Tsangpo suture zone.

9
 Source & Credits

{Geo – Infra – 2020/10/07} Kozhikode-Wayanad Tunnel Road

IE | GS3 > Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

• Context: Kerala Chief Minister launched a tunnel road project that would connect Kozhikode with Wayanad
recently.
• The 7-km tunnel, being described as the third-longest in the country, is part of an 8-km road cutting
through sensitive forests & hills of the Western Ghats.

10
• The tunnel road is an outcome of a decades-long campaign for an alternative road as the Thamarassery Ghat
Road is congested & gets blocked by landslides during heavy monsoon.
• A proposal for widening the road has been pending clearance from the MoEFCC.

How will the road impact the Ecology?

• The Forest Department has identified the proposed route as a highly sensitive patch comprising evergreen
& semi-evergreen forests, marsh lands & shola tracts.
• This region is part of an elephant corridor spread between Wayanad & Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu.
• Two major rivers, Chaliyar & Kabani that flows to Karnataka, originate from these hills in Wayanad.

{Geo – Infra – 2020/10/21} India's First Multi-Modal Logistics Park in Assam

Livemint | GS3 > Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

• Context: Union Minister to lay the foundation stone for India's first multi-modal logistics park in Assam.
• The park will provide direct connectivity to air, road, rail & waterways to the people.
• It will be developed under the ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojana of the Government of India.
• To be Developed by- Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH).
• Objective: To improve the country's logistics sector by lowering overall freight costs, reducing vehicular
pollution & congestion, & cutting warehousing costs.
• Ministry envisages developing 35 Multi-modal Logistics Parks (MMLPs) in the country, of which work on
preparing DPR & feasibility report is underway.

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Bharatmala Pariyojana

• Bharatmala Pariyojana is a new umbrella program for the highways sector.

• It focuses on optimizing efficiency of freight & passenger movement across the country.
• It will bridge critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions like development of Economic
Corridors, Inter Corridors & Feeder Routes, Border & International connectivity roads, Coastal & Port con-
nectivity roads & Green-field expressways.
• The implementation of a pan-nation scheme to improve the road network.
• All key aspects of the scheme will be managed by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH).

Highlights of Bharatmala Pariyojana

• Improvement in efficiency of existing corridors through development of Multimodal Logistics Parks &
elimination of choke point.
• Enhance focus on improving connectivity in North East & leveraging synergies with Inland Waterways.
• Emphasis on use of technology & scientific planning for Project Preparation & Asset Monitoring
• Delegation of powers to expedite project delivery - Phase I to complete by 2022.
• Improving connectivity in the North East.

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Bharatmala project Category

• Economic Corridor
• Feeder Route or Inter Corridor
• National Corridor Efficiency Improvement
• Border Road & International Connectivity
• Port Connectivity & Coastal Road
• Green Field Expressway
• Balance NHDP Works

Source & Credits

{Geo – Infra – 2020/10/21} Kaleshwaram Project

IE | GS3 > Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.

• Context: NGT wants a relook at the Kaleshwaram project.

Lift Irrigation

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• Lift irrigation is a method of irrigation in which water is not transported by natural flow, (as in gravity-fed
canal) but is lifted with pumps or surge pools, etc.
• Lift irrigation must carry water using pumps from the water source to the main delivery chamber & distribute
this water to the field of the beneficiary farmers by means of a suitable & proper distribution system.
• The source is mainly groundwater, river streams, contour canals, ponds, & lakes.

What is the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project?

• The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation System is considered to be one of the world’s largest multi-purpose project
on river Godavari.
• It is designed to provide water for irrigation & drinking purposes to about 45 lakh acres in 20 of the 31
districts in Telangana, apart from Hyderabad & Secunderabad.
• Originally called Pranahita-Chevella project in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.
• The project starts at the confluence point of Pranahita River & Godavari River.
• The cost of the project is Rs 80,000 crore but is expected to rise to Rs 1 lakh crore by the time it is completely
constructed by the end of 2020.
• The total length of the entire Kaleshwaram project is approximately 1,832 km of which 1,531 km is gravity
canals & 203 km comprise water tunnels.
• This project is unique because Telangana will harness water at the confluence of two rivers by constructing
a barrage & reverse pump the water into the main Godavari River & divert it through lifts & pumps into a
huge & complex system of reservoirs, water tunnels, pipelines, & canals.
• By the time the water reaches Kondapochamma Sagar, the last reservoir in the system, the Godavari water
would have been lifted to a height of 618 metres from its source at Medigadda
• The massive project is divided into seven links & 28 packages & involved digging of 20 reservoirs in 13
districts with a total capacity to store 145 TMC.

14
Significance

• It will help in rejuvenating thousands of tanks, providing water for industries, & supplying drinking water to
Hyderabad & Secunderabad by creating a series of storage tanks & a network of pipelines.
• The project will also support Mission Kakatiya & Mission Bhagiratha schemes designed to provide drinking
water to many villages & improve the capacities of tanks.
• It will serve as the lifeline of Hyderabad as it gives assured water supply even if the city expands up to the pro-
posed regional ring road (RRR).

Issues

• There is speculation over the amount of river flow as some believe that the flow is not enough to cater to
the objectives of the project.
• National Green Tribunal has directed the Telangana government to stop all work, except the drinking water
component of the project, until further orders.
• NGT declared the environmental clearance (EC) granted to the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation system in Tel-
angana as ex post facto (retroactive, after it is done) & illegal,
• Tribunal’s principal bench in New Delhi also directed the state government to obtain forest clearance before
moving ahead with the project.

Other Projects in Godavari river

• Important projects completed during the plan period are Srirama Sagar, Godavari barrage, Upper
Penganga, Jaikwadi, Upper Wainganga, Upper Indravati, Upper Wardha.
• Among the on-going projects, the prominent ones are Prnahita-Chevala & Polavaram.

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Godavari River

• The Godavari is the largest river system of the Peninsular India & is revered as Dakshina Ganga.
• The Godavari basin extends over states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh & Odisha in ad-
dition to smaller parts in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka & Union territory of Puducherry (Yanam) having a total
area of ~ 3 lakh Sq.km.
• The basin is bounded by Satmala hills, the Ajanta range & the Mahadeo hills on the north, by the Eastern
Ghats on the south & the east & by the Western Ghats on the west.
• The Godavari River rises from Trimbakeshwar in the Nashik district of Maharashtra about 80 km from the
Arabian Sea at an elevation of 1,067 m.
• The total length of Godavari from its origin to outfall into the Bay of Bengal is 1,465 km.

Tributaries of Godavari River

• The left bank tributaries are more in number & larger in size than the right bank tributaries.

16
• The Manjra (724 km) is the only important right bank tributary. It joins the Godavari after passing through
the Nizam Sagar.
• Left Bank Tributaries: Dharna, Penganga, Wainganga, Wardha, Pranahita [conveying the combined wa-
ters of Penganga, the Wardha & Wainganga], Pench, Kanhan, Sabari, Indravati etc.
• Right Bank Tributaries: Pravara, Mula, Manjra, Peddavagu, Maner etc.
• Below Rajahmundry, the river divides itself into two main streams, the Gautami Godavari on the east &
the Vashishta Godavari on the west & forms a large delta before it pours into the Bay of Bengal.
• The delta of the Godavari is of lobate type with a round bulge & many distributaries.

{Geo – Infra – 2020/10/22} 1st Seaplane Project

IE | GS3 > Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

• Context: The first of the five seaplane services in Gujarat, connecting Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to
the Statue of Unity in Kevadia in Narmada district, to be inaugurated on the birth anniversary of Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel.
• The first seaplane project of the country is part of a directive of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.

What impact will it have on the Environment?

• The water aerodrome is not a listed project/activity in the Schedule to the Environmental Impact As-
sessment Notification, 2006 & its amendments.
• During seaplane operations, there will be turbulence created in the water while take-off & landing of sea-
planes.
• This will lead to more operation process i.e. mixing of oxygen in the water.
• This will have a positive impact on the aquatic ecosystem near seaplane operations increasing oxygen con-
tent & decreasing carbon content in this system.

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{Geo – Oceanography – 2020/10/30} Corals Translocation

IE | GS3 > Environmental Pollution & Degradation | Basics- Coral Reefs

• Context: Coral along Mumbai’s coastline will be translocated soon to make way for the Coastal Road project.

Corals

• Corals exhibit characteristics of plants but are marine animals that are related to jellyfish & anemones.
• Coral polyps are tiny, soft-bodied organisms.
• At their base is a hard, protective limestone skeleton called a calicle, which forms the structure of coral reefs.
• As colonies grow over hundreds & thousands of years, they join with other colonies, & become reefs.
• There are soft corals as well, which are non-reef-building, & resemble bushes, grasses, trees.

Where are these corals in Mumbai?

• The Mumbai coast hosts a tiny population of corals.

• The corals found across rocky patches along the Mumbai coastline are mostly fast-growing & non-reef
building corals.
• Small coral colonies have been documented off Marine Drive, Geeta Nagar in Colaba, Haji Ali, & Worli.

How are corals translocated?

• The colonies at Haji Ali will be translocated to Marine Lines, & those at Worli to some distance away from
the construction site.
• The translocation of corals is at a nascent stage along the Indian coastline.
• Pilot projects at the Lakshadweep islands, & off the coast of Kutch & Tamil Nadu have been undertaken
to study the survival rate, method & site of translocation, & creation of heat-resistant coral colonies, etc.
• In a project at the Andaman Islands, Reef Watch Marine Conservation has transplanted coral fragments on
to nine artificial structures, totalling a 20-square-metre area.
• The project has been on since 2017.

How fast do corals grow?

• According to the American Scientific agency, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
the rate at which corals grow depends on the species.
• Some of the branching species can increase in height or length by as much as 10 cm a year (about the same
rate at which human hair grows).

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• Other corals, like the dome & plate species, are bulkier, & may only grow only 0.3 cm to 2 cm per year.
• A soft coral colony has the potential to grow at the rate of 2 cm to 4 cm per year.

What is the survival rate of translocated corals?

• Some experts are of the view that for a high survival rate, it is important to translocate corals in a place with
similar environmental characteristics such as depth, current flow, amount of light, & pressure.

Why are coral reefs important?

• Coral reefs are like underwater cities that support marine life.
• According to the UN Environment programme, they provide at least half a billion people around the world
with food security & livelihoods.
• Coral reefs also act as ‘wave breaks’ between the sea & the coastline & minimise the impact of sea
erosion.
• In India, they are protected in the same way as the tiger or elephant, under Schedule I of the Wildlife
Protection Act (WPA), 1972.

Threat to coral reefs

• Climate change remains one of the biggest threats to corals.

• Around the world, this threat has been visible in the “bleaching” of corals — is a process during which corals,
under stress from warm weather, expel the algae that give corals their brilliant colours & live in their tissues
& produce their food.
• The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, a UNESCO World Heritage site & home to one of the largest
collections of coral reefs on the planet, has suffered six mass bleaching events due to warmer than normal
ocean temperatures: in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2016, 2017, & now 2020.
• Experts have documented bleaching of the corals along Mumbai’s coastline as well.

{Geo LBT – India – 2020/10/03} Atal Tunnel

IE | GS3 > Infrastructure

• Context: PM Modi inaugurated the Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh’s Rohtang.

• The decision to construct a tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• Rohtang Tunnel, later renamed as Atal Tunnel, connects Manali to Lahaul & Spiti district.
• Manali (HP)-Leh (Ladakh) Highway, a part of NH 21, transverses Rohtang Pass.

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• Cutting through the Pir Panjal range, the tunnel will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km.
• Atal tunnel will give new strength to India’s border infrastructure.
• It will also provide all-weather connectivity to remote border areas of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh
• Once the tunnel is operational, the forces will have access beyond the Rohtang Pass even in peak winter.
• More tunnels will have to be built to tackle the high passes which fall beyond Rohtang.
• While Rohtang Pass is at a height of 13,050 feet, the pass on the road to Leh is Baralacha La at 16,040 feet.
• A 13.2-km long tunnel would be required to bypass this pass.
• Further down the highway comes Lachung La Pass, that will require a 14.78 km-long tunnel.
• Thereafter falls the Tanglang La pass at 17,480 feet, which will need a 7.32 km-long tunnel.
• An alternative road link to Ladakh has also been developed by BRO on the Darcha-Padam-Nimu axis, but
here again, a 4.15 km-long tunnel at Sinka La Pass (16,703 feet) would be required for all-weather access.

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• Titbit: River Ravi rises west of the Rohtang pass in the Kullu Hills.

Similar Topic: Z-Morh Tunnel & Zoji-la Tunnel

• An agreement was signed for completing the 6.5 km long 2-lane bi-directional Z-Morh tunnel in J&K.
• The project includes construction of the tunnel along the Srinagar-Sonmarg-Gumri Road.
• Along with Zoji-la tunnel (22 km from Z-Morh tunnel), the Z-Morh tunnel will ensure year-long road con-
nectivity between Srinagar and Kargil which currently remains closed for about seven months due to snow.
• Zoji La Tunnel is a 14.2 km long road tunnel under Zoji La pass (altitude of 3,528 m) on the Himalayas between
Sonmarg and Drass town of Kargil district, currently under construction.
• It takes more than 3 hours to cross the pass, but the tunnel will reduce the time to only 15 minutes.
• Once all tunnels are in place, the time to drive from Srinagar to Leh will be reduced.

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{Geo LBT – India – 2020/10/11} Khardungla Pass

ET | GS1 > Mapping | In News for Prelims

• Context: Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) celebrated its 88th Anniversary & to commemorate this event,
the IAF achieved a new record of the highest Skydive Landing at Khardungla Pass.

About Khardungla Pass

• It is known as the gateway to the Nubra & Shyok Valleys in the union territory of Ladakh.
• It is the highest motorable pass in the world.
• Khardung La Pass is positioned on the Ladakh range, which is 40 km from Leh, at an altitude of 5602 m.
• The tourists are required to carry the Inner Line Permit (ILP) to pass through Khardung La.
• The roads at Khardungla Pass are maintained by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
• It is historically important as it lies on the major caravan route from Leh to Kashgar in Central Asia.
• It is located on western side of the Aksai Chin.

{Geo LBT – India – 2020/10/13} Chushul

GS1 > Mapping | In News for Mapping

About Chushul

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• Chushul is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh.
• Located in Durbuk tehsil, in the area known as “Chushul valley”.
• It is close to Rezang La & Pangong Lake at a height of 4,360 metres.

Source & Credits

• Chushul is one of the five officially agreed points between the Indian Army & the People’s Liberation
Army of China for regular consultations & interactions between the two armies to improve relations.
• This place is famous for the Indian Army who fought to the ‘last man, last round’ at Rezang La (Chushul) on
November 18, 1962.

What is the Chushul sub-sector?

• The Chushul sub-sector lies south of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh.

• It comprises high, broken mountains & heights & the Chushul valley.

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• Situated at a height of over 13,000 feet close to the LAC, the Chushul Valley has a vital airstrip that played
an important role even during the 1962 War with China.
• Chushul is one among the five Border Personnel Meeting points between the Indian Army & the Peo-
ple’s Liberation Army of China.
• It is here that representatives of the two armies meet for regular interactions.
• The recent brigade-level meetings between the two sides were also held here.

How is Chushul important to China?

• Simply put, Chushul is the gateway to Leh.

• If China enters Chushul, it can launch its operations for Leh.

{Geo LBT – India – 2020/10/21} Demchok Sector

TH | In News for Prelims | Basics- Indus River

• Context: Chinese soldier who strayed across LAC in Ladakh’s Demchok sector released recently.

About Demchok Sector

• Demchok sector is a disputed region centered on the villages of Demchok, Ladakh & Dêmqog, Ngari Pre-
fecture, situated near the confluence of the Charding Nullah & Indus River.

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 • It is part of the greater Sino-Indian border dispute between China & India.
• Both India & China claim the disputed region, with a Line of Actual Control between the two nations
situated along the Charding Nullah.

{Geo LBT – India – 2020/10/28} Feni Bridge

NewsOnAir | GS3 > Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

• Context: Feni bridge connecting India & Bangladesh to be completed by this year.
• Feni Bridge is known as Maitree Setu in Chattogram.
• The 1.8-kilometre-long Feni bridge will connect Sabrum in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh.

Feni River

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• It originates in the South Tripura district, passes through Sabroom town on the Indian side, & meets the
Bay of Bengal after it flows into Bangladesh.
• It forms part of the India-Bangladesh border.

{Geo LBT – World – 2020/10/05} Mecca

TH | GS1 > Mapping | Places in News

• Context: Mecca reopens for pilgrimage.

• Mecca is the holiest city in Islam & the capital of the Makkah Province of Saudi Arabia.
• Makkah is the birthplace of Muhammad.
• The Great Mosque of Makkah, known as the Masjid al-Haram, is one of Islam’s holiest sites & the direction
of prayer for all Muslims (qibla), cementing Makkah’s significance in Islam.
• Makkah is located in the Hejaz region, a 200 km wide strip of mountains separating the Nafud desert from
the Red Sea (locate the desert in the World Map. Link).

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Source & Credits

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{Geo LBT – World – 2020/10/05} New Caledonia

ET | GS1 > Mapping | Places in News

• Context: New Caledonia rejects independence from France.

New Caledonia

• It is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, to the south of Vanuatu, about
1,210 km east of Australia.
• The archipelago is a part of the Melanesia subregion.

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• New Caledonia is part of Zealandia, a fragment of the ancient Gondwana super-continent.

{Geo LBT – World – 2020/10/07} Protests Erupted in Kyrgyzstan

GS1 > Mapping | In News for Mapping

• Context: Recently Street protests erupted in Kyrgyzstan following recent parliamentary election.
• The opposition has alleged that the vote was rigged.

About Kyrgyzstan

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• It is a landlocked Central Asian country.
• It is ‘Central Asia’s only democracy.
• Capital- Bishkek.
• It Shares a long border with China.
• China has built road & rail networks with Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan.
• It is a member of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation & hosts a Russian air base.

{Geo LBT – World – 2020/10/26} Yellow Dust

IE | Important Fact for Prelims

• Context: North Korean authorities have urged citizens to remain indoors to avoid contact with a mysterious
cloud of ‘yellow dust’ blowing in from China.

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• Yellow dust is actually sand from deserts in China & Mongolia that high speed surface winds carry into
both North & South Korea during specific periods every year.
• The sand particles tend to mix with other toxic substances such as industrial pollutants, as a result of which
the ‘yellow dust’ is known to cause a number of respiratory ailments.

{Geo LBT – World – 2020/10/29} Protest in Chile

IE | GS1 > Mapping | In News for Prelims

• Context: Recently, after a wave of sustained protests, the people of Chile have voted overwhelmingly in
favour of rewriting the South American country’s nearly four-decade-old constitution.

About Chile

• It occupies a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east & the Pacific Ocean to the west.
• The capital & largest city is Santiago & the national language is Spanish.
• Chile borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, & the Drake Pas-
sage in the far south.
• It is situated within the Pacific Ring of Fire.
• Chile is among the longest north–south countries in the world.
• The northern Atacama Desert contains great mineral wealth, primarily copper & nitrates.
• Chuquicamata is the World’s largest copper town of Chile.

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• Climate- The diverse climate of Chile ranges from the world's driest desert in the north—the Atacama
Desert—through a Mediterranean climate in the center, humid subtropical in Easter Island, to an oceanic
climate, including alpine tundra & glaciers in the east & south
• Topography- Chile is located along a highly seismic & volcanic zone, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, due
to the subduction of the Nazca & Antarctic plates in the South American plate.

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