GS PAPER – III

Illegal trade of red sand boa

Why in news?

• A report by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)-India has pointed out 172 incidents of seizures of red sand boa (Eryx johnii) between the years 2016-2021.
• The report, compiled by the Counter Wildlife Trafficking unit of WCS-India, and titled ‘Illegal Trade of Red Sand Boa in India 2016-2021’collates information from media reports on the seizures.

About the Report

• The report is an attempt to bring to light the trade in red sand boas, especially online trade, and to develop a better understanding that might help prevent the illegal collection and sale of the species.
• The report points out that incidents of illegal sand boa trade were documented in 18 States and one Union Territory, covering 87 districts across India.
• The highest number was recorded in Maharashtra (59), often from urban areas such as the districts of Pune (11), Thane (nine), Raigad (seven), and Mumbai Suburban (five).
• The second highest number was recorded from Uttar Pradesh (33), often from regions in proximity to the international border with Nepal, such as the districts of Bahraich (eight) and Lakhimpur-Kheri (seven).
• The report points out that illegal trade of sand boas is likely prevalent across India, with concentrations in key areas such as Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, where traders mainly deal in live species.

About Red Sand Boa

• Red sand boa is one of the most traded reptile species. 
• The red sand boa is classified as ‘Near Threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with a ‘decreasing’ population trend in most of their habitat ranges.
• The red sand boa is now acknowledged as one of the most traded reptile species in the illegal trade market, due to its demand in the pet trade, as well as for use in black magic.

Role of social media

• The study also highlights the role of social media in the illegal trade of the species.
• “YouTube serves as a buyer-seller-interface for red sand boas in India, and sometimes acts as a gateway to facilitate trade via WhatsApp,” the report said, adding that up to 200 videos advertising sand boas for sale on YouTube were retrieved during 2021.
• The report also suggests that local and international conservation organisations should conduct formative research to better understand the situation of the illegal reptile trade and demand.

GS PAPER – I

Alladi Ramakrishnan

Why in news?

• The Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc) will pay homage to its visionary founder-director, Alladi Ramakrishnan, in his birth centenary year by hosting a conference in his honour on its campus in Taramani, Chennai. The eminent physicist was born on August 9, 1923.

About the Conference

• The Alladi Ramakrishnan Centenary Conference, to be held between December 16 and 18, will feature scientific talks by leading researchers from across the world, as well as interactions with industry leaders, institution builders, and science policy makers in the Indian context. To mark the occasion, a bust of Ramakrishnan will also be unveiled at the Institute.

About Ramakrishnan

• Inspired by the many seminars on modern physics that he had heard during his visit to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton in 1957-58 at the invitation of its director Robert Oppenheimer.
• Ramakrishnan returned to Madras and subsequently started a theoretical physics Seminar in his family home, Ekamra Nivas.
• This was regularly attended by physicists and mathematicians from across the world as well as his students.
• When the Physics Nobel Laureate Niels Bohr toured India in 1960 as the guest of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, he said that two things had impressed him the most: the massive set-up of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research directed by Homi Bhabha in Bombay, and the small band of students trained by Alladi Ramakrishnan in Madras.
• Nehru went on to meet Ramakrishnan, and with his support, the Institute of Mathematical Sciences was founded and inaugurated in 1962.
• Ramakrishnan served as its director till his retirement in 1983 at the age of 60.

GS PAPER – III

Spent Nuclear Fuel

Why in news?

• Japan has started releasing treated radioactive water from the beleaguered Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, stirring up a question that scientists and governments have been struggling to answer for decades about how to manage nuclear waste.

About Nuclear Energy

• Nuclear energy is one of many alternatives to carbon-based power on the path of climate change mitigation.
• Currently, 10% of the world’s electricity comes from nuclear energy.
• Aiming for net-zero emissions, many countries, including the U.S., India, and China, are mulling a higher contribution from nuclear as a way to transition to clean energy.

Challenges in using nuclear energy

• Using nuclear energy comes with its own challenges – one of the biggest being how the facility will store and dispose of nuclear waste in a safe, controlled manner.
• A more permanent solution is required because the waste can persist in a dangerous state for periods ranging from days to decades or more, depending on the isotope.

Current options available

• Temporary options include storing spent fuel in pools until they cool and in dry casks and burying them in near-surface disposal facilities at ground level or below.
• These facilities typically have a protective covering at least a few metres thick.
• The waste is placed in vaults and then backfilled with soil and clay.
• The volume is then covered with an impermeable material followed by topsoil.
• These facilities are usually used for low-level and intermediate-level waste – i.e. which has such levels of radioactivity, typically coming from an operating plant.

Finland’s attempt

• High-level waste has few options; the most feasible is deep geological disposal, and Finland seems to be showing the way.
• A facility in this Scandinavian country will become the first to realise this option when the Onkalo repository opens in 2025.
• The project started in 2000 and will use the Swedish KBS-3 concept, which proposes three layers of protection: waste placed in copper canisters, wrapped in bentonite clay, and buried more than 400 metres below ancient bedrock.
• The repository, built by Finnish company Posiva, will also employ measures called release barriers to keep the waste isolated from its surroundings.
• Finland’s long-term plan is to leave the waste undisturbed for 100 millennia. It will also study how the site might change and how the safety measures evolve.
• The facility has already tested the site to check if the tunnels where the waste is stored will be able to weather geological changes like an ice age or earthquakes. Posiva expects the facility will need 100-120 years to become full.
• Options include storing spent fuel in pools until they cool and in dry casks and burying them in near-surface disposal facilities at ground level or below.

GS PAPER: I

Super Blue Moon on Raksha Bandhan 2023

Why in the news?

This year’s Raksha Bandhan on August 30-31 was unusual: it was both a “blue moon” and a “super moon” and therefore a “Super Blue Moon’, a rare trifecta of astronomical events.

• Rakhi is celebrated on the Purnima (Full moon) of the month of Shravan

What is a supermoon?

• The orbit of the moon around the Earth is elliptical. It takes the moon 27.3 days to orbit the earth. The point closest to Earth in the moon’s elliptical orbit is called perigee, and the point that is farthest is called apogee. A supermoon happens when the moon is passing through or is close to its perigee, and is also a full moon,
• A full moon occurs when the moon is directly opposite the sun (as seen from Earth) and therefore has its entire dayside lit up.

What is a blue moon?

• A blue moon occurs when a full moon is seen twice in a single month. Because the new moon-to-new moon cycle lasts 29.5 days, a time comes when the full moon occurs at the beginning of a month, and there are still days left for another full cycle to be completed.

Do You Know?

• According to NASA, a full moon at perigee (super moon) is about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a full moon at apogee (called a “micro moon”).

GS PAPER – II

Indus Waters Treaty Dispute: Challenges and Solutions

Why in news?

Recently, the dispute between India and Pakistan over the IWT has focused on the construction of hydroelectric power plants on the Kishanganga and Ratle rivers, which are both tributaries of the Jhelum River.

• Pakistan has objected to these projects, saying that they violate the IWT and could reduce the amount of water available to Pakistan.

What is the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)?

The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is a water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan that was signed in 1960. The treaty gives India control over the three eastern rivers of the Indus River system (Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej), while Pakistan controls the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab).

Challenges

• The lack of trust between India and Pakistan
• The complex legal and technical issues involved
• The changing climate is making water resources more scarce.

Solutions

• Involving local stakeholders in the negotiation process
• Setting up a joint group of experts to review the dispute.
• Amending the IWT to reflect the changing situation.
• Building trust between India and Pakistan

Conclusion

The Indus Waters Treaty dispute is a complex and challenging issue. However, it is important for India and Pakistan to find a way to resolve the dispute peacefully. The two countries share a common river system, and they need to work together to manage its resources for the benefit of both countries.

GS PAPER – II

What is Self Respect Marriage or Suyarmariyathai?

Why in news?

In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court of India upheld the validity of self-respect marriages.

• The court ruled that there is no blanket ban on advocates solemnising self-respect marriages and that they can be conducted in secrecy if the couple so chooses.

What is Self Respect Marriage?

• Self-respect marriages or Suyarmariyathai are a type of marriage that is legal in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
• They were introduced in 1967 by the Hindu Marriage (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, which was passed by the government of C. N. Annadurai, a follower of the social reformer Periyar E. V. Ramasamy.
• No Requirement of Priest or Rituals: Self-respectful marriages are designed to be simple and egalitarian, and they do not require the presence of a priest or the performance of any religious rituals.
• Instead, the marriage is solemnized by the couple themselves, in the presence of two witnesses.
• The couple simply declares their intent to marry each other in front of an advocate, and they exchange garlands or rings.

Analysis:

• The Self-respect marriages were created in response to the traditional Hindu marriage ceremony, which is often seen as being patriarchal and discriminatory.
• The ruling is a victory for the advocates of self-respect marriages, and it is likely to lead to an increase in the number of these marriages being solemnized in India.

GS PAPER – I

Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)

Why in news?

According to recent research, there is a possibility of an increase in tropical cyclones that originate near the Equator in the coming years due to a combination of global warming, El Nino and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO).

What is the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)?

• It is characterized by a change in the temperature of the Pacific Ocean. The PDO is a cyclical event that repeats every 20 to 30 years.
• When the PDO is in a positive phase, the western Pacific Ocean is warmer than the eastern Pacific Ocean. This can lead to an increase in tropical cyclone activity in the western Pacific.
• The PDO entered a negative phase in 2019. If this negative phase continues, it could mean more tropical cyclones in the post-monsoon months that originate near the equator.

El Nino and Global warming are also other factors that can contribute to an increase in tropical cyclone activity in the equator.