Category Rivers

What is the role of the Ministry of Jal Shakti?

If you have been following the news, you will be aware that the Union Jal Shakti Ministry will be conducting field surveys ahead of the monsoon season as part of the ‘Catch the Rain’ programme. But do you know what the role of the Ministry of Jal Shakti is and when it was set up? Come, let’s find out.

When was it formed?

The Ministry of Jal Shakti (water power) was established in May 2019 by the Indian Government to focus on the management and development of water resources in the country. The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation were merged to form the Ministry of Jal Shakti to address water-related issues. The Ministry was formed in the face of mounting water crisis witnessed by the country over the past few decades. Its main objective is to create an integrated approach to water management and provide clean drinking water to all citizens. It also encompasses issues such as inter-State water disputes, cleaning of the Ganga and its tributaries, interlinking of rivers and assessing the impact of climate change on water resources.

Major initiatives

Some of the major initiatives of the Jal Shakti Ministry are the Jal Jeevan Mission, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Namami Gange Programme, and the National Aquifer Mapping Programme. The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched in August 2019, aims to provide adequate potable water through tap water connections to all rural households by 2024. Under implementation in partnership with the States, it focusses on promoting water conservation efficient use of water resources tensure sustainability of water supply systems, rainwater harvesting, renovation of water bodies, and use of recycled water. Through its Namami Gange Programme, the Ministry has taken steps to rejuvenate and conserve River Ganga and its tributaries. This includes setting up of sewage treatment infrastructure to reduce pollution, river front development. ban on disposal of waste, and promotion of eco-friendly methods of cremation of the dead. The National Aquifer Mapping Programme is aimed at developing plans for sustainable management of groundwater resources. The ‘Catch the Rain’ programme focusses on strengthening water sources in 150 water-stressed districts identified by the Jal Jeevan Mission. According to a statement, a central team will conduct two field visits to the identified districts before and after monsoon, first to assess the preparation for the campaign and then to assess its impact.

Besides these initiatives, the Ministry works with the States, UTS, and other stakeholders to implement water management programmes and conducts awareness campaigns to promote water conservation. All these efforts are expected to have a major impact on the country’s water governance and management in the future.

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What type of lake is Crawford Lake?

Sediment deposited at Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada, provides solid evidence that Earth entered a new human-driven geological chapter-the Anthropocene epoch- some seven decades ago, a team of scientists said recently. The members of the Anthropocene Working Group plan to submit the evidence to the international scientific body responsible for naming geological chapters in Earth’s history. The scientists conducted research at a dozen sites worldwide and cited Crawford Lake as the location that provided particularly persuasive geological markers that the Anthropocene epoch- essentially the age of humans – had arrived in the 1950s.

ANTHROPOCENE – – ETYMOLOGY

The word Anthropocene is derived from the Greek words “anthropo” for “man” and “cene” for “new”.

The idea of the Anthropocene was proposed at a science conference more than 20 years ago by the late Nobel Prize-winning chemist Paul Crutzen.

Teams of scientists have debated the issue since then and finally set up the working group to study whether it was needed and, if so, when the epoch would start and where it would be commemorated.

THE LAKE IN CANADA AND THE FINDINGS

From climate change to species loss and pollution, humans have etched their impact on Earth with such strength and permanence since the middle of the 20th century that a special team of scientists says a new geologic epoch began then. Called the Anthropocene, this epoch started sometime between 1950 and 1954, according to the scientists.

While there is evidence worldwide that captures the impact of burning fossil fuels, detonating nuclear weapons and dumping fertilizers and plastics on land and in waterways, the scientists are proposing a small but deep lake outside of Toronto, Canada – Crawford Lake to place a historic marker. “It’s quite clear that the scale of change has intensified unbelievably and that has to be human impact,” said University of Leicester geologist Colin Waters, who chaired the Anthropocene Working Group.

The  scientists aims to determine a specific start date of the Anthropocene by measuring plutonium levels at the bottom of Crawford Lake. The lake which is 79 ft deep and 258,333 sq ft in area was chosen over 11 other sites because the annual effects of human activity on the earth’s soil, atmosphere and biology are so clearly preserved in its layers of sediment. That includes everything from nuclear fallout to species-threatening pollution to steadily rising temperatures. There are distinct and multiple signals starting around 1950 in Crawford Lake – showing that “the effects of humans overwhelm the Earth system,” said Francine McCarthy, a committee member who specialises in that site as an Earth sciences professor at Brock University in Canada.

‘The remarkably preserved annual record of deposition in Crawford Lake is truly amazing,” said U.S. National Academies of Sciences President Marcia McNutt, who wasn’t part of the – committee. “If you know your Greek tragedies you know power, hubris, and tragedy go hand in hand,” said Harvard science historian Naomi Oreskes, a working group member. “If we don’t address the harmful aspects of human activities, most obviously disruptive climate change, we are headed for tragedy.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Geologists measure time in eons, eras, periods, epochs and ages.

The scientific working group is proposing that Anthropocene epoch followed the Holocene Epoch, which started about 11,700 years ago at the end of the Ice Age.

They are also proposing that it starts a new age, called Crawfordian after the lake chosen as its starting point.

* The reason geologists didn’t declare the Anthropocene the start of a bigger and more important time measurement, such as a period, is because the current Quaternary Period, which began nearly 2.6 million years ago, is based on permanent ice on Earth’s poles, which still exist. But in a few hundred years, if climate change continues and those disappear, it may be time to change that. AGENCIES

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What are the terms which start from Yellow?

Yellow journalism

Yellow journalism refers to sensational and dramatic news stories, often manufactured to attract readership. The trend was started by media barons Joseph Pulitzer (New York World) and William Randolph Hearst (New York Journal) in the 1890s. The term derives from the comic character the Yellow Kid featured in the New York World comic called Hogan’s Alley. These yellow journals had a major role to play in the Spanish-American war fuelling public passion with sensational headlines and reports.

Yellow card

In football a yellow card raised by a referee indicates that the player in question has committed a foul and is being cautioned.

Yellow flag

In motor racing, when a solid yellow flag is waved it indicates that there is danger ahead and that the vehicles may have to stop.

Yellow fever

It is a viral disease spread by certain mosquitoes. When the mosquito bites a human being the virus enters the body. It damages the liver and kidneys and many body tissues. As a result, the liver cannot function properly, urine output is reduced and yellow bile pigments collect in the skin. These pigments turn the skin yellow and hence the name yellow fever.

It was Carlos Finlay, a Cuban doctor, who discovered that a certain mosquito transmitted the disease, and Max Theiler, a South African doctor, developed a vaccine in 1937.

Yellow jersey

In a cycling race involving stages, a yellow jersey is worn each day by the rider who is ahead on time over the whole race to that point, and presented to the one with the shortest overall time at the finish of the race. The most prized jersey was first awarded in 1919. The colour yellow was chosen because the pages of the magazine. L’Auto, the sponsor, were yellow.

Yellowhammer

It is a sparrow-sized bright yellow bird that is found in Europe and Asia. It has a strong pointed beak and sings a characteristic song. It feeds on seeds and insects. It builds its nest on the ground or in a low bush. Its white or pale-lavender eggs have bold scribble-like markings on them.

Yellow poplar

Also known as the tulip tree, it grows tall-up to 32m-towering over oaks and maples. It has a long straight trunk and large flowers which resemble tulips, hence the name. It bears cone-shaped fruits which release winged seeds. It is home to squirrels and woodpeckers and provides good cover for deer, hints and small mammals.

Yellowlegs

These are large North American birds which live on wetlands- along shores and marshes. They have long yellow legs which have white and black markings. They eat insects and fish They are known for their flute-like whistle.

Yellow Sea

A part of the Pacific Ocean extending inland between the east coast of China and Korea, it gets its name from the deposits brought in by the Yellow River. Fishing and navigation are major activities on the Yellow Sea. The Yellow Sea is considered among the most degraded marine ecosystems facing severe challenges, including land reclamation, widespread pollution leading to harmful algae blooms.

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Why is the Ganga said to be the longest river in India?

As per the overall distance covered by a river within the country, the Ganga is the longest river in India. Even though Brahmaputra and Indus are longer than the Ganga in total length, distances these two major rivers of the Indian subcontinent cover within the country is shorter than that of the Ganga.

Originating from the Gangotri and Yamunotri glaciers in Uttarakhand, the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers meet at Devprayag to form the Ganga. Ganga covers the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and then enters Bangladesh. Rishikesh, Varanasi, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Haridwar, Patna, and Bhagalpur are some of the major cities along the banks of this river. Son, Yamuna, Gomti, Koshi, Ghaghara, and Gandak are some of its major tributaries. It covers 2,525 kilometres before merging with the Bay of Bengal.

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Why is the title of the longest river a matter of controversy?

There is a centuries old dispute about which river is the longest. The contestants for this title are the Amazon River and the Nile River, and they both have strong claims on their sides. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Nile is officially the longest river. Its main source is Lake Victoria in east central Africa and it flows over 6600 kilometres to merge into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile River is a source of water for the following eleven countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt.

Until 1971, the true source of the Amazon River was not discovered. In the same year, Loren McIntyre, an American photojournalist who worked extensively in South America, claimed that this river originated in the snow-covered Andes of southern Peru. This makes the Amazon River’s length 6700 kilometres when it flows into the South Atlantic Ocean through the Par estuary (which is its most distant mouth). But here again, the calculations are not that simple as the Amazon has several mouths, making it extremely difficult to ascertain the exact point where the river ends.

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Which is the longest constructed waterway?

The longest waterway that has ever been constructed is located in China, and connects Hang-zhou in Zhejiang province with Beijing. The Grand Canal, also called Jing-Hang Yunhe, is not a single waterway but a series of waterways with length of around 1776 km. Successive Chinese regimes used this waterway to transport surplus grains from the agriculturally rich Yangtze (Chang) and Huai river valleys to feed the capital cities and the large armies in northern China. This structure is now considered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The part of the canal that was originally on the Huang He (Yellow River) is the oldest part of this waterway. It was traditionally known as the Shanyang Canal but it is now called the Southern Grand Canal (Nan Yunhe) and is located between the Yangtze and the city of Huaiyin (formerly called Qingjiang) in Jiangsu province. It reaches its maximum height of 42 metres in the mountains of Shan-dong.

This system of canals has led to faster trading between different provinces and has supported China’s economy. The part of the canal in the south of the Yellow River continues to be extensively used by barges carrying bulk materials and containers.

Picture Credit : Google