CHEETAH REINTRODUCTION PROJECT CONTEXT : The Madhya Pradesh forest department has written to the National Tiger Conservation Authority to revive the plan to reintroduce cheetahs in the State s Nauradehi sanctuary. WHAT S THE STATUS OF CHEETAH IN INDIA : The country s last spotted feline died in Chhattisgarh in 1947. Later, the cheetah which is the fastest land animal was declared extinct in India in 1952. BACKGROUND : 2009 - Around 20 cheetahs were to be translocated to Nauradehi (Madhya Pradesh) from Namibia in Africa. However, the State was not ready to finance the plan contending that it was the Centre s project. 2011/12 - NTCA committed 50 crore to the State. The Wildlife Institute of India at Dehradun had prepared a 260-crore cheetah re-introduction project six years ago. WHY NAURADEHI SANCTUARY FOR REINTRODUCTION : There are several reasons behind that : 1. Nauradehi was found to be the most suitable area for the cheetahs as its forests are not very dense to restrict the fast movement of the spotted cat. 2. The prey base for cheetahs is also in abundance at the sanctuary. ABOUT NAURADEHI SANCTUARY : 1. It is the largest wildlife sanctuary of MP. 2. It was made sanctuary in 1975. 3. It is located south to the Vindhya Range hills in which Panna and Bandhavgarh National Parks are situated. ABOUT NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) : The National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment. It was constituted under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Its objectives are : 1. Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal. 2. Fostering accountability of Center-State in management of Tiger Reserves, by providing a basis for MoU with States within our federal structure.
3. Providing for an oversight by Parliament. 4. Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves. ABOUT CHEETAH : 1. Historically cheetahs were found throughout Africa and Asia from South Africa to India. In 1900, there were over 100,000 cheetahs, today, an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 cheetahs remain in the wild in Africa. In Iran, there are around 200 cheetahs living in small isolated population. 2. The cheetah has been classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. 3. The cheetah is threatened by habitat loss through agricultural and industrial expansion. CORBETT TIGER RESERVE CONTEXT : Pointing to an alarming trend of tiger deaths, the Uttarakhand High Court asked if the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) could take over the management of the Corbett Tiger Reserve as an interim measure. WHY THE COURT WANTS TO TRANSFER THE MANAGEMENT : 1. government s inaction in dealing with tiger poaching incidents. 2. government had failed to constitute a Special Tiger Protection Force despite the court s order. ABOUT CORBETT TIGER RESERVE : 1. In 1936 Corbett attained the distinction of becoming the first National Park to be established in mainland Asia. 2. The area came under 'Project Tiger' in 1971 when Gov. of India launched this ambitious conservation project. 3. Geographically it is located between the Shiwalik Himalayas and the terai. 4. The most famous of Corbett's wild residents are the Royal Bengal Tiger and the Asiatic Elephant. In addition to that with over 550 species of avifauna Corbett is one of the richest bird regions of the Country and has been declared as an 'Important Bird Area' (IBA) by Birdlife International.
ABOUT TIGERS : 70% of the tigers of the world are found in India. India is the home to more than 2200 tigers. India has 50 tiger reserves and Karnataka has the highest number of tigers. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is threatened by poaching, loss and fragmentation of habitat. ABOUT PROJECT TIGER : The Government of India has taken a pioneering initiative for conserving its national animal, the tiger, by launching the Project Tiger in 1973. 1. From 9 tiger reserves since its formative years, the Project Tiger coverage has increased to 50 at present, spread out in 18 of our tiger range states. The core areas have the legal status of a national park or a sanctuary, whereas the buffer or peripheral areas are a mix of forest and non-forest land, managed as a multiple use area. 2. The Project Tiger aims to foster an exclusive tiger agenda in the core areas of tiger reserves, with an inclusive people oriented agenda in the buffer. 3. Project Tiger is an ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment providing central assistance to the tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves. 4. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body of the Ministry, with an overarching supervisory / coordination role, performing functions as provided in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. 5. Tiger protection & anti poaching operations : The illegal demand for body parts and derivatives of tiger outside the country continues to be a serious threat to wild tigers. The States are engaged in an ongoing manner through the NTCA Headquarters as well as its Regional Offices, while issuing alerts, besides closely working with the CBI, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and the Police Departments. The important thrust areas for the Plan period are: a. Stepped up protection/networking/surveillance b. Voluntary relocation of people from core/critical tiger habitat to provide inviolate space for tiger c. Strengthening of protection infrastructure and habitat management as per Tiger Conservation Plans of tiger reserves d. Use of information technology in wildlife crime prevention e. Addressing human-wildlife conflicts f. Addressing the issue of resource dependency of local people through sustainable livelihood options g. Capacity building of frontline personnel Due to concerted efforts under Project Tiger, at present India has the distinction of having the maximum number of tigers in the world (2226) as per 2014 assessment, when compared to other tiger range countries. NILGIRI TAHR CONTEXT : a recent census has revealed that the population of the Nilgiri tahr (an endangered mountain goat) at the Mukurthi National Park has grown by an impressive 18% in the last two years, from 480 to 568. ABOUT NILGIRI TAHR : 1. Nilgiri tahrs are stocky goats with short, coarse fur and a bristly mane. 2. The Nilgiri tahr inhabits the open montane grassland habitats at elevations from 1200 to 2600 m (generally above 2000 m) of the South Western Ghats. 3. Their range extends over 400 km from north to south, and Eravikulam National Park is home to the largest population. 4. The other significant concentration is in the Nilgiri Hills, with smaller populations in the Anamalai Hills, Periyar National Park, Palni Hills and other pockets in the Western Ghats south of Eravikulam, almost to India s southern tip. THREATS : Nilgiri tahrs exist only in small, isolated populations due to extreme habitat fragmentation and illegal hunting. They are, as a result, vulnerable to local extinction.
The species has always been under severe stress on account of the construction of numerous hydroelectric projects, timber felling and monoculture plantation of eucalyptus and wattles. All these development activities, especially the plantation activities affect the heart of the tahr habitat, which are the grasslands sholas. The continuing spread of invasive species of flora, such as wattle and pine, and exotic weeds like scotch broom (Cystisus scoparius) and gorse, eventually end up diminishing grazing land. CONSERVATION : WWF-India has conducted a comprehensive study in Tamil Nadu and Kerala to understand the present population and ecological requirements of Nilgiri tahr. It Raised awareness among locals and NGOs to initiate steps towards conservation. CHILIKA LAKE CONTEXT : After the Union Government approved a proposal of water plane project in Chilika lake, diverse views have pushed it into a state of confusion. ABOUT CHILIKA LAKE : It is Asia's largest brackish water lagoon with water spread ranging from 1165 sq km m the rainy season to 906 sq km in the dry season is nestled in the heart of the coastal Odisha (Orissa). Because of its rich bio-diversity and socio-economic importance, Chilika was designated as a Ramsar site in 1981 to afford better protection. CONTENTION : 1. The contention of the environmentalists is the harm to the biodiversities. The lake is home to hundreds of rare species of Erwadi dolphins, crabs, fish and millions of coloured birds of world. And the famous brackish water is also a shelter home to Manatees (sea cow), which is at its reaching end today due environmental degradations. 2. The contention of the fishermen is once the project comes into being, it will not only harm the aquatics, but also kill livelihoods of innumerable fishermen of Puri, Khordha and Ganjam districts.they fear artificial harbor inside the lake and operation of air services will badly impact environment and biodiversities. That will hit habitation of dolphins, birds, red crabs, fish, besides thousands of rare aquatic creatures, apprehend the fishing community. INDIA S MOST POLLUTED CITIES CONTEXT : The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) maintains a list of India s most polluted cities, which includes 102 names. Out of these, only 73 have submitted a plan of remedial action to the CPCB yet. BACKGROUND : The Centre came up with the National Clean Air Campaign earlier this year after smog levels in major Indian cities saw a high level of smog in the air. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in May said Delhi and Varanasi
featured in the 20 most polluted cities in terms of PM2.5 levels. The CPCB marked out cities which were the most polluted and asked them to implement 42 measures to mitigate air pollution. WHAT WERE THE MEASURES : Adopting measures to controlling and managing vehicular emission, re-suspension of road dust and other fugitive emissions, biomass, municipal solid waste burning and industrial pollution were the tasks the CPCB assigned the cities, to control pollution. ABOUT CPCB : The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), statutory organisation, was constituted in September, 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Further, CPCB was entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. Functions : (i) to promote cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the States by prevention, control and abatement of water pollution. (ii) to improve the quality of air and to prevent, control or abate air pollution in the country. The National Air Monitoring Programme (NAMP) has been established with objectives to determine the present air quality status and trends and to control and regulate pollution from industries and other source to meet the air quality standards. It also provides background air quality data needed for industrial siting and towns planning. Besides this, CPCB has an automatic monitoring station at ITO Intersection in New Delhi. At this station Resirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) are being monitored regularly. This information on Air Quality at ITO is updated every week. ARUNACHAL FLOODS CONTEXT : Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, two of India's Northeastern states have been put on high alert after China reported that there has been a rise in the Tsangpo river's water level due to heavy rainfall. REASONS FOR FLOODS IN ARUNACHAL/ASSAM: 1. Water level increased in Siang and then more water entered the river due to breakage of some of the landslide dams a natural damming barrier in a river that were formed last year in the Tsangpo. ( There were a series of earthquakes in November 2017 which destroyed some of these landslide dams in Tsangpo causing the water of Siang and Brahmaputra to turn brown or black in colour for a long time). 2. The three rivers in Assam the Dhansiri, Brahmaputra and Jia Bharali are flowing above the danger level. ABOUT TSANGPO/SIANG RIVER : The Tsangpo, which originates in China, is called the Siang after it enters India through Upper Siang district in the Arunachal. The Siang joins two other rivers -- the Lohit and the Dibang -- downstream to form the Brahmaputra. WHAT IS FLOOD : A flood occurs when water overflows or inundates land that's normally dry. Excessive rain, a
ruptured dam or levee, rapid ice melting in the mountains, or even an unfortunately placed beaver dam can overwhelm a river and send it spreading over the adjacent land, called a floodplain. Coastal flooding occurs when a large storm or tsunami causes the sea to surge inland. PREVENTION : A. Sea / Coastal Defence Walls - Sea walls and tide gates have been built in some places to prevent tidal waves from pushing the waters up ashore. B. Retaining walls - In some places, retaining walls levees, lakes, dams, reservoirs or retention ponds have been constructed to hold extra water during times of flooding. C. Town planning - It is important that builders acquire permission before buildings are erected. This will ensure that waterways are not blocked. Also, drainage systems must be covered and kept free from objects that chock them. D. Vegetation - Trees, shrubs and grass help protect the land from erosion by moving water. Detention basin - These are small reservoirs built and connected to waterways. They provide a temporary storage for floodwaters. This means in an event of flooding, water is drained into the basin first, giving people more time to evacuate. It can also reduce the magnitude of downstream flooding. Locate the following in the Map : A. Nauradehi Sanctuary B. Mukurthi National Park C. Loktak Lake D. Shipki La E. Rudra Sagar Lake F. Anamudi Hills G. Kolleru Lake H. Rawatbhata Nuclear Power Plant I. Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary