Important Facts for Prelims (24th November 2018)

• 24 Nov 2018

IMD Can Forecast Rise in the Water Level

• Against the backdrop Kerala floods, a new technology has been developed by India Meteorological Department (IMD) to assess the rise in water level in rivers and reservoirs due to rain which can help State governments to minutely monitor the impact of rainfall.
• The technology called the ‘Impact Based Forecasting Approach’ which shows “pre-event scenario” can help authorities in taking proactive and real-time decisions.
• Impact-based forecasting and warning services aim to improve the synergy between stakeholders and citizens that play a role in a (e.g. flood) crisis, by bridging the gaps between the four components for an effective early warning system:
  • risk knowledge,
  • monitoring and warning service,
  • dissemination and communication and
  • response capability

India Meteorological Department (IMD)

• IMD was established in 1875.
• It is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.
• It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology.

Constitution in Braille

• The Constitution of India will be made available in Braille for the first time ahead of the Constitution Day on November 26.
• In a joint project undertaken by The Buddhist Association for the blind along with Saavi Foundation and Swagat Thorat, the Constitution will be made available in five parts in Braille for the benefit of visually challenged individuals.
• A book in Braille script cannot cross more than 150 pages due to its limitations. So the constitution will be published in five parts.
• Swagat Thorat has been running India's first Braille newspaper ‘Sparshdnyan’ since 2008.

Vaccine for Goat Plague

• Researchers from the UK and India have jointly developed a ‘smart’ vaccine which has the potential to help eradicate goat plague.
• The major contribution from British scientists was providing a template for developing the smart vaccine, which is also called DIVA vaccine.
• Goat plague, or peste des petits ruminants (PPR), is a highly contagious viral disease that afflicts goats and sheep in many parts of the country.
• The disease kills small ruminants in large numbers unless they are vaccinated. Apart from India, goat plague is prevalent in many African countries, West Asia, China and Mongolia.