State PCS

• 31 May 2024

Eurasian Whimbrel

Why in News?

Recently, a long-distance migratory bird, the Eurasian or common whimbrel, tagged with a Global Positioning System (GPS) transmitter was captured on camera in the state of Chhattisgarh.

Key Points

• According to the Ornithologists and state forest officials, the migratory bird was flying mammoth distances and stopped over in Chhattisgarh, owing to the presence of wetlands in the Berla area of Bemetara district, about 70 km from Raipur.
• It is the first time in India such a GPS-tagged bird is being spotted and photographed.
• There is a greater need to restore such aquatic biodiversity habitat and wetlands facing loss of vegetation and encroachment.

Eurasian Whimbrel

• It is a wading bird in the large family Scolopacidae.
• Scientific Name: Numenius phaeopus
• Distribution:
  • They have an extensive range that spans across five continents: North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
  • They breed in the subarctic regions of Siberia and Alaska during the summer months before migrating south to wintering grounds in southern USA, Central America, South America, Africa, and South Asia, including Nepal.
• Habitat: Winters mainly along the coastline, coastal wetlands, mangroves, marshes, and larger rivers.
• Features:
  • A fairly large greyish-brown bird with a long, decurved bill with a kink.
  • It has a distinct head pattern with dark eye-stripes and crown-sides.
  • It is mottled dark brown above, pale below, with much brown streaking on the throat and breast.
  • Whimbrels are known for their high-pitched call consisting of a repetitive series of seven notes.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Red Alert in Parts of Madhya Pradesh

Why in News?

The Indian Meteorological Department issued a red alert for severe heatwave conditions prevailing over some parts of Madhya Pradesh.

Key Points

• The meteorologist at IMD Bhopal has warned for a severe heatwave in Gwalior, Bhind, Datia, Morena, and Niwari districts.
• A red alert has been issued in these areas and the temperature will be around 46-47°C.
  • Similarly, heatwave will prevail in Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, Rajgarh, Bhopal, Khandwa, Khargone, Shajapur, Agar Malwa, Guna, Ashoknagar, Shivpuri, Sheopur, Singrauli, Sidhi, Rewa, Mauganj, Satna, Maihar, Anuppur, Shahdol, Umaria, Katni, Panna, Damoh, Sagar, Chhatarpur and Tikamgarh.

Heat Waves

• About:
  • Heatwaves are prolonged periods of excessively hot weather that can cause adverse impacts on human health, the environment, and the economy.
    • India, being a tropical country, is particularly vulnerable to heatwaves, which have become more frequent and intense in recent years.
• Criteria for Declaring Heat Wave in India:
  • Plains and Hilly Regions:
    • Heat wave is considered if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C or more for Plains and at least 30°C or more for Hilly regions.
    • Normal Heat Wave: Departure from normal is 4.50°C to 6.40°C.
    • Severe Heat Wave: Departure from normal is >6.40°C.
  • Based on Actual Maximum Temperature Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥45°C.
    • Severe Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥47°C.
  • If the above criteria are met in at least 2 stations in a Meteorological subdivision for at least two consecutive days, it is declared so on the second day.
  • Coastal Areas:
    • When the maximum temperature departure is 4.50°C or more from normal, a heat wave may be described provided the actual maximum temperature is 37°C or more.

Uttarakhand’s Valley of Flowers

Why in News?

The Valley of Flowers trek in Uttarakhand will open on 1st June 2024. It is located within Uttarakhand's Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site since 2005.

Key Points

• The Valley of Flowers National Park awaits trekkers with over 300 flower species indigenous to the Himalayas, accessible during the monsoon season from June to November.
  • The early signs of spring with blooming potentilla, wild rose, and primrose mark the beginning of the season as the snow starts to melt.
• It includes a wide variety of floral species, surpassing 300 types, like anemones, geraniums, blue poppies, and bluebells.
• It is home to rare animal species such as the grey langur, flying squirrel, Himalayan weasel, black bear, red fox, lime butterfly, snow leopard, and Himalayan monal.

Biosphere Reserve

• Biosphere Reserve (BR) is an international designation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over large areas of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination of both.
• Biosphere Reserves tries to balance economic and social development and maintenance of associated cultural values along with the preservation of nature.
• Biosphere Reserves are thus special environments for both people and nature and are living examples of how human beings and nature can co-exist while respecting each other’s needs.

Horticulture Yield Declining in Uttarakhand

Why in News?

In 2023, extreme weather events in Uttarakhand resulted in the loss of 44,882 hectares of farmlands. As agricultural opportunities diminish, many people are migrating from the hills to the plains, potentially causing a decrease in the area dedicated to horticultural production.

Key Points

• The variations in the area of fruit production in Uttarakhand between 2016-17 and 2022-23 reveal striking shifts in cultivation patterns across different fruit types.
  • The increase in guava and gooseberry cultivation indicates a shift in focus towards fruit types better attuned to market demand or local conditions.
  • The yields of pear, peach, apricot, plum, walnut and apple have markedly decreased in the last seven years due to the significant impact of global warming on Uttarakhand's horticulture.
• Uttarakhand has experienced frequent disasters such as heavy rainfall, floods, hailstorms, and landslides, leading to substantial destruction of agricultural lands and crops.
  • The increasing temperatures are adversely affecting the cultivation of winter fruits, prompting farmers to switch to tropical options.
• According to Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), the short-term variability and trends in temperature are worrying and there is a need to study the long-term trends in weather variables and its relation to yield, especially, its relation with any change in crop/cropping pattern or shift in crop/cropping pattern.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

• It was established on 16 July 1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• It is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
• It is headquartered at New Delhi. With 102 ICAR institutes and 71 agricultural universities spread across the country this is one of the largest national agricultural systems in the world.
• It is the apex body for coordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country

Dual-Language Books to Students in Uttarakhand

Why in News?

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, the Uttarakhand government will provide dual-language science books to students from the current academic session.

Key Points

• According to the state education department, the books prepared and printed in dual languages have been delivered to all the state-run schools ahead of the commencement of the academic year.
• These books are not published separately in Hindi or English languages; instead, each piece follows the same syllabus and carries lessons on adjacent pages in both languages.
  • While there will be one dual-language book of sciences for sixth to eighth standards, there will be three separate books for physics, chemistry, and biology for senior secondary classes.
• 800 select Uttarakhand government schools will soon have two smart classes each. All 1,600 smart classes will be interconnected through wires.
  • The schools will be equipped with hi-tech digital equipment, including big screens, online 3D education modules, high-fidelity internet services, and a host of other techniques and gazettes.