General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - December 2018

Dec 2018

Apr 14, 2023

Cyclone Ilsa: Powerful Storm Hits Western Australia

A powerful cyclone hit Western Australia as a category five storm, setting a wind speed record but sparing populated areas from major damage.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa struck the state close to Port Hedland, the world's largest iron ore export hub.
The cyclone is the strongest to hit the region in some 14 years.
Winds of 218km/h were recorded on Bedout Island just off the coast as the storm touched down, setting a preliminary 10-minute sustained wind record for Australia.
The previous record was 194km/h - winds that were recorded when Cyclone George slammed into the country in 2007.

Apr 13, 2023

UP's Suhelwa Sanctuary Records First Photographic Proof of Tigers

Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh is a new area where photographic evidence of tigers was captured for the first time. The sanctuary was established in 1988 and is located in Shravasti, Balrampur, and Gonda districts of Uttar Pradesh. It spans across 452 sq km and is positioned on the border of India and Nepal. It is renowned for its natural resources and named after King Soheldev, with the Shivalik ranges of the Himalayas located nearby. Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary is a significant area within the Bhabar-Tarai eco-system region, which is renowned for its diverse range of flora and fauna.

Apr 11, 2023

World's first conservation, breeding centre for Asian king vultures ready in UP's Maharajganj

Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre (JCBC) in UP's Maharajganj district, the world's first conservation and breeding centre built and designed exclusively for the conservation of Asian king vulture, is ready and may be inaugurated anytime soon by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Asian king vulture is critically endangered and protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Spread over 1.5 hectares in the Gorakhpur forest division, it is a state-of-the-art centre, worth around Rs 15 crore, with multiple aviaries (cage for birds) for vultures, like breeding and holding aviaries, nursery aviaries for juveniles, hospital and recovery aviaries for those needing medical help. A food processing centre, where food for vultures will be prepared and checked before being fed to the population and an incubation centre to rear eggs artificially to ensure 100% results are other features.

Apr 10, 2023

PM Modi releases Tiger Census figures: Number grows to 3,167 in 2022

At the event to commemorate 50 years of 'Project Tiger', PM Modi also launched the International Big Cats Alliance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday released the figures of the 5th cycle of India's Tiger Census revealing that tiger numbers have once again increased in the country and now stands at 3,167 in the wild as of 2022. The 2018 Tiger Census, released in July 2019, had established the presence of 2,967 tigers in India. The animal's population in the country has increased by 200 or 6.7 per cent in the past four years.
While the tiger numbers in the country stood at 1,411 in 2006, it increased to 1,706 in 2010 and 2,226 in the 2014 cycle of evaluations.
PM Modi released the Tiger Census while inaugurating the International Big Cat Alliance in Karnataka's Mysuru, the first of its kind in the country, organised to mark 50 years of Project Tiger. The three-day conference will focus on protection and conservation of seven major big cats of the world – tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, pumas, jaguars and cheetahs.

Periyar Tiger Reserve gets top rank in management review, none 'poor'

The Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala is the best-maintained of all tiger reserves in the country, according to the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) carried out by the Centre and released Sunday alongside the Tiger Census.
While Periyar reserve has obtained an MEE score of 94.3%, it is followed closely by the Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, Bandipur in Karnataka and Nagarhole in Karnataka.
The government has been using the MEE to assess tiger reserves across the country since its inception in 2006.
At present, the country has 998 Protected Areas – including 106 National Parks, 567 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 105 Conservation Reserves and 220 Community Reserves — covering 1,73,629 sq km or 5.28% of India's geographical area.
IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas provides a framework for assessing the management effectiveness of protected areas through six criteria, which include existing values and threats, progresses through planning and allocation of resources as a result of management actions and its impacts.
"In the 5th cycle, there are 12 Tiger Reserves that have scored 90% and above and therefore a new category of 'Excellent' has been added," the report added.
Twelve 12 tiger reserves have ranked in the "Excellent" category, followed by 20 in the 'Very Good' category, 14 in the 'Good' category and 5 in the 'Fair' category. None of the country's tiger reserves was graded as 'Poor'

Apr 08, 2023

North India Accounts for 95% of Country's Groundwater Depletion

North India accounts for 95 per cent of the country's groundwater depletion, according to a study which found that rainfall increase in the future will be insufficient to fully recover the already depleted resources.
The researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IIT-GN) also found that groundwater depletion in India will continue until excessive pumping is limited, leading to water sustainability issues in the future.
The study analysed data from the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) in-situ groundwater well levels and satellite observations to study groundwater storage variability.
The team, including Swarup Dangar, a PhD scholar in Civil Engineering at IIT Gandhinagar, then used global climate model projections having different future warming scenarios for hydrological model simulations.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

July GK, June GK, May GK, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, NATIONAL AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, PERSONS IN NEWS, DAYS AND EVENTS, AWARDS AND HONOURS, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES, GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION, ART AND CULTURE, BOOKS AND AUTHORS, TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS, ART AND CULTURE, LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Start Discussion

On any topic

Take Tests

Compiled from GK updates

Login

Sign Up

Forgot Password

Download TCY App

Unlock All Services And Enjoy The Premium Benefits

US$ 10

US$ 13

US$ 15

US$ 17

US$ 19

US$ 20

US$ 21

US$ 22

US$ 23

US$ 24

US$ 25

US$ 26