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Journalism of Courage
The Indian Express’ UPSC weekly news express covers some of the important and burning topics of current affairs news from the past week to help you prepare for UPSC-CSE. Let’s not just limit ourselves to facts. Dive deep to know:
What are the pollutants in our air and how they impact health?
WHO report shows India has made improvements, but could miss its 2035 target to eliminate the TB.
What are the challenges in making India earthquake prepared?
What are the provisions that grant legislators immunity from prosecution?
And more…
— Following a few days of high levels of air pollution in Delhi, light showers of rain on Thursday night (November 9) and on Friday led to clearer skies and better air quality.
— In early November, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the region rose to as high as 471, coming under the category of ‘Severe’.
— The AQI measures the quantity of eight pollutants in the atmosphere and converts it into a number for ease of understanding.
— Rain washes away dust, but not for long.
— Some constituent pollutants measured by the AQI – such as Ozone, Sulphur dioxide and other pollutants – are not as easily washed away.
— PM 2.5 and PM 10 can, however, be washed out to a significant extent if it rains for a long period of time.
JUST FYI
— An earlier article from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) explained the process thus:
“As a raindrop falls through the atmosphere, it can attract tens to hundreds of tiny aerosol particles to its surface before hitting the ground. The process by which droplets and aerosols attract is coagulation, a natural phenomenon that can act to clear the air of pollutants like soot, sulfates, and organic particles.”
— Therefore, prolonged rain can help reduce air pollution in a limited sense, with its impact focused on particulate matter – just some of the pollutants that are part of our atmosphere.
Point to ponder: What are the pollutants in our air and how they impact health?
(Thought process:
| PM 10 and PM 2.5 | — These are extremely fine particulate matter (PM) particles, with the digits accompanying them referring to their diameter.
— So, PM 10 and PM 2.5 are smaller than 10 and 2.5 microns in their diameter, respectively. — One micron is about a thousandth of a millimetre and this tiny size has a role to play in how they impact human health. Story continues below this ad — The finer the particles are, the more difficult it gets to protect oneself from them. — Due to their size, the PM 2.5 particles can easily bypass the nose and throat and can enter the circulatory system. — The particles can also lead to chronic diseases such as asthma, heart attack, bronchitis and other respiratory problems. — Byproducts of emissions from factories, vehicular pollution, construction activities and road dust, such particles are not dispersed and stay suspended in the air that we breathe. |
| Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) | — Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gets in the air from the burning of fuel, with sources including emissions from vehicles and power plants. Story continues below this ad — Short-term exposure to high levels of NO2 can aggravate respiratory diseases like asthma, and lead to other problems such as coughing or difficulty in breathing (according to US EPA). — Long-term exposure may also contribute to the development of asthma and could increase susceptibility to respiratory infections. — As The Indian Express reported last week, exposure to NO2, even for a short duration (between zero and seven days), leads to an increase in the number of emergency room visits by 53 per cent, according to a large study by AIIMS, Delhi. |
| Ozone (O3) | — Ozone is a gas that is present in the upper layers of the atmosphere, protecting human health from the impact of the Sun’s UV rays.
— However, surface-level ozone is among the most significant air pollutants. It is formed by the reaction of atmospheric pollutants in the presence of sunlight. Story continues below this ad — According to a 2017 study published in the International Journal of Medical Public Health, “With increase in surface ozone levels, there is likelihood of an increase in risk of hospital admissions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) and the number of cardiovascular and respiratory deaths.” |
| Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) | — According to the US government’s Environment Protection Agency, the largest source of SO2 in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities.
— Additional sources are industrial processes and natural sources such as volcanoes. — As with other gases, SO2 exposure is harmful to the cardiovascular system and can lead to the development of respiratory illnesses. SO2 can also react with other compounds to form particulate matter. — “At high concentrations, gaseous SOx can harm trees and plants by damaging foliage and decreasing growth,” EPA states. |
| Ammonia (NH3) | — A 2017 NASA-funded study said that in India, “A broad increase in fertilizer use coupled with large contributions from livestock waste have resulted in the world’s highest concentrations of atmospheric ammonia.” Story continues below this ad — While gaseous ammonia is a natural part of Earth’s nitrogen cycle, excess ammonia is harmful to plants and reduces air and water quality. “In the troposphere – the lowest, most dense part of the atmosphere where all weather takes place and where people live – ammonia gas reacts with nitric and sulfuric acids to form nitrate-containing particles. Those particles contribute to aerosol pollution that is damaging to human health. Ammonia gas can also fall back to Earth and enter lakes, streams and oceans, where it contributes to harmful algal blooms and “dead zones” with dangerously low oxygen levels,” the study said. |
| Lead (Pb) | — Lead is a naturally occurring toxic metal found in the Earth’s crust. But in increased quantities, exposure to it becomes extremely dangerous to health.
— Important sources of environmental contamination come from mining, smelting, manufacturing and even recycling activities, according to the WHO. — Also, young children are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning because they absorb four to five times as much ingested lead as adults from a given source. Story continues below this ad — “Children who survive severe lead poisoning may be left with permanent intellectual disability and behavioural disorders. At lower levels of exposure that cause no obvious symptoms, lead is now known to produce a spectrum of injury across multiple body systems,” the WHO notes. |
| Carbon Monoxide (CO) | — A toxic, colourless and odourless gas, it is given off when fuel containing carbon, such as wood, coal and petrol, is burned.
— If CO levels are high enough, a person may become unconscious and die. — Long-term exposure has been linked with an increased risk of heart disease. |
Source: PM 2.5, Sulphur Dioxide, and more: What are the pollutants in our air, and how they impact health)
1. MCQ:
Which of the statements below is not true with reference to AQI?
(a) It was launched by the central government in 2014 as part of the Swachh Bharat campaign.
(b) It transforms complex air quality data of various pollutants into a single number (index value), nomenclature and colour.
(c) When AQI is in the ‘very poor’ category Stage 1 of GRAP is activated.
(d) There are six categories of AQI.
— A state of emergency has been declared in Iceland, after a swarm of 800 earthquakes rocked the island country’s southwestern Reykjanes peninsula in under 14 hours on Friday (November 10).
— Around 1,400 earthquakes were measured in the previous 24 hours, and over 24,000 have been recorded in the peninsula since late October.
— The most powerful of these quakes had a magnitude of 5.2, and hit about 40 km from Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital, on Friday.
What is happening in Iceland?
— Iceland is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, technically the longest mountain range in the world, but on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
—The ridge separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates — making it a hotbed of seismic activity.
— On average, Iceland experiences around 26000 earthquakes a year according to Perlan, a Reykjavik-based natural history museum.
— Most of them are imperceptible and unconcerning. But sometimes, a swarm of earthquakes — a sequence of mostly small earthquakes with no identifiable mainshock — is a troubling precursor to a volcanic eruption.
— According to scientists belonging to the Iceland Met Office (IMO), that is exactly what is happening now.
How can earthquake swarms be portents for volcanic activity?
— Deep under the Earth’s surface, intense heat melts rocks to form magma, a thick flowing substance lighter than solid rock. This drives it upwards and most of it gets trapped in magma chambers deep underground.
— Over time, this viscous liquid cools and solidifies once again. However, a tiny fraction erupts through vents and fissures on the surface, causing volcanic eruptions.
— Now, the movement of magma close to Earth’s surface exerts force on the surrounding rock, which often causes earthquake swarms.
— Now, the underground movement of magma does not necessarily lead to an eruption. But closer it gets to the surface, more likely an eruption is, and more frequent symptomatic earthquake swarms get.
JUST FYI
— After the ongoing spell of seismic activity began, IMO scientists on October 27 said that it was “the response of the crust to the stress changes induced by continued magmatic inflow at depth beneath the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.”
— Fagradalsfjall lies about 40 km to the southwest of Reykjavík and is the “world’s newest baby volcano.” It had been dormant for eight centuries before erupting in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Since the 2021 eruption, tourists from across the world have swarmed (sic) to Fagradalsfjall to catch a glimpse of molten lava flowing gushing onto Earth’s surface.
— Iceland is home to some of the most active volcanoes in the world, with volcanos being an integral part of the island’s landscape and culture.
— Currently, it boasts of 33 active volcanoes which have erupted over 180 times in the past 1,000 years. According to United States Geological Service, active volcanos are those which have “erupted within the Holocene (the current geologic epoch, which began at the end of the most recent ice age about 11,650 years ago),” or which have “the potential to erupt again in the future.”
— One of Iceland’s most famous volcanoes is Eyjafjallajökull. In 2010, this volcano erupted and caused a massive ash cloud to spread across Europe. The ash cloud disrupted air travel for weeks and caused billions of dollars in damage. Other famous volcanoes include Hekla, Grímsvötn, Hóluhraun, and Litli-Hrútur (part of the Fagradalsfjall system).
Point to ponder: What are the challenges in making India earthquake prepared?
(Thought process: Currently, India’s policy on earthquake preparedness operates primarily at the scale of structural details. Guided by the National Building Codes, this includes specifying dimensions of the structural members — columns, beams, etc. — and details of the reinforcements that join these elements together. While scientifically sound, this view on earthquake preparedness is myopic.
First, it ignores the buildings that were constructed before such codes were published in 1962. Such buildings form a large part of our cities. Second, it assumes infallibility in the processes of enforcement — relying only on penalisation and illegalities. Third, it treats earthquakes as a problem of individual buildings — as if they exist and behave in complete isolation from their urban context.
Excerpt from Fahad Zuberi’s Opinion piece for The Indian Express)
2. MCQ:
Fagradalsfjall system refers to:
(a) group of islands
(b) earthquake belt
(c) irrigation system
(d) volcanic system
— Although several positive strides such as increased access to treatment and more accurate molecular diagnostics have been made by India towards the goal of eliminating tuberculosis by 2025, five years ahead of the global target, it continues to have the highest incidence of the bacterial infection. India accounts for 27 per cent of the total TB cases in the world, according to the recently released Global TB Report 2023 by the World Health Organisation.
— The report noted two positive trends for India. One, there was an increase in reporting of TB cases, crossing even the pre-pandemic high with 24.2 lakh cases in 2022. Two, the coverage of treatment for the infection increased to 80%.
— The most important data point for India, however, was mortality due to TB.
What does the 2023 report say about mortality in India?
— A sudden drop in mortality due to TB was noted in the 2023 report. This was owing to the WHO report accepting India’s Sample Registration System dataset as the basis for the calculations instead of the Global Burden of Disease report.
— With the change in dataset, India’s TB mortality dropped from 4.94 lakhs in 2021 to 3.31 lakhs in 2022. This resulted in a reduction in India’s contribution towards global mortality from 36 per cent in the previous years to 26 per cent in 2022.
— The Union Health Ministry in a statement said that the data in Global TB Report 2022, which presented the figures from 2021, was published as “interim” with an understanding that the inter-government agency will work with the technical team of the ministry to finalise the figure.
— India presented newer evidence, the in-country mathematical modelling for estimating burden, and data from the government’s Ni-Kshay portal that captures data for the entire duration between a person being diagnosed with TB and completing their treatment.
“There were more than 50 meetings between the technical teams of WHO and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare… The WHO team intensively reviewed all data presented and not only accepted, but also appreciated the efforts made by the country. This year, the Global TB Report has acknowledged and published the revised estimates…” the statement said.
How many people get TB in India?
— Nearly 28.2 lakh people got TB in India in 2022, meaning one person gets TB every 11 seconds in India, according to the report. India’s contribution to the global burden is 27%, which is down one percentage point from the previous year’s 28%.
— What is more important is that there has been an increase in reporting of TB cases. The estimated number of cases in a country is based on a mathematical model, and there is a gap between that and the number of people who actually get diagnosed and put on treatment in a country.
— The Global TB report 2023 shows that reporting of cases has improved in India, going beyond the pre-pandemic levels. This is despite the fact that India, along with Indonesia and the Philippines, accounted for 67 per cent decline in reporting of TB cases globally during the pandemic. India reported 24.2 lakh cases in 2022 similar to the 24.04 lakh cases reported during 2019.
— The report also noted that India was the only country to have completed a National TB prevalence survey since 2019. “The survey was started in 2019, interrupted for several months in 2020 and then completed in 2021. Results from this survey were a key input to the estimates of TB incidence in India published in this report,” the WHO report said.
What does the report say about coverage of TB treatment in India?
— The report acknowledged an increase in coverage of TB treatment in India, increasing by 19 per cent over the previous year. In fact, India was among only four countries among the 30 high-burden countries in the world that were able to achieve more than 80 per cent treatment coverage.
— Globally, the report notes, the treatment coverage in 2022 reached the pre-pandemic levels of 70%.
— The Union Health Ministry said that India has undertaken several initiatives towards TB elimination including active case finding, scaling up of more accurate molecular testing to block level, screening services made available through the health and wellness centres, and engagement of the private sector as well.
— The government also said that the Ni-kshay Mitra where people provide additional nutritional support to TB patients has also resulted in the adoption of over 11 lakh TB patients. This support is in addition to government’s R500 nutritional support.
JUST FYI
What is India’s TB elimination target?
— India has set a target of 2025 for eliminating TB in the country. The national strategic plan 2017-2025 sets the target of no more than 44 new TB cases per lakh population by 2025. The 2023 report pegs this number at 199 cases per lakh. Achieving this target is a big task as the plan had envisaged an incidence of only 77 cases per lakh population by 2023.
— The programme also aims to reduce the mortality to 3 deaths per lakh population by 2025. Even with the WHO accepting the lowered estimates for India, this stands at 23 per lakh population.
Point to ponder: WHO report shows India has made improvements, but could miss its 2035 target to eliminate the TB. Discuss.
(Thought Process:
More than a fourth of the world’s TB patients live in India, according to the WHO report released on Tuesday. The country recorded a staggering 28 lakh cases in 2022. Nevertheless, the report finds cause for optimism in the reduction in TB mortality and incidence in the past eight years. It also acknowledges the improvements made by the country’s case detection system — remaining undiagnosed doesn’t just delay treatment for those with bacterial disease but also puts their contacts at risk of infection. The positive score on TB reporting is reassuring, given that surveillance programmes had taken a hit during the Covid years — case detection levels have rebounded to 2019 levels. However, the global health agency has also put in a caveat — it has not ruled out the possibility of several “new cases” being actually undiagnosed patients from the pandemic years.
Medically, the greatest challenge is posed by the multi-drug resistant (MDR) variant of the disease. The WHO estimates that 1,19,000 new cases of this extremely virulent variety of TB emerge in India each year. However, the Indian TB programme manages to report a little over half of this. A growing body of scholarship testifies that inappropriate prescription, wrong dosage, poor quality of drugs and failure to complete the medications have precipitated India’s MDR TB epidemic. In recent times, experts have advocated the use of molecular diagnostics to treat contagious diseases such as TB. These tests were extensively used for Covid detection and they can be repurposed for TB diagnostics. The WHO, too, recommends molecular tests. However, the latest India-TB report shows that the traditional sputum smear test continues to be the predominant testing method in most parts of the country. Microscopy can at best detect half of MDR TB cases — that explains the high percentage of patients falling under the radar in the country.
Excerpt from Editorial of The Indian Express)
3. MCQ:
With reference to the latest WHO report on TB, consider the following statements:
1. More than a fourth of the world’s TB patients live in India.
2. It acknowledges the improvements made by the country’s case detection system.
3. India’s TB mortality dropped in 2022 (compared to 2021).
Which of the above statement/s above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
WHY IN NEWS?
— The Supreme Court issued guidelines on Thursday (November 9) to monitor the speedy disposal of criminal cases against Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs).
— Among the guidelines formulated for the “expeditious disposal” of such cases, the court called on the chief justices of various high courts across the country to set up a “special bench” to review and monitor the progress of criminal cases against lawmakers.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
What is this case?
— The directions were given by a CJI DY Chandrachud-led bench while acting on a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.
— The plea filed in August 2016 sought speedy disposal of cases involving lawmakers. It also sought a lifetime ban on convicted politicians, including sitting legislators, from contesting elections rather than subjecting them to the six-year ban, as laid down under Section 8(3) of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
— Section 8 of the RP Act, 1951, mainly deals with the disqualification of lawmakers on conviction for certain offences.
What does the RP Act say?
— Introduced by Dr BR Ambedkar in the Parliament, the Representation of the People Act, 1951, provides for the conduct of elections to the houses of parliament and the legislatures of each state, the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of those houses, corrupt practices, and other offences taking place at or in connection with the elections.
— Although there are several provisions that deal with disqualification under the RPA, Section 8 specifically deals with disqualification of legislators on conviction for offences like promoting enmity between two groups, bribery, and undue influence, along with hoarding, profiteering, or adulteration of food or drugs.
— However, the provision that Upadhyay sought to replace with a “lifetime ban” in his plea was Section 8(3), which states, “A person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years shall be disqualified from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.” Essentially, this provision imposes a six-year ban on persons convicted of offences with a minimum two-year sentence.
— While the top court in its ruling today addressed the first aspect of Upadhyay’s plea seeking speedy disposal of cases against MPs and MLAs, it kept open the issue of replacing the 6-year ban with a lifetime one.
What did the court rule?
— The bench, also comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra, said that the “confidence and trust of the constituency in their political representative” is necessary for the effective functioning of a parliamentary democracy.
— Emphasising the impact of such cases on our “political democracy”, the court said that every effort should be made to take them up on priority and decide them expeditiously.
— Following this, the bench laid down guidelines for monitoring the early disposal of cases against lawmakers.
Among these was the registration of suo motu cases by the chief justices of various high courts across the country to monitor the quick disposal of pending criminal cases against legislators.
— Adding that such cases can be heard by a CJ-led special bench or a bench designated by her, the court said that such cases can also be listed at regular intervals, if necessary. The special bench may also call upon the advocate general or prosecutor to assist the court, the Supreme Court said.
— Stating that it would be difficult to lay down uniform guidelines for trial courts across the country to dispose of such cases, the court left it to the high court to devise measures to effectively monitor such cases.
— Further, the court said that priority shall be given to cases against lawmakers that are punishable with death or life imprisonment. Besides this, cases punishable with 5 years imprisonment or more will also be prioritised.
—The court also ruled that HCs can call upon the Principal District and Sessions Judge to take on the responsibility of allocating “subject cases” to such courts, as considered appropriate. The HCs can also ask the lower court judges to send reports at timely intervals, the court said.
— Further, trial courts cannot adjourn such cases unless there are rare and compelling reasons for the same, the court said.
— Sufficient infrastructure facilities and the adoption of technology should also be ensured for these designated courts by the principal district and session judges.
— Besides this, the HCs were directed to create an “independent tab” on their website with district-wise information about the details of such cases, including the year, at what stage the proceedings are, etc.
— However, this is not the first time that the apex court has dealt with the need for speedy disposal of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs.
JUST FYI
What are the other instances?
In its 2015 ruling in “Public Interest Foundation vs. Union of India,” the top court directed that trials of sitting legislators facing charges against them for offences relating to Section 8 of the RP Act should be concluded “as speedily and expeditiously” as possible. Adding that the trial’s duration cannot exceed one year from the date on which the charges were framed, the court had also suggested conducting the trials on a “day-to-day” basis.
Under extraordinary circumstances, if the trial isn’t concluded within a year, the court would have to submit a report to the HC CJ along with reasons for delay, the court said.
Point to ponder: What are the provisions that grant legislators immunity from prosecution?
(Thought process: Broadly, Article 105 of the Constitution deals with the “powers, privileges, etc. of the Houses of Parliament and of the members and committees thereof”.
Article 105(2) states, “No member of Parliament shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of any thing said or any vote given by him in Parliament or any committee thereof, and no person shall be so liable in respect of the publication by or under the authority of either House of Parliament of any report, paper, votes or proceedings.”
In a nutshell, this provision exempts MPs from any legal action for any statement made or act done in the course of their duties. For example, a defamation suit cannot be filed for a statement made in the House.
Additionally, this immunity extends to certain non-members, like the Attorney General of India or a Minister who may not be a member but speaks in the House. In cases where a member oversteps or exceeds the contours of admissible free speech, the Speaker of the House will deal with it, as opposed to the court.
Meanwhile, Article 194(2) extends this immunity to MLAs and states, “No member of the Legislature of a State shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in the Legislature or any committee thereof, and no person shall be so liable in respect of the publication by or under the authority of a House of such a Legislature of any report, paper, votes, or proceedings.”
In the present case, the court has to decide if the legal immunity enjoyed by parliamentarians extends to prosecution for demanding or taking a bribe.)
4. MCQ:
Consider the following statements below:
1. Article 105 of the Constitution deals with the “powers, privileges, etc. of the Houses of Parliament and of the members and committees thereof”.
2. Introduced by Rajendra Prasad in the Parliament, the Representation of the People Act, 1951, provides for the conduct of elections to the houses of parliament and the legislatures of each state, the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of those houses, corrupt practices, and other offences taking place at or in connection with the elections.
Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
— On October 27, the long delayed Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project on the border of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam suffered its latest setback after a large part of the hill on the left side of the dam collapsed into its reservoir.
— The deposits blocked the only functional diversion tunnel and stopped the flow of water downstream of the dam into the Subansiri river, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra.
— Construction of the project, which when complete will be India’s largest, began in 2005, but suffered a long stoppage between December 2011 and September 2019 due to local opposition and major changes in the design of the dam.
— After work resumed, the deadline for commissioning the first two of the project’s eight 250-MW units has been extended five times: to March 2021, August 2022, March 2023, June 2023, and now March 2024.
How a dammed river flows?
— Typically, once a location is selected for a dam, a temporary earthen barrier (coffer dam) and a few diversion tunnels are built immediately upstream to bypass the dam construction site.
— Once the dam is ready, the diversion tunnels (DTs) are closed, and water starts to flow through the multiple spillways — which are gated holes in the dam wall that ensure regulated release.
— In a hydel project, a set of tunnels are also built to carry water from the reservoir to the powerhouse. The water turns the turbines, and then goes back into the river. Once the power house is operational, this becomes the main path of the water, and the spillways are used occasionally.
What happened at Subansiri?
— On October 27, a spokesperson for the Subansiri Lower Project said the flow downstream was “highly reduced” — to an estimated 5-10 cubic metres per second (cumecs) — after a landslide “at about 11.30 am” blocked the only DT in use.
“The dam spillway bay level is at 145 m [above] msl (mean sea level). At 1 pm, the water level reached 139 m msl. At the present river flow of 997 cubic m/sec, the water level of the reservoir is expected to reach 145 m msl this evening and the river will again flow through the spillway…normally,” the spokesperson said. The water eventually started flowing out of the spillways around 11 pm.
— As of now, “three spillway gates are complete and the remaining six were to be ready by December. It was perhaps a mistake to depend on a single DT,” an engineer associated with the project said.
The ‘mistake’ NHPC committed
— The Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the statutory body that advises the government on policy relating to electricity systems, had recommended in April 2022 that the impact of the DTs on the slope stability of the project site should be examined.
— NHPC Ltd, which is implementing the Subansiri Lower Project, ignored the recommendation. In April 2023, it said that “no more assessment of landslide hazards and their impact was needed”, and that “necessary stabilisation measures have been carried out”.
What happens here onward?
— A team of the NHPC’s board of directors, and top officials of the CEA and Geological Survey of India visited the site last week. The project will now focus on slope stabilisation, NHPC project consultant A N Mohammed said.
Biswajit Basu, project director of NHPC, said, “We will complete the work before the (March 2024) deadline.” He declined to comment on how the spillway gates would be built, and the potential time and cost overruns.
— The likely option would be to build a temporary sheet pile dyke — a metallic barrier with steel bracing — inside the reservoir to isolate the under-construction spillway gates, and to finish the work after the slope stabilisation process is over, a project official said.
— Basu also declined to comment on the potential impact on the riverine ecosystem and aquatic life forms. “Whenever DTs are closed, the water level goes down. But a river is never dry and water levels anyway fall in the winter,” he said.
— While the Subansiri’s lowest-ever winter discharge on NHPC records was 188 cumecs in 1979, for almost 12 hours on October 27, the flow went down to 5-10 cumecs. The project clearance conditions require Subansiri Lower to maintain a minimum downstream flow of 240 cumecs at all times.
JUST FYI
The site’s history of landslides
— The landslide on October 27 was the sixth to hit the dam site since the CEA sounded the warning last April. Major landslides took place in June, September, and October 2022, and in April and September 2023. There had been landslides before the CEA’s alert as well — probably the reason why the CEA raised a flag in the first place.
— “A landslide blocked the outlet of one diversion tunnel in 2020. Another tunnel wall collapsed last June. In all, four of the five diversion tunnels suffered damage, or were blocked or sealed over the last two years,” a project official said.
— Yet, the project authority relied on the sole functional diversion tunnel to release water downstream, and to lower the dam reservoir level to complete the construction of the spillway gates.
Point to ponder: What are the alternatives to hydropower?
( Thought process: Micro hydro is a small-scale hydroelectric power generation system that typically generates up to 100 kilowatts (kW) of electricity. These systems use the energy of falling water to turn a turbine, which, in turn, generates electricity. They can be used for various applications, including powering homes, businesses, and small communities.
Micro hydro systems are typically less expensive to build and maintain than large hydroelectric dams and have a smaller environmental footprint. They can be located even in inaccessible areas where it is difficult to transmit electricity from larger power stations, and they can provide a reliable source of energy to communities that are not connected to the grid.
Micro hydro systems can be classified into two main types – run-of-river and storage systems. Run-of-river systems use the natural flow of water in a stream or river to generate electricity. In contrast, storage systems use a reservoir to store water and release it as needed to generate electricity.
Micro hydro systems can be tailored to minimise the ecosystem’s negative impact and provide sustainable energy solutions. However, it’s important to note that even micro-hydropower projects can have some impact on the environment and local communities. A detailed assessment should be carried out to evaluate the potential impact before proceeding with the project.
Excerpt from Anjal Prakash’s Opinion for The Indian Express)
5. MCQ:
Which of the statement/s below is/are incorrect?
1. Subansiri river is a major tributary of the Brahmaputra.
2. Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project is on the border of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com
