Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Geography) – July 31, 2020

All the major river basins and some among the medium river basins are of inter-state nature.

As the development of projects by one State on an inter-state river may affect the interests of other basin States, inter-state differences arise with regard to use, distribution and control of waters of inter-state river basins.

• Subject of ‘water’ is a matter at Entry 17 of List –II, i.e. State List. 
• This Entry is subject to the provisions of Entry 56 of List –I, the Union List.
• Entry – 56 of Union list: Regulation and development of inter-State rivers and river valleys to the extent to which such regulation and development under the control of the Union are declared by Parliament by law to be expedient in the public interest.
• Entry – 17: Water that is to say, water supplies, irrigation and canals, drainage and embankments, water storage and water power subject to the provisions of Entry 56 of  List – I.

Aqueduct’s global water risk mapping tool helps companies, investors, governments, and other users understand where and how water risks and opportunities are emerging worldwide.

• The Atlas uses a robust, peer reviewed methodology and the best-available data to create high-resolution, customizable global maps of water risk.
• With the support of a diverse group of partners, the World Resources Institute built Aqueduct to help companies, investors, governments, and communities better understand where and how water risks are emerging around the world.
• The World Resources Institute is committed to transparency and open data. The data and methodology behind Aqueduct are documented and available for download.

The Feni River, which forms part of the India-Bangladesh border, originates in the South Tripura district, passes through Sabroom town on the Indian side, and meets the Bay of Bengal after it flows into Bangladesh.

In November 2019 the Union Cabinet approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Bangladesh on the withdrawal of 1.82 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from the Feni River by India for a drinking water supply scheme for Sabroom town in Tripura.

The west flowing rivers of southern basin between Tadri to Kanyakumari extends over states of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Puducherry having an area of 54,825 Sq. km, which is 1.66% of total geographical area of the country.

• The basin is bounded by Sahyadri hills on the north, by the Western Ghats on the east, by Indian Ocean on the south and by the Arabian Sea on the west.
• The basin is comprised of three sub-basins; Netravati and associated sub basin, Periyar and associated sub basin and Varrar and associated sub basin.
• The major independent rivers in the basin are Varahi, Netravati, Payaswani, Valapattanam, Chaliyar, Kadalundi, Bharathapuzha, Periyar, Muvattupula, Minachil, Pamba, Achankovil, Kallada and Vamanapuram.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Sisseri River Bridge at Lower Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh and called for bolstering the border infrastructure, saying that national security is the topmost priority of the government.

The 200-metre long bridge between Jonai-Pasighat-Ranaghat-Roing roads will provide connectivity between Dibang Valley and Siang to meet the long-pending demand of the people of Arunachal Pradesh as it would cut down the travel time from Pasighat to Roing by about five hours.

Arunachal Pradesh has the highest concentration of scheduled tribes in India. Additionally, this region is probably one of the last remaining outposts in the country where tribes still live a primitive existence, seeking out a living from the land and maintaining a harmonious relation with nature.

• The word ‘Nyishi’ literally translates to a ‘civilised human being’. The Nyishis are the most populous tribe of Arunachal Pradesh and inhabit the Papum Pare, Kurung Kumey, East Kameng, and the Lower and Upper Subansiri districts of Arunachal Pradesh. They are mainly involved in shifting cultivation and produce rice, millet, cucumber, etc.
• The Apatanis have a distinct culture with systematic land use techniques and rich traditional ecological knowledge. Their sustainable development ways, and natural resources’ management and conservation, that has been acquired over the centuries through informal experimentation, is simply exemplary.
• UNESCO has proposed that the Apatani valley be listed as a World Heritage Site for its ‘extremely high productivity’ and ‘unique’ way of preserving ecology.
• The tribe, mainly found in the Ziro Valley in the Lower Subansiri district, is known for its wetland paddy cultivation, which produces high yields even without the use of farm animals and agricultural machines.
• The Adi tribe celebrates a number of festivals but the most important ones are Aran, Solung and Etor. Solung is a harvest festival that is observed in the first week of September for about five days.
• It is marked by songs, dances, display of weaponry, etc. Etor is celebrated in the month of May and men perform various war dances (collectively called Tapu) during the ceremonies. Aran is observed in the month of March.

India began exploring the Antarctic with its first expedition in 1981 and since then has launched 37 expeditions.

• The country’s first Antarctic base ‘Dakshin Gangotri’ was established in 1983-84 in the ice shelf of East Antarctica.
• At present, India has two permanent research bases – ‘Maitri’ and ‘Bharati’.
• In addition, India has a research station called ‘Himadri’ in the Arctic and Himansh in the Himalaya.
• These high latitudes and cold desert regions are considered ideal for astronomical research as well.

Geographical Survey of India (GSI) provided estimates for the amount of gold that can be extracted from a site in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh.

The gold resource is located near a village called Mahuli, around 70 km from Sonbhadra district, the land is mainly forest area and inhabited mostly by tribal and members of backward classes.

Anamudi is a mountain located in the Indian state of Kerala.

• It is the highest peak in the Western Ghats and South India, at an elevation of 2,695 metres.
• Its parental hills are Anaimalai hills.
• Doda beta is the highest peak of nilgiri hills while Guru Shikhar is the highest peak of Aravali Range located in Rajasthan.

Ratoon cropping is an old system that has been practiced for many years, especially in the Tropics.

• Although the origin of ratooning is probably not known for any particular crop, it may have begun when man first noticed the regrowth of new shoots following the cutting of certain crops at harvest, thus, producing a new crop without replanting.
• Because ratooning is practiced widely and is important in many crops, a review of the practice may be valuable, especially because increased food and fiber production is imperative in tropical areas.
• This practice is widely used in the cultivation of crops such as rice, sugarcane, banana and pineapple.