With no signs of a let up in threat to ships transiting the Red Sea, India’s petroleum product exports to Europe have shifted entirely to the significantly longer and costlier, albeit safer, route around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope.
As per ship tracking data, not even one Europe-bound fuel taker that set sail from India in June and July took the Red Sea route, which used to be the mainstay of India’s exports to Europe and other Western markets.
Since late last year, numerous cargo ships have come under attack from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen around the Bab el-Mandeb strait, which leads to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, forming the shortest, although narrow, route to the Mediterranean Sea and beyond from the Arab Peninsula, North-East Africa, and the Arabian Sea. The Houthis have been claiming that they are targeting vessels with links to Israel and its allies in response to its military offensive in Gaza.
About Cape of Good Hope:
It is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
The Cape of Good Hope route joins Eastern Asia and Europe to southern parts of Africa.
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 provided a much shorter route from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, making the long trip around Africa inefficient.
The Cape of Good Hope route is 8900 km longer than the Suez canal route and can take additional two weeks.
A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa.
Contemporary geographic knowledge instead states the southernmost point of Africa is Cape Agulhas about 150 km to the east-southeast.
The warm-water Agulhas current (Indian Ocean) meets the cold-water Benguela current (Atlantic ocean) between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point (about 1.2 km east of the Cape of Good Hope).
Headland:
It is a narrow piece of land which sticks out from the coast into the sea.
Suez Canal:
It connects Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Egyptian city of Suez on the Red Sea.
It serves as a crucial international shipping route, allowing vessels to navigate between Europe and Asia without having to circumnavigate the African continent.
It is situated in northeastern Egypt, spanning across the Isthmus of Suez.
It extends approximately 193 km. from the city of Port Said in the north to the city of Suez in the south.
It separates the African continent from the Sinai Peninsula.
2.Krishi-Decision Support System (K-DSS)
Why in the news?
The Centre unveiled the Krishi-Decision Support System (K-DSS) portal, a satellite-based geospatial platform that will provide farmers with information on the weather, groundwater levels, soil health, reservoir storage levels etc and include data like satellite images.
About Krishi-Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS):
It is a satellite-based system.
It aims to assist farmers in improving crop management and productivity.
Technological Background:
Developed using technologies similar to the government’s Gati Shakti initiative.
Uses data from RISAT-1A and VEDAS, provided by the Department of Space.
Key Features of Krishi-DSS:
Real-Time Information: Offers real-time data on crop conditions, weather patterns, water resources, and soil health.
Geospatial Platform: Utilizes satellite imagery to monitor and predict crop health and potential risks.
Disaster Warnings: Provides early alerts for disasters such as pest attacks and extreme weather events.
Crop Monitoring and Diversification: Supports crop mapping, monitoring, and encourages crop rotation and diversification across different regions.
Benefits of Krishi-DSS:
The data from RISAT-1A will be very useful for building tools that support agriculture, environment protection, managing water resources, and disaster response.
For Farmers
Aids in better crop management amidst climate challenges.
Helps in improving overall productivity and resilience to weather extremes.
For Agriculture
Promotes the use of space technology in the agricultural sector.
Supports expanded use of remote sensing for more crop varieties beyond traditional crops like paddy and wheat.
Radar Imaging Satellite or RISAT series of Satellites:
It is a series of Indian radar imaging reconnaissance satellites built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The first satellite, named RISAT-2, was launched in 2009. It was bought from Israel for USD 110 million largely for surveillance purposes.
In 2012, ISRO then launched what was India’s first indigenous all-weather radar imaging satellite, known as RISAT-1, which provided all-weather surveillance using synthetic aperture radars (SAR).
Before the launch of RISAT-1, India depended on images from a Canadian satellite as the existing domestic remote sensing spacecraft was not able to take pictures of the earth during cloud cover.
3.Dal Lake
Why in the news?
To ensure no voter is left behind in Jammu and Kashmir, the Election Commission will set up three floating polling stations on the Dal Lake and one along the Line of Control (LoC) to exclusively serve an area that has a 100% ST population.
These unique polling stations will be set up to ensure accessibility in otherwise unreachable areas.
About Dal Lake:
It is situated in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
It is surrounded by the Pir Panjal mountains.
It is named the “Jewel in the crown of Kashmir” or “Srinagar’s Jewel”.
It is the second-largest lake in Jammu and Kashmir.
It covers an area of 18 sq. km. and is part of a natural wetland which covers 21.1 sq. km., including its floating gardens.
The floating gardens, known as “Raad” in Kashmiri, blossom with lotus flowers during July and August.
The wetland is divided by causeways into four basins: Gagribal, Lokut Dal, Bod Dal, and Nagin (although Nagin is also considered an independent lake).
The shoreline of the lake, is about 15.5 km., is encompassed by a boulevard lined with Mughal era gardens, parks, houseboats, and hotels.
Dal Lake is also popular for the floating market where vendors have their own Shikaras/wooden boats and approach tourists.
The depth of water varies from 6 m. at its deepest to 2.5 m. at its shallowest.
During the winter season, the temperature sometimes reaches −11 °C (12 °F), freezing the lake.
Islands:
Dal Lake includes 3 islands, 2 of which are marked with beautiful Chinar trees.
The island located on the Lakut Dal is known as Roph Lank (Silver Island), is marked with the presence of majestic Chinar trees at the four corners, thus known as Char-Chinari (Four Chinars).
The second Chinar Island, known as Sone Lank (Gold Island), is located on the Bod Dal (Big Dal) and overlooks the holy shrine of Hazratbal.
Pir Panjal Range:
It is a group of mountains in the Inner Himalayan region.
It runs from east-southeast to west-northwest across Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
4.Zebrafish
Why in the news?
Zebrafish are capable of fully healing a severed spinal cord.
A new study maps out a detailed atlas of all the cells involved and how they work together in regenerating the zebrafish spinal cord.
The researchers showed that survival and adaptability of the severed neurons themselves is required for full spinal cord regeneration.
Stem cells capable of forming new neurons and typically thought of as central to regeneration only play a complementary role but do not lead the process.
About Zebrafish:
It is a small (2-3 cm long) freshwater fish found in tropical and subtropical regions.
It is native to South Asia's Indo-Gangetic plains.
It is mostly found in the paddy fields and even in stagnant water and streams.
It encompasses adequate regeneration capacity of almost all its organs, including the brain, heart, eye, and spinal cord.
It has a similar genetic structure (around 70%) to humans.
Its IUCN Red List Status is least concerned.
Indo-Gangetic Plain:
It is also known as the North Indian River Plain.
It is a 700-thousand km2 fertile plain encompassing northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, including most of modern-day northern and eastern India, most of eastern-Pakistan, virtually all of Bangladesh and southern plains of Nepal.
It is named after the Indus and the Ganges rivers and encompasses a number of large urban areas.
It is bounded on the north by the Himalayas, which feed its numerous rivers and are the source of the fertile alluvium deposited across the region by the two river systems.
The southern edge of the plain is marked by the Deccan Plateau.
On the west rises the Iranian Plateau.
Many developed cities like Delhi, Dhaka, Kolkata, Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi are located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
5.National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS)
Why in the news?
The Union Government launched the AI-based National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS) that will help farmers to connect with agriculture scientists and experts on controlling pests using their phone.
The aim of NPSS is to reduce the dependence of farmers on pesticide retailers and inculcate a scientific approach among them towards pest management.
NPSS will analyze the latest data on pests using AI tools to help farmers and experts in pest control and management.
About National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS):
It is a digital initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to provide timely pest management advisories to farmers across the country.
It promises to reshape pest management practices and empower farmers across India.
Its primary goal is to reduce farmers' reliance on pesticide retailers and foster a scientific approach to pest control.
The system comprises a user-friendly mobile app and a web portal, ensuring accessibility for all farmers.
By leveraging real-time data and advanced analytics, NPSS enables accurate pest identification, monitoring, and management.
Farmers will greatly benefit from NPSS as it provides quick solutions to pest attacks and crop diseases, reducing crop losses and thus improving productivity.
The system's comprehensive pest incidence data and automated advisories will empower farmers with actionable insights, helping them make informed decisions and take proactive measures to protect their crops.
Machine Learning:
It is an essential branch of artificial intelligence that employs data and algorithms to mimic human learning processes, gradually enhancing its accuracy.
It is a cornerstone of the emerging field of data science.
It involves training algorithms to find patterns in data, which enables them to make predictions or perform tasks without being explicitly programmed.
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