TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 05.09.2024

1. GEOGRAPHY

TRIPURA DAM DIDN’T CAUSE BANGLADESH FLOODS – MEA

• Transboundary Water Management: The flooding in Bangladesh and its alleged connection to the Dambur dam in Tripura highlights the challenges of managing transboundary rivers like the Gumti River, which flows through both India and Bangladesh.
• Hydropower Projects and Flood Risks: The Dambur dam is a hydropower project with an automatic water release mechanism that operates during heavy rainfall to prevent overflow, which has implications for downstream flooding.
• Diplomatic and Bilateral Relations:
• India-Bangladesh Relations: The incident emphasizes the importance of cooperation between India and Bangladesh in managing shared water resources, particularly in times of natural disasters like floods.
• Security Concerns: The flooding has led to heightened security concerns for Indian diplomats in Bangladesh, showcasing the delicate nature of India-Bangladesh diplomatic relations.

2. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

IIA FINDS A NOVEL WAY TO EXPLORE THE SUN’S SECRETS BY STUDYING SOLAR MAGNETIC FIELDS

• Solar Atmosphere and Magnetic Fields The solar atmosphere consists of multiple layers, each interconnected through magnetic fields.
• These layers include: Photosphere: The visible surface of the Sun.
• Chromosphere: The layer above the photosphere.
• Corona: The outermost layer, extending millions of kilometers into space.
• The magnetic fields in these layers play a vital role in: Coronal Heating Problem: The phenomenon where the Sun’s corona is much hotter than its surface.
• Solar Wind: Streams of charged particles released from the corona.
• Kodaikanal Tower Tunnel Telescope The Kodaikanal Tower Tunnel Telescope is a key instrument used by IIA for solar observations.
• It consists of a three-mirror setup:
• Primary Mirror (M1): Tracks the Sun.
• Secondary Mirror (M2): Redirects sunlight downwards.
• Tertiary Mirror (M3): Makes the beam horizontal.
• Spectral Lines and Magnetic Field Measurements
• The study utilized data from multiple spectral lines, particularly:
• Hydrogen-alpha Line (6562.8 Å): Used to observe the chromosphere.
• Calcium II 8662 Å Line: Provides information about the lower chromosphere and upper photosphere. By examining these spectral lines, astronomers can infer the magnetic field’s stratification at various heights in the solar atmosphere.
• Active Regions and Sunspots The study focused on an active region (sunspot) with complex features, including:
• Umbrae: Dark central regions of sunspots.
• Penumbrae: Lighter, surrounding areas. These regions are crucial for understanding solar magnetic fields because they exhibit intense magnetic activity.
• Implications of the Study Understanding the magnetic fields at different heights of the solar atmosphere helps in:
• Explaining Coronal Heating: By studying how energy is transferred from the inner layers to the corona.
• Predicting Solar Wind: By understanding the drivers behind solar wind, which affects space weather and satellite operations.

3. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A LOOK AT ONGOING INDIAN SPACE MISSIONS

• Indian Space Missions (2023-2024)
• Aditya L1 Mission: Solar science mission to study the Sun.
• Milestones: Reached the first Earth-Sun Lagrange point (L1) on January 6, 2024.
• Completed its first orbit around L1 on July 2, 2024.
• Studied a solar storm in May 2024.
• Gaganyaan TV-D1 Mission: Human spaceflight mission.
• Milestones: Demonstrated the Crew Escape System (CES).
• Crew module successfully decelerated and splashed down in the Bay of Bengal.
• Crew module recovered by INS Shakthi.
• XPoSat Mission: Study the polarization of X-rays from celestial objects.
• Instruments: XSPECT and POLIX began operations on January 5 and 10, 2024.
• INSAT-3DS Mission: Meteorological satellite.
• Significance: Proved the credibility of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) for future missions like NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR).
• RLV-TD (Reusable Launch Vehicle)
• Tests Conducted: LEX-02 and LEX-03 on March 22 and June 7, 2024. 
• Objective: Simulate landing conditions from space.
• Outcome: Successful tests gave confidence for the ‘Orbital Return Flight Experiment’.
• SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle): Final development flight.
• Outcome: Successfully placed EOS-08 and SR-0 Demosat satellites in orbit.

4. BILATERAL

MODI ATTEMPTS A TRICKY BALANCE IN KYIV, AS U.S RUSSIA WATCH CLOSELY

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kyiv marks the first high-level visit from India to Ukraine since the war began in 2022.
• This visit comes six weeks after Modi’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
• Key Issues:
• Balancing India’s Position:
• India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine war has been a subject of global scrutiny, particularly in Moscow and Washington.
• India has abstained from all UN resolutions critical of Russia’s actions since 2022.
• India’s non-committal stance at the Swiss Peace Conference in June 2023 also caused disappointment in Kyiv.
• Strategic Opportunity: There is a potential for India to initiate a global conversation about peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
• India could play a small but significant role in facilitating peace, reinforcing its global influence.
• Ukraine’s Disappointment: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed disappointment over PM Modi’s previous interactions with Putin.
• Ukraine is critical of India’s reluctance to provide more substantive support, such as medical equipment, telecom towers, and construction machinery.
• India’s Role in Reconstruction: Ukraine sees India’s involvement in reconstruction efforts as crucial, particularly in areas like infrastructure, technology, and healthcare.
• While India has provided tents and medicines, further involvement in reconstruction projects is awaited.

5. ENVIRONMENT

NDMA TO MONITOR 189 HIGH RISK GLACIAL LAKES TO PREVENT DISASTERS

• The NDMA has identified 189 high-risk glacial lakes in the Himalayan region for mitigation measures to reduce the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). This initiative follows several disasters caused by overflowing glacial lakes, such as the South Lhonak Lake incident in Sikkim in October 2023, which resulted in significant loss of life and property.
• Key Measures and Initiatives
• Lake-Lowering Measures: Objective: To buffer against potential overflows and mitigate downstream damage.
• Method: Teams will investigate these lakes and attempt to lower their water levels through controlled measures.
• National Glacial Lake Outburst Floods Risk Mitigation Programme:
• Objective: To systematically address the risks posed by glacial lakes through detailed technical assessments and mitigation strategies.
• Monitoring and Assessment:Remote Sensing: Approximately 7,500 glacial lakes in the Himalayan ranges are being monitored using remote sensing technology.
•  Recent Expeditions: Arunachal Pradesh: The State Disaster Management Authority has dispatched two teams to study six high-risk glacial lakes in the Tawang and Dibang Valley districts.
• Central Water Commission Report (October 2023): 902 glacial lakes and water bodies are being monitored via satellite.
• Technical Hazard Assessments: Aims to conduct detailed technical hazard assessments of the identified high-risk lakes.
• Components: Installing automated weather and water level monitoring stations.
• Implementing early warning systems at the lakes and in downstream areas.

ONE LINER

1. India’s Avani Lekhara wins gold in shooting at the Paris Paralympics
2. Manyachiwadi village in the Patan Taluka of Satara district become the first Solar Village in Maharastra