TNPSC Current Affairs February 15, 2018

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs February 15, 2018 (15/02/2018)

 

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Topic: Urbanization, their problems and their remedies

Bengaluru may face Cape Town fate

As per a report based on “UN-endorsed projections” published by the BBC, Bengaluru city of India is “most likely” to be the first Indian urban settlement that will run out of drinking water.

The report has listed 11 top cities of the world that are “most likely” to run out of drinking water, just like South Africa’s City of Cape Town, which is facing unprecedented water supply shortage in history.

Cities which are likely to run out of drinking water:

Sau Paulo, Brazil’s financial capital is on top of the list.

The report ranks Bengaluru second in the list of 11 world cities that are “most likely” to run out of drinking water.

Other cities are Chinese capital Beijing, Cairo in Egypt due to struggling rive Nile, Jakarta of Indonesia, Moscow in Russia, Istanbul of Turkey, Mexico City, London, Tokyo of Japan and Miami in the US.

Factors behind Bengaluru’s fate:

Bengaluru is a victim of urbanisation madness.

The city is experiencing unprecedented rapid urbanisation and sprawl in recent times due to unplanned unrealistic concentrated developmental activities.

The report notes that not a “single” lake in the city has water fit for either drinking or bathing.

Lakes of the city, including Bellandur, often make news for catching fire.

Between 1973 and 2016, the city witnessed a 1005% increase in “concretization or paved surface increase”.

Since 1981, the city has spread and has also experienced dramatic decadal population growth.

Why Indians should worry?

Shortage of water is a problem faced by almost all urban centres of the world. Even in India, the situation is not so happy.

A World Bank report last year had said that at least 21 Indian cities were moving towards zero groundwater level by 2020.

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Topic : General Administration, Welfare Oriented Schemes and their utilities, Profile of States

Atal Bhoojal Yojana

The water resources ministry is working on a Rs 6,000 crore worth ‘Atal Bhoojal Yojana’ for water conservation.

About Atal Bhoojal Yojana:

The scheme is aimed at efficient management of available water resources and strengthening of recharge mechanism through community participation.

The emphasis of the scheme will be on recharge of ground water sources and efficient use of water by involving people at the local level.

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Topic :General Administration, Profile of States

Indira Gandhi Canal

Rajasthan Government has signed a new loan agreement with the New Development Bank for restructuring of Indira Gandhi Canal.

The restructuring and repairing of Indira Gandhi Canal and its distributaries will help solve the problems of loss of water and water-locking in the agricultural fields.

It will also ensure the supply of irrigation water to the farmers at the tail-ends of the Indira Gandhi Canal Project.

About Indira Gandhi Canal:

The Indira Gandhi Canal is one of the largest canal projects in India.

It starts from the Harike Barrage at Harike, a few kilometers below the confluence of the Satluj and Beas rivers in the Indian state of Punjab and terminates in irrigation facilities in the Thar Desert in the north west of Rajasthan state.

It is previously known as the Rajasthan Canal.

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Topic : Latest Diary of Events

India’s fastest train to slow down

India’s fastest train, Gatimaan Express, which runs at a speed of 160 kmph, will slow down to 130 kmph after it is extended to Gwalior and Jhansi.

The Railway Board has taken a decision to extend the route of Gatimaan Express — which runs between Delhi and Agra at a speed of 160 kmph to Gwalior and then to Jhansi.

On the new stretch, the train will run at a speed of 130 kmph and not at its original speed.

The Agra-Gwalior-Jhansi route is fit for only 130 kmph, so the train has to run at that speed.

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Topic : Places in News

Arno river & Pitti Palace – Italy

The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy.

It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.

The Palazzo Pitti in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy.

It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio.