Tauktae Cyclone

  • Deep Depression intensified into a Cyclonic Storm “Tauktae” over Lakshadweep area and adjoining southeast & east central Arabian Sea.
  • Cyclone Tauktae will intensify into a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ with wind speed of 150 to 160 kmph by May 17, the IMD said.
  • The authorities have sounded a red alert in five districts of Kerala — Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamitta and Ernakulam — and have deployed National Disaster Response Force in affected areas of the state.
  • Mumbai and Thane too, where the effect of the storm was expected to be felt over the weekend, have been put under the yellow category storm warning by the IMD.

Nagaland conservationist Nuklu Phom gets prestigious Whitley Awards 2021

  • An environmentalist from Nagaland’s remote Longleng district has won this year’s Whitley Awards 2021, also known as the Green Oscar.
  • Nuklu Phom’s name was announced in a virtual award ceremony organised by the UK-based Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).
  • The award recognises Phom’s efforts at establishing a new biodiversity peace corridor changing the fate of Amur Falcons, which come to roost in Nagaland each year, from being hunted by locals.
  • Worth £40,000, the award is for creating a new network of community-owned forests to protect Amur Falcons and increase biodiversity in Nagaland.
  • Some people have recently begun hunting and selling these falcons in large numbers, with 14,000 individuals killed annually in one village alone. Nuklu and his team want to offer alternatives that engage communities in conservation using the Amur falcon as a flagship, the Whitley Awards site mentioned.
  • Traditionally, communities in Nagaland practice “slash and burn” in forests annually for jhum cultivation, which adds to the decay of flora and fauna of the area. Phom and his team convinced their community to take up more sustainable farming practices and charted certain areas as community biodiversity conserve forests.
  • Within a decade, the success of the community biodiversity conservation efforts was the restoration of flora and fauna, and the return of many wild species, he said.
  • Another notable achievement of Phom’s team is that, the conserved areas which also serve as a roosting place for the migratory Amur falcons, have seen a huge increase in the number of the annual winged visitors.
  • The Lemsachenlok was recognised by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2015 for its efforts towards conserving the Amur falcon; it was a recipient of the India Biodiversity Award in 2018; and a Governor’s Gold Medal Award in 2021. (The Lemsachenlok organization, set up in Nagaland in 2007, works towards the conservation and protection of wildlife, and for sustainable resource management)

National Gallery of Modern Art to begin online summer workshop- NAIMISHA 2021

  • The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi is creating a virtual museum space through its online summer programme NAIMISHA 2021.
  • This unique art fiesta will provide a platform to create and engage with the arts. The current duration of the programme is 17th May to 13th June 2021.
  • The planned workshops and hosts of related events are expected to spark imagination, creativity and interest in visual and other related arts.
  • The idea behind designing and delivering online interactive programmes is to provide a creative outlet to children, and indeed all interested adults.
  • The NGMA NAIMISHA portal will also stream a curated film festival for the participants from NGMA’s private collection. A session on storytelling and performances will be held every Friday.
  • During the opening week, maestro Saskia Rao – de Haas, iconic cellist and composer, will regale participants with her music and stories. She will be accompanied by her fifteen-year-old gifted pianist son.

Advisory to States and UTs – Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance Activities

  • National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) issued an advisory to States/ UTs to undertake water quality monitoring & surveillance (WQM&S) activities to ensure potable drinking water to every rural home and public institution in all villages across country.
  • In the wake of CoVid-19 pandemic, criticality of public health including preventive action, is well understood, making safe drinking water, improved sanitation and better hygiene a pre-requisite for improved public health.
  • Further, a number of water-borne diseases can be prevented with regular water quality testing and timely remedial action.
  • The advisory urged that water quality monitoring & surveillance will not only saves people, especially children, from falling sick but also helpful in saving precious lives.
  • Jal Jeevan Mission, being implemented in partnership with States/ UTs, aims to provide assured tap water supply to every rural home by 2024.
  • Under JJM, upto 2% of total fund allocation is to be used on water quality monitoring & surveillance activities which primarily comprise of water quality monitoring by Department through laboratory testing and water quality surveillance by community through testing local water sources using Field Test Kits (FTKs).
  • All drinking water sources are to be tested once a year for chemical contamination and twice a year for bacteriological parameters (pre and post monsoon).
  • It is also emphasized that the fund should be utilized for setting up of laboratories, its upgradation, hiring human resources, procuring FTKs/ vials, equipment/ glassware, provide training/ capacity building, carry out IEC activities, etc. on urgent basis.
  • With a view to empower the local community on water quality surveillance, States have been advised to identify and train 5 persons especially women in each village from local community, viz. ASHA workers, health workers, VWSC/ Pani Samiti members, teachers, SHG members, etc., to conduct water quality tests using FTKs/ bacteriological vials at village level, schools and anganwadi centres. FTKs/ vials are procured and provided to every Panchayat to enable them conduct tests on regular basis.
  • Further, Jal Jeevan Mission – Water Quality Management Information System (JJM-WQMIS) has been developed in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Dept of Health Research (DHR) as an online portal along with mobile application for water quality management.
  • All water quality testing data i.e. sample collection, tests results both in laboratories including mobile labs and through water quality testing kits, are uploaded on this portal.
  • All State/ regional and district level laboratories are to be made fully functional and it is mandatory to get them NABL accredited. All sub-division/ block level laboratories are to be verified by NABL and get NABL recognition.

KP Sharma Oli sworn in as Prime Minister of Nepal

  • KP Sharma Oli was reappointed as the Prime Minister as the Opposition parties failed to secure majority seats in Parliament to form a new government.
  • KP Sharma Oli was sworn in as Nepal’s Prime Minister for the third time, days after he lost a vote of confidence in Parliament.
  • President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Oli.

Australian ‘Mice Rain’ – Plague

  • The current plague is being called one of the worst plagues in decades and started being reported around mid-March in Australia’s eastern states.
  • To control the plague, the government has now authorised the use of an otherwise outlawed poison called bromadiolone.
  • In some places, residents of affected areas reported mice falling out from roof tops causing “mice rain”.
  • Cause:
    • Australia’s national science agency called CSIRO, attributes the plague to an unusually abundant grain harvest, which caused a surplus of mice earlier in the season.
  • As per Victoria’s health department there are 2,200 species of rodents and Australia has more than 60 native rodent species and three introduced pest species.
  • Impact:
    • Rodents are capable of destroying food grains and can cause widespread damage to domestic households, commercial businesses, farms, manufacturers and livestock.
    • Further, rodents can not only gnaw through materials but can also ruin supplies by excreting on them.
    • Rodents can also cause diseases such as leptospirosis and typhus fever. They can also carry fleas or ticks that can harm pets and humans.
    • Rats and mice can stay in walls, ceilings, under cupboards or bathtubs, in rubbish heaps, wood piles, thick vegetation and in holes under buildings.
    • The Guardian reported that the mice have made their way to rural hospitals, biting patients.
  • CSIRO says that increasing zinc phosphide in mouse baits will help farmers to battle the higher than average mouse numbers in eastern Australia. As a result of this research, the authorities have allowed makers to double the toxicity levels in mouse baits.

Basava Jayanthi – May 14

  • It is a holiday traditionally observed by the Lingayats of the Indian state of Karnataka. It marks the birthday of Basavanna, a 12th-century poet-philosopher and the founding saint of the Lingayat tradition.
  • Basavanna:
  • Basaveshwara was an Indian 12th-century statesman, philosopher, poet, social reformer and Lingayat saint in the Shiva-focussed Bhakti movement, and Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya/Kalachuri dynasty.
  • He believed in a society free of the caste system, with equal opportunity for all.
  • He founded Anubhava Mantapa, an academy which included Lingayat mystics, saints, and philosophers.
  • Mahatma Basaveshwara was active during the rule of both dynasties but reached his peak of influence during the rule of King Bijjala II in Karnataka, India.

Bhavani Devi becomes first ever Indian fencer to qualify for Olympics

  • Bhavani Devi is the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics. She will compete in the sabre category in Tokyo 2021.
  • Hosts Hungary lost in the quarterfinals of the team event, allowing Korea to progress to the semis. Therefore, Bhavani Devi qualifies through the Adjusted Official Ranking (AOR) Method.
  • The Tamil Nadu fencer competes in the sabre category. The eight-time national champion had failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics. However, she stepped up efforts to secure qualification for the Tokyo games and continued to train abroad in Italy.

Malerkotla to be Punjab’s 23rd district

  • Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced the creation of a new district of Malerkotla, carving the state’s only Muslim-majority town from Sangrur district.
  • Adjoining Amargarh and Ahmedgarh will also form part of Punjab’s 23rd district.
  • Tracing the town’s history, the chief minister said it was established in 1454 by Sheikh Sadruddin-i-Jahan from Afghanistan and subsequently the State of Malerkotla was established in 1657 by Bayazid Khan. Malerkotla was later merged with other nearby princely states to create the Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU). During the reorganisation of states in 1956, the territory of the erstwhile State of Malerkotla became part of Punjab.

China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft lands on Mars, will now deploy Zhurong rover on the surface

  • A Chinese spacecraft has landed on Mars, making China only the second country after the US to send a rover to the surface of the Red Planet.
  • A China National Space Administration (CNSA) lander from the Tianwen-1, which has been in orbit since February, touched down on Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars on Saturday at about 7 a.m. local time.
  • The lander was carrying the Zhurong rover, named after an ancient Chinese god of fire, which will explore the surface near the landing site.
  • NASA’s Viking 2 visited Utopia Planitia in 1976, a few months after its twin, Viking 1, made history as the first probe to land safely on the planet. The U.S. space agency has sent several missions since then and its latest, the Perseverance rover, has been on the surface since February 18. On April 19, the US space program became the first to fly an aircraft, the Ingenuity helicopter, on another planet.
  • The Zhurong Mars rover is hoped to ignite the spark of China’s interplanetary exploration and guide humanity deep into the vast yet unknown outer space.
  • The European Space Agency tried to land on Mars in 2003, when its Beagle 2 probe crashed. Its ExoMars Schiaparelli spacecraft crashed in 2016 after software incorrectly estimated its altitude during an attempted landing.
  • The Soviet Union made several attempts in the 1970s and its Mars 3 probe reached the surface in 1971 but only transmitted back to Earth for less than a minute before going silent.