Dark Sky Reserve

• Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Science and Technology, declared that India will create its first Dark Sky Reserve by the end of 2022 in the chilly Ladakh desert.

Context:

• India is now in the midst of submitting its IDSA nomination.The first Dark Sky Reserve in the nation is being established under the direction of the Ladakh Union Territory government.

About Dark Sky Reserve

• A Dark Sky Reserve is a piece of land, either public or private, that has been carefully developed to reduce light pollution and offers a unique nighttime atmosphere and starry evenings.
• These reserves “consist of a core area meeting minimum criteria for sky quality and natural darkness, and a peripheral area that supports dark sky preservation in the core,” according to the International Dark Sky Association (IDSA).

How does a site become a ‘Dark Sky Reserve’?

• A site may be nominated by people or organizations to the International Dark Sky Association (IDSA) for certification. International Dark Sky parks, communities, reserves, sanctuaries, and Urban Night Sky Places are the five types that have been designated.
• According to the IDSA, 195 locations were designated as International Dark Sky Places worldwide between January 2022 and 2001.
• Only a piece of land that is either publicly or privately owned, partially or fully accessible to the public year-round, legally protected for scientific, natural, educational, cultural, heritage, and/or public enjoyment purposes, and whose core area offers an exceptional dark sky resource in comparison to surrounding communities and cities—as well as offering prescribed night sky brightness—will be considered a dark sky place by the IDSA.

What made Ladakh the project’s chosen location?

• The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) will rise within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary to a height of 4,500 meters above sea level.
• Approximately 3,000 meters above sea level, Ladakh is a distinct icy desert featuring steep mountainous landscapes. Much of the UT is extremely livable due to its long and harsh winters, which can see minimum temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.
• The region is ideal for long-term astronomical observatories and black sky locations due to its aridity, low vegetation, high elevation, and broad, sparsely populated areas.
• However, the main goal of the suggested Dark Sky Reserve is to encourage environmentally responsible and sustainable astronomy tourism. Here, scientific techniques will be applied to protect the night sky from light pollution, which is only going to get worse.

Bangalore Water Crisis

• For the past two days, Bengaluru’s severe drinking water issue has made headlines across the globe.

Context:

• According to the chief minister of Karnataka, Bengaluru experiences a daily water scarcity of 500 million litres, or roughly one-fifth of the city’s total daily demand.

Causes of the current water crisis:

• Monsoon: Karnataka recorded rainfall during the monsoon of previous year that was 18% less than average.The state did not receive much rain, not even during the post-monsoon season. Karnataka receives the majority of its yearly rainfall during the monsoon, just like the majority of other regions in the nation. Water stress in the monsoon months is usually often the result of insufficient rainfall.
• The comparatively low amount of water in reservoirs has been another direct effect of the low rainfall.
• Only 26% of the water in the Karnataka reservoirs is now being held, according to the most recent statistics available from the Central Water Commission.
• Aquifers: The aquifer system in South India is extremely distinct. It’s quite stony. There is not much water stored in the aquifers. Both their emptying and recharging processes happen swiftly. This means that in the event of a protracted dry season, groundwater supplies cannot be sustained for very long.
• The aquifers in northern India, on the other hand, have a far greater capacity to hold water. This explains why there hasn’t been the same kind of water scarcity in Bihar or Uttar Pradesh, which received even less rainfall than Karnataka in 2017.

Dealing with Shortage

• Climate change, systematic lake destruction, uncontrolled building, and obstructions to the natural subsurface water flow all have an impact on Bengaluru’s water availability.However, these don’t appear to be the direct causes of this specific persistent scarcity. This one is mostly related to the seasonal variations in rainfall and the state’s incapacity to build resilience against these kinds of unpredictabilities.
• States must plan ahead and build the capacity to handle the interruptions.
• The secret is to value water. This resource isn’t free. Wastage needs to be avoided while low or optimal consumption needs to be encouraged.

NATIONAL INTERNET EXCHANGE OF INDIA (NIXI)

• The BhashaNet portal has been successfully launched by the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) at the Universal Acceptance (UA) Day event.

Context:

• The BhashaNet portal aims to create a multilingual internet where localized email addresses and website names work together effortlessly around the globe.

About NATIONAL INTERNET EXCHANGE OF INDIA (NIXI)

• The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2003.
• The Companies Act of 2013 created the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), a statutory organization.

Purpose and Function:

• The purpose of NIXI is to improve Internet Service Protocols (ISPs) usage in India.
• Instead of routing domestic internet traffic abroad, NIXI facilitates routing it within the country. This results in better service quality (reduced latency) and lower bandwidth charges for ISPs by saving on international bandwidth.
• It aims to increase internet penetration and adoption in India by managing and enabling the internet ecosystem for the masses.

UN WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2024

• The UN World Happiness Report 2024 was just made available.

Context:

• One well-known publication that rates happiness levels across nations is the World Happiness Report. It is predicated on survey information gathered from participants who assess their own life.

About UN WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2024:

• The United Nations General Assembly launched the report in 2011 when it passed a resolution requesting that member nations gauge their citizens’ level of happiness and use the results to inform public policy.
• 2012 saw the publication of the first World Happiness Report, which served as the basis for the UN High-Level Meeting on Happiness and Well-Being.

Finland’s Unwavering Contentment:

• For seven years running, Finland has maintained its position as the happiest nation in the world.
• The top rankings are still dominated by Nordic countries, with Finland closely followed by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden.
• Afghanistan continued to rank lowest among the 143 nations surveyed, with persistent humanitarian challenges resulting from the Taliban’s 2020 takeover of the country.
• India remains at 126th place in the world happiness index, where it was ranked last year.