The Hindu Analysis 14 th
February 2021)
Important articles
For Mains The Hindu
Page No.
For Prelims The Hindu
Page No.
1. Spotlight on dams after Chamoli disaster (Geography, Disaster management)
12 1. Nanophotonics: Hyderabad scientists manipulate tiny crystals (Science and Technology)
11
2. Bait, plant and control (Cyber-security) 12 2. Detailed genome map of malaria vector (Science and Technology)
11
3. West Bengal to host Sanskriti Mahotsav (Culture, Government schemes)
8
Key points:
• Context- Glacial burst in Uttarakhand Why did it happen?
• Union Home Minister told Parliament that satellite imagery from Planet Labs indicated that the landslide-avalanche event at an altitude of 5,600 metres occurred in a glacier in the Rishi Ganga catchment, and covered an area of 14 sq. km, causing the flood.
Why is the Chamoli incident of concern?
• Uttarakhand, which gained a distinct identity in the year 2000 as a separate State carved out from Uttar Pradesh, is geologically unique. As a part of the lesser Himalaya, in the populated terrane - a region bounded by earth faults - it remains active in terms of deep movement of rock assemblages.
• As the northward moving peninsular India presses on, the lesser Himalaya rock assemblages are compressed and are pushed under the huge pile of the Great Himalayan rocks, the latter riding southwards onto and over the lesser Himalaya.
UPSC Mains- GS-I
(Geography), GS-III
(Disaster)
• The movement has been going on since the MCT [the Main Central Thrust] was formed 20-22 million years ago. The MCT, running east-west along the Himalaya, is where the Indian and Eurasian plates connect. The result of these geological stresses is weakening of rocks, making the development of large dam projects in the region unwise.
• A key concern is the active nature of rock fractures, known as faults, which respond to earthquakes, creating enormous instability, especially along slopes.
• Although dam builders assert that their structures can withstand even high-intensity earthquakes, researchers say lessons from large structures, such as the Tehri dam, should also be studied, since there are concerns about induced seismic effects caused by the repeated filling and emptying of the reservoir, which may be deforming the area around the young dam.
Note:
1. MBT- Main Boundary Thrust 2. MCT- Main Central Thrust
3. STD- South Tibetan Detachment
• Moreover, the geology of mountains in many parts of Uttarakhand is such that the threat of landslides is high. Rocks here have been weakened by natural processes across time and are vulnerable to intense rainfall as well as human interference, in the form of house-building and road construction. The careless disposal of enormous debris from mining and construction projects has added to the problem, blocking flow paths and providing additional debris.
Are there effects of climate change?
• The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate found that in the Himalayan ranges, there could be variations in overall water availability, but floods, avalanches and landslides were all forecast to increase.
• Changes in monsoonal precipitation could also bring more frequent disasters.
Are expensive hydroelectric projects worth the investment today?
• Central government has been offering incentives since March 2019 to make hydropower attractive. These include classification of large hydropower projects as Renewable Energy sources, creating a separate category for hydropower within Non-Solar Renewable Purchase Obligation, tariff rationalisation.
• Though hydropower has been reliable where suitable dam capacity exists, in places such as Uttarakhand, the net benefit of big dams is controversial because of the collateral and unquantified damage in terms of loss of lives, livelihoods and destruction of ecology.
Q. Why Uttarakhand is more prone to natural disasters? Do you think Hydropower is suitable
way forward for development in Himalayan region? Justify your view.
Key points:
What is NetWire?
• NetWire, which first surfaced in 2012, is a well-known malware. It is also one of the most active ones around.
• It is a remote access trojan, or RAT, which gives control of the infected system to an attacker.
Such malware can log keystrokes and compromise passwords.
• Malware, according to cybersecurity experts, essentially do two things. One is data exfiltration, which means stealing data. Most anti-virus software are equipped to prevent this. The other involves infiltrating a system, and this has proven to be far more challenging for anti-virus software.
• NetWire is described as an off- the-shelf malware, while something like Pegasus, which used a bug in WhatsApp to infiltrate users’ phones in 2019, is custom-made and sold to nations.
What is a command and control server?
• The commands emerging from this server is what the infected system will carry out.
UPSC Mains GS-III and Prelims: Cyber Security
Key points:
• Crystals are normally rigid, stiff structures, but researchers from University of Hyderabad have shown how crystals can be sliced and even bent using atomic force microscopy.
• Manipulating them with precision and control comes in very useful in the field of nanophotonics, a qualitative, emerging field where the aim is to go beyond electronics and build up circuits driven entirely by photons (light).
• If the technique can be successfully developed, this can achieve an unprecedented level of miniaturisation and pave the way to all-optical-technology such as pliable, wearable devices operated by light entirely.
• Light, when left to itself moves along straight paths, so it is crucial to develop materials and technology that can cause its path to bend along what is required in the circuits. This is like using fibre optics, but at the nanoscale level using organic crystals.
• Usually photonic integrated circuits are made using silicon, silicon-based and metallic materials using electron beam lithography. This group on the other hand uses organic materials and atomic force microscopy to manipulate them.
• The research collaboration extends to several countries: Germany, UAE, Spain and India.
UPSC Prelims:
Science and
Technology
Key points:
• Scientists have unveiled the detailed genome of the malaria mosquito vector, revealing thousands of new genes vital for the development of genetic control strategies of disease transmission.
• In order to engineer advanced forms of defence against malaria transmission, including targeted CRISPR and gene drive– based strategies, scientists require intricate knowledge of the genomes of vector mosquitoes.
• Scientists produced a new reference genome for the Asian malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi.
CRISPER Cas9 technology:
• CRISPR technology is a gene-editing technology that can be used for the purpose of altering genetic expression or changing the genome of an organism.
• The clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) (CRISPR-Cas9) system has revolutionised genetic manipulations and made gene editing simpler, faster and easily accessible to most laboratories.
• The technology can be used for targeting specific stretches of an entire genetic code or editing the DNA at particular locations.
• Its many potential applications include correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of diseases and improving crops.
• However, its promise also raises ethical concerns. E.g. a chinese researcher, He Jiankui, has claimed that he used CRISPR to produce the world’s first gene-edited babies to make babies immune to infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
UPSC Prelims: Science and
Technology
Key points:
• The Union Culture Ministry’s flagship festival, the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM), will be held in West Bengal this time, with the inauguration at Cooch Behar Palace on 14th February 2021.
• The 10th edition of the festival was held in Madhya Pradesh in October 2019.
• It is celebrated under the Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat initiative of GoI.
Note:
• The initiative ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ was announced by Hon'ble Prime Minister on 31st October, 2015 on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Through this innovative measure, the knowledge of the culture, traditions and practices of different states & UTs will lead to an enhanced understanding and bonding between the states, thereby strengthening the unity and integrity of India.
