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7135b August 2020
7135b August 2020
www.visionias.in
CURRENT AFFAIRS
AUGUST 2020
2.2. INDIA-VIETNAM
Why in news
India and Vietnam held the 17th meeting of their bilateral Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and
Technological Cooperation.
5.7. LANDSLIDES
Why in news? Case with Idukki
• Idukki District, known as “spice garden of Kerala” lies in
Recently, unusually high rainfall and unscientific
Western Ghats region of Kerala, with Anaimudi Mountain
land use caused landslides at a settlement of tea Range and Eravikulam National Park in the North and Idukki
estate workers in Munnar in Idukki, Kerala. dam and Periyar National Park in the south.
About Landslide • Major causes of recent landslide:
o Heavy rainfall of 216 cm.
• Landslides are a type of "mass wasting," o Human interventions such as building on slopes which are
which denotes any down-slope movement of nearly 40o without adequate protective measures.
soil and rock under the direct influence of o Blockage of river channels and change of river course due
gravity. to previous landslides.
• It encompasses five modes of slope o Soil has a high content of sand which absorbs more water,
movement: falls, topples, slides, spreads, takes a loose form, and is at risk of slipping down.
o Soil has high clay content and high-intensity rainfall
and flows.
saturates the soil on the slopes.
• As per Geological Survey of India (GSI),
about 0.42 million km2 covering nearly 12.6% of land area of our country is prone to landslide hazards.
Causes of landslide
• Water and flooding: Water reduces the friction between the bedrock and the overlying sediment, and gravity
sends the debris sliding downhill.
o In sand and clay soils, a small amount of water may About Geological Survey of India (GSI)
increase stability. However, the sediment gets • GSI’s main function is creation and updation of
heavier as more water is added and that can cause it national geoscientific information and mineral
to flow downhill. resource assessment.
o Earthquakes: If the Earth's crust vibrates enough to • It was set up in 1851 primarily to find coal
disrupt the force of friction holding sediments in deposits for the Railways.
place on an incline, a landslide can strike. Seismic • Presently, it is an attached office to the
activity can also make it easier for water to seep into Ministry of Mines.
the soil, further destabilizing the slope. • GSI is headquartered in Delhi.
o Moreover, as the Indian plate moves northwards under the Eurasian plate at a speed of 45 mm per year,
the mountain rocks experience continuous stress, making them fragile and prone to further landslides.
Uranium and plutonium are most commonly used for Atoms of Tritium and Deuterium (isotopes of hydrogen) are
fission reactors. used in fusion reactors.
Energy produced is lesser than that in nuclear fusion. Energy released is several times greater than fission.
Fission reactors produce highly radioactive fission Fusion reactors produce no high activity/long-lived radioactive
products. waste. The burnt fuel in a fusion reactor is helium, an inert gas.
Additional neutrons released in the fission reaction can Due to the tremendous amount of pressure and
initiate a chain reaction which sustains fission reactions temperature needed to join the nuclei together, fusion reactions
for longer durations. are difficult to sustain for long periods of time.
Advantages of fusion energy
Issues related to India’s participation in ITER
• Abundant energy: Fusing atoms together in a controlled way • Delays in in-cash contribution: Since
releases nearly four million times more energy than a chemical 2017, India has not fulfilled its in-cash
reaction such as the burning of coal, oil or gas and four times contribution.
as much as nuclear fission reactions. • Low allocation of human resources at
• Sustainability: Fusion fuels are widely available and nearly the ITER site: Only 25 Indians are
currently working there, as against 100
inexhaustible. Deuterium can be distilled from all forms of
engineers/ scientists allowed as per the
water, while tritium will be produced during the fusion agreement. This gives opportunity to
reaction as fusion neutrons interact with lithium. countries like China to have excess
• Zero carbon emissions: Fusion doesn't emit harmful toxins like staffing.
carbon dioxide (CO₂) or other greenhouse gases into the • India deputed a rather junior person to
atmosphere. Its major by-product is helium: an inert, non- represent the country in comparison to
toxic gas. heads of states by other nations at the
• No high activity long-lived radioactive waste: The activation recent high profile global virtual event.
of components in a fusion reactor is low enough for the
materials to be recycled or reused within 100 years.
• Limited risk of proliferation: Fusion doesn't employ fissile materials like uranium and plutonium. There are no
enriched materials in a fusion reactor like ITER that could be exploited to make nuclear weapons.