GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said that the satellites onboard “are no longer usable” after the SSLV-D1 placed the satellite in an undesignated orbit.

• ISRO launched the maiden flight of its smallest launch vehicle on August 7, 2022, carrying payloads. The mission, called SSLV-D1, is the first developmental flight of the launch vehicle. But it failed to place the satellites in the designated orbits.

About SSLV-D1/EOS-02 Mission:

• Small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) is capable of launching Mini, Micro, or Nanosatellites (10 to 500 kg mass) to a 500 km planar orbit.
• SSLV-D1 mission was supposed to launch EOS-02, a 135 kg Satellite, into low earth orbit of about 350 km to the equator, at an inclination of about 37 degrees.
• ISRO has developed a small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) to cater to the launch of up to 500 kg satellites to Low Earth Orbits on a ‘launch-on-demand’
• EOS-02 is an earth observation satellite designed and realized by ISRO. This microsat series satellite offers advanced optical remote sensing operating in the infra-red band with high spatial resolution.
• The mission was also carrying the AzaadiSAT satellite. AzaadiSAT is an 8U Cubesat weighing around 8 kg. It carries 75 different payloads each weighing around 50 grams and conducts femto-experiments.
• Girl students from rural regions across the country were provided guidance to build these payloads.

Latest Development:

• SSLV-D1 placed the satellites into a 356 km x 76 km elliptical orbit instead of a 356 km circular orbit. This means that the satellites are no longer usable.
• The progress of the rocket launch was smooth and successful as all the solid fuel-powered engines performed normally.
• The failure of the mission appears to have been the result of a faulty sensor. According to ISRO the failure of a logic to identify a sensor failure and go for a salvage action caused the deviation, which resulted in the failure of the mission.

Several fish were found dead at Jakkur lake in North Bengaluru, allegedly due to entry of sewage along with rainwater after the recent rains in the city.

• For the last couple of days, the fish in the lakes are dying as a result of the polluted water. Locals are noticing fish dying over the last couple of days and the stench around the lake has become unbearable.
• As urbanization gathered momentum, since the 1990s, changes in land-use pattern combined with encroachments, domestic sewage, garbage, and effluent discharge has taken a toll on the scenic freshwater lake until it slowly turned into a dump for the city’s waste.

Jakkur Lake:

• Jakkur Lake is on approximately 160 acres and is located in the Northern part of Bangalore. The lake falls within Hebbal Valley as part of the Yellamallappa Chetty lake series in northern Bangalore.
• A 7-acre constructed wetland in the north of the lake has mostly been left to grow naturally. This wetland accounts for approximately 4.4% of the total lake area.
• There is a bund created with an outlet into the lake. There are species of plants in the wetland such as Typha, Alligator weed, and Water Hyacinth.
• It is observed that the growth of Hyacinth increases when the inflow of sewage water increases.

The reason behind the deaths of Fish:

• Aquatic organisms need dissolved oxygen (DO) to respire. It is necessary for aquatic animals, other microorganisms, and underwater plants. Dissolved Oxygen is defined as the amount of gaseous oxygen dissolved in the water.
• The chemical sewage contains a raw material that is utilized by aquatic plants and algae for their development and thus they increase in number which blocks the penetration of sunlight.
• As the aquatic plants and algae are increased in amount, the level of dissolved oxygen decreases which in turn creates a lack of oxygen availability and that affects the fishes and other aquatic organisms and may kill them as they uptake the oxygen from water.
• Due to the waste present in the water, the microorganisms present in the sewage consume all the dissolved oxygen, thereby depriving the fishes of the dissolved oxygen, and ultimately fishes die due to lack of availability of oxygen.

Additional Reasons/Information:

• Microbial activity increases Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD). BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by bacteria in decomposing the organic wastes present in water. It is expressed in milligrams of oxygen per litre of water. The higher value of BOD indicates a low DO content of water.
• When there is high turbidity in the water body then it can lead to the clogging of the gills of fishes and then their death.
• Eutrophication can also cause the death of fish. It increases the presence of an algae bloom and that can lead to oxygen depletion, resulting in the deaths of aquatic organisms.

Eutrophication refers to the addition of artificial or non-artificial substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to a freshwater system. It can be anthropogenic or natural. It leads to an increase in the primary productivity of the water body or “bloom” of phytoplankton.

• If there is an increase in sulfur dioxide level in the water body, then it has the potential of killing fish.
• Keeping sewage out or only releasing it into water bodies after undergoing treatment and routine harvesting of the wetlands are the possible measures that can be put to use to avoid such happenings in the future.

India Starts Working With The Combined Maritime Forces In Bahrain.

• In April this year, during the India-US 2+2 India announced that it would be joining the CMF as an associate partner, in order to strengthen cooperation in regional security in the western Indian Ocean.
• Last month, India formally commenced cooperation with the Bahrain-based multilateral partnership, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). The modalities of the exact nature of cooperation were in place and they are now being worked out.

About CMF:

• The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is a multinational maritime partnership, which exists to uphold the Rules-Based International Order (RBIO) by countering illicit non-state actors on the high seas and promoting security, stability, and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
• CMF is Commanded by a U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, who also serves as Commander US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and US Navy Fifth Fleet. All four commands are co-located at US Naval Support Activity Bahrain. In the immediate neighborhood.
• The deputy commander of the CMF-B is a commodore of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy.
• India is the 35^th member of this grouping. Pakistan is a full member of CMF.
• It is comprised of four task forces:

1. 1. CTF 150 (maritime security and counter-terrorism),
   2. CTF 151 (counter-piracy) and
   3. CTF 152 (Arabian Gulf security and cooperation)
   4. CTF 153 (Maritime security in the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden

• It is a flexible organization and members are not bound by either a political or military mandate.
  
  
  

Significance of CMF:

• Protection of trade routes
• Counter-terrorism
• Counter-piracy
• Curbing Illegal Fishing

Working of CMF and India’s Contribution:

• CMF is a coalition of the willing and does not proscribe a specific level of participation from any member nation. The contribution from each country, therefore, varies depending on its ability to contribute assets and the availability of those assets at any given time.
• CMF is a flexible organization and contributions can vary from the provision of a liaison officer at CMF HQ in Bahrain, to the deployment of warships or maritime reconnaissance aircraft. We can also call on warships not explicitly assigned to CMF to give Associated Support. This allows a warship to offer assistance to CMF whilst concurrently undertaking national tasking
• India has cooperated with CMF on various occasions. For instance, the CMF’s CTF 151 has coordinated with Indian and Chinese warships deployed on anti-piracy duties to patrol the Maritime Security Transit Corridor.

• International prices falling the most since Oct 2008 and a good monsoon makes it a possibility.

• The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index (FPI) has averaged 140.9 points, which is 8.6% down from its previous month’s level. This is the steepest monthly drop since October 2008.
• Between March and July, the FPI has cumulatively declined by 11.8%. This has been led by vegetable oils and cereals, whose average prices have fallen even more, by 32% and 13.4% respectively.

Global factors leading to Inflation:

• There were four major supply-side shock drivers of the great global food inflation from around October 2020: weather, pandemic, war, and export controls.

1. 1. Weather: The weather-related shocks included droughts in Ukraine (2020-21) and South America (2021-22), which especially impacted sunflower and soybean supplies, and the March-April 2022 heat wave that devastated India’s wheat crop.
   2. Pandemic: The pandemic’s supply-side impact was felt the most in Malaysia’s oil palm plantations

• • • During the pandemic many migrant labours flew back, they were engaged in the harvesting of fresh fruit bunches, and no new work permits were issued, resulting in low output, translating into a decline in exports.

1. 3. War: The Russo-Ukrainian War led to supply disruptions from the two countries that, in 2019-20 (a non-war, non-drought year), accounted for 28.5% of the world’s wheat, 18.8% of corn, 34.4% of barley, and 78.1% of sunflower oil exports.
   4. Export Controls: Export controls were first imposed by Russia in December 2020, prompted by domestic food inflation fears arising from record hot temperatures.

• • • Shortage concerns at home triggered similar actions in palm oil by Indonesia (the world’s No. 1 producer-cum-exporter) and
    • in wheat by India during March-May 2022.

Relieving External Factors:

• Resumption of exports from Ukraine via the Black Sea: The UN-backed agreement for unblocking the Black Sea trade route, provides for unimpeded shipments of Russian food and fertilizers.
• Indonesia, since late May, has lifted its ban on palm oil exports.
• US, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay are set to harvest bumper soybean crops.

Relieving Domestic Factors:

• Good Southwest monsoon: The prospects for the coming days seem equally encouraging, with a low-pressure area forming over the northwest Bay of Bengal off the Odisha-West Bengal coasts – and another one forecast after mid-August.
• Above average rainfall across the South Peninsula, Central and Northwest India has boosted acreages under most crops this Kharif (monsoon) season.
• Rice stocks are well above buffer: Although the paddy transplantation has taken some hit due to deficient rains, the situation is manageable due to enough rice stocks in government godowns. Also, paddy being grown in the rabi (winter-spring) season as well, should make the overall rice situation manageable.
• Duty-free Imports: The government’s decision to allow duty-free imports of arhar, urad, and Masur will keep prices under control.
• International exportable surpluses, primarily from Canada and Australia, are also higher than last year’s by about 0.5 mt each for both pulses.
• Higher water levels: Current water levels in the country’s major reservoirs are higher than a year back and above their last 10 year’s average storage. A good monsoon can better the rate of groundwater recharge, which could help rabi crops.

Downward Trend:

• Due to global and domestic factors, there are compelling reasons for food inflation in India to “trend down”.
• This is already being seen in edible oils.
• A good monsoon would also mean more fodder and water for animals, further reducing livestock input costs and inflationary pressures on milk, egg, and meat.

• Moving paddy transplantation forward by two weeks can lead to a 36% greater wheat yield.

• Cornell University, the United States, has found that the sowing dates of wheat have maximum influence on its yield. It supersedes all other crop management, soil, and varietal factors.
• The study has found that by adjusting sowing dates in eastern parts of India will increase production by 69 percent.

About the study:

• The researchers have studied in 2.25 million hectares of farmland cultivating wheat-paddy in Bihar and seven adjacent districts of Uttar Pradesh.
• In this region, the wheat is sown between early November and late December, with harvest extending from late March through April.Rice alternates with wheat on the agricultural calendar, with farmers growing rice in the wet season and wheat in the dry one.
• The study divided the data into three:

1. Early (before November 20),
2. Medium (November 20 to December 4) and
3. Late (after December 4).

Key Findings:

• Advancing the rice crop calendar by up to two weeks will help wheat productivity.
• The yield increased by 69 percent for fields sown in early November (5.4 tonnes per hectare) compared with those in late December (3.2 tonnes per hectare).
• A bulk of the sowing, 59 percent, takes place after December 1^st and moving it up by two weeks can lead to a 36 percent increase in yield.
• Rice productivity will not be hampered by early wheat sowing.

Significance:

• Policymakers need to take note of this and help design an agriculture calendar so that paddy transplantation can happen earlier.
• A calendar that balances both wheat and rice yields is needed. Moving to short-duration paddy varieties might be one solution.
• The data can be crucial for resilient climate farming in the country.
• Planting wheat earlier helps the crop avoid heat stress as it matures.
• The greater production will help ensure food security and farm profitability as the planet warms.

The highest levels of coral cover, within the past 36 years, has been recorded in the northern and central parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR), according to the annual long-term monitoring report by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). The researchers behind the report have warned, however, that this could be quickly reversed owing to rising global temperatures. 

What are coral reefs?

• Largest living structures on the planet -Corals are marine invertebrates or animals which do not possess a spine. Each coral is called a polyp and thousands of such polyps live together to form a colony, which grow when polyps multiply to make copies of themselves.
• Types of Corals- Corals are of two types hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals extract calcium carbonate from seawater to build hard, white coral exoskeletons. Hard corals are in a way the engineers of reef ecosystems and measuring the extent of hard coral is a widely-accepted metric for measuring the condition of coral reefs. Soft corals attach themselves to such skeletons and older skeletons built by their ancestors. Soft corals also add their own skeletons to the hard structure over the years.
• Services provided by Corals- Coral reefs support over 25% of marine biodiversity even as they take up only 1% of the seafloor. The marine life supported by reefs further fuels global fishing industries. Besides, coral reef systems generate $2.7 trillion in annual economic value through goods and service trade and tourism.

What does the new report say?

• Reefs are resilient- The report states that reef systems are resilient and capable of recovering after disturbances such as accumulated heat stress, cyclones, predatory attacks and so on, provided the frequency of such disturbances is low.
• Increase in overall coral cover- The new survey shows record levels of region-wide coral cover in the northern and central GBR since the first ever AIMS survey was done. Coral cover is measured by determining the increase in the cover of hard corals. The hard coral cover in northern GBR had reached 36% while that in the central region had reached 33%. Meanwhile, coral cover levels declined in the southern region from 38% in 2021 to 34% in 2022.
• Reasons for coral growth-The record levels of recovery, the report showed, were fuelled largely by increases in the fast-growing Acropora corals, which are a dominant type in the GBR. Incidentally, these fast growing corals are also the most susceptible to environmental pressures such as rising temperatures, cyclones, pollution, crown-of-thorn starfish (COTs) attacks which prey on hard corals and so on. Also, behind the recent recovery in parts of the reef, are the low levels of acute stressors in the past 12 months — no tropical cyclones, lesser heat stress in 2020 and 2022 as opposed to 2016 and 2017. 

Persistent Issues

• Climate change-induced stress - Besides predatory attacks and tropical cyclones, scientists say that the biggest threat to the health of the reef is climate change-induced heat stress, resulting in coral bleaching.
• Increase in Ocean Temperature- According to the UN assessment in 2021, the world is going to experience heating at 1.5°C in the next decade, the temperature at which bleaching becomes more frequent and recovery less impactful.
• Increase in marine heatwaves - The report says that the prognosis for the future disturbance suggests an increase in marine heatwaves that will last longer and the ongoing risk of COTs (crown-of-thorn starfish) outbreaks and cyclones. 

What do you understand by corals? Explain the threats which are leading to coral bleaching?