EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
15th May 2021
Cyclone Tauktae
Recently, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned against Cyclone Tauktae, strengthening and intensifying into a ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm.
Cyclone Tauktae
- It is formed over Southeast Arabian Sea.
- It shall cause extremely heavy rainfall (more than 204 mm) over Lakshadweep, Kerala, ghats of Tamil Nadu, coastal Karnataka.
- The word Tauktae has been suggested by Myanmar.
- It means 'gecko', a distinctively vocal lizard, in the Burmese language.
How are Cyclones Named?
- The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) maintains rotating lists of names, which are appropriate for each Tropical Cyclone basin.
- If a cyclone is particularly deadly or costly, then its name is retired and replaced by another.
- The name list is proposed by the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) of the WMO members of a specific region and approved by the respective tropical cyclone regional bodies at their annual or biennial sessions.
Why is a Cyclone Named?
- It came into the practice for quick identification of the storms in warning messagesbecause names are presumed to be easier to remember than latitude and longitude numbers and technical terms.
- The names make it easier for the media to report on tropical cyclones and increase community preparedness.
- As per WMO, the use of short, distinctive names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and less subject to error than the older more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods.
Naming cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea
- The World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (WMO/UNESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclonesagreed in principle to assign names to the tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
- It was decided to name cyclones in Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea during WMO/ESCAP’s 27th session held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, in 2000.
- The naming of the tropical cyclones over the north Indian Ocean commenced from September 2004, with names provided by eight members.
- The members are Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
- In September 2018, it was decided to prepare a fresh list of names of tropical cyclones including representation from five new member countries, viz., Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Dongria Kondh Tribe
Recently, the first cases of coronavirus infection have been reported among the Dongria Kondh tribe which has sparked concern among the administration of Odisha.
Dongria Kondh Tribe
- It is settled in the Niyamgiri hills of Rayagada district in Odisha.
- Niyamgiri is an area of densely forested hills, deep gorges and cascading streams.
- It is one of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) in India.
- They derive their name from dongar, meaning ‘hill’ and the name for themselves is Jharnia: protector of streams.
- The Dongria have distinctive jewellery, tattoos and hairstyles.
- Women wear many rings through their ears and three through their noses, while boys wear two nose rings.
- Dongria girls wear clips in their hair and rings and beads around their necks.
- The Dongria also cultivate orchards in the forest, producing crops such as oranges, bananas, ginger, sweet papaya and the aromatic resin jhunu.
- The Dongria believe that animals, plants, mountains and other specific sites and streams have a life-force or soul, jela, which comes from the mother goddess.
US Slider Turtle
The US Slider Turtle, popular as pet, is threatening to invade the natural water bodiesacross the Northeast which is home to 21 of the 29 vulnerable native Indian species of freshwater turtles and tortoises.
US Slider Turtle
- The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) derives its name from red stripes around the part where its ears would be and from its ability to slide quickly off any surface into the water.
- It is native to the U.S. and northern Mexico.
- It can live up to 20 years in captivity.
- The diseases such as metabolic bone disease (MBD) and vitamin A deficiency are seen in many kinds of reptiles including red eared sliders.
- It is an aquatic turtle, a strong swimmer, and in the wild, will commonly be seen basking on rocks, logs, or other surfaces above the water.
- The red-eared slider prefers marshes, ponds, and slow-moving water that supply food and basking areas.
Why US Slider Turtle is a threat to Indian native species of turtles?
- The NGO ‘Help Earth’ found red-eared sliders in the Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuaryand the Ugratara temple pond in Guwahati.
- The report said a red-eared slider was collected from an unnamed stream, connected to the Tlawng River, on a farm near Mizoram capital Aizawl.
- The red-eared slider has already affected States such as Karnataka and Gujarat.
- The prevention of this invasive species from overtaking the Brahmaputra and other river ecosystems in the Northeast is crucial because the Northeast is home to more than 72% of the turtle and tortoise species in the country.
- The people who keep it as pets become sensitive about turtle conservation but endanger the local ecosystem by releasing them in natural water bodies.
- It is regarded as the most invasive species of turtles in the world.
- According to researchers, they can have a devastating impact on the aquatic lifethere.
- The red-eared sliders do not have any natural predators because they are an invasive species.
- They pose a threat to both native aquatic animals and plants since they are omnivores.
Sputnik V: Third COVID Vaccine in India
Recently, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) has said that it had launched Sputnik V in India.
- The vaccine is currently the second most expensive Covid-19 jab in the country.
Sputnik V
- It is made by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow.
- It is a two-dose Covid-19 vaccine using a similar platform to Covishield.
- Unlike Covishield, which uses a weakened common cold “adenovirus” that affects chimpanzees, Sputnik V makes use of two different human adenoviruses.
- The vaccine has an efficacy of over 91 per cent.
- It implies that Sputnik V has the ability to bring down symptomatic Covid-19 cases by over 91 per cent in those vaccinated compared with those who have not received a Covid vaccine.
- In India, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories is the local distribution partner for Sputnik V.
- It works on a complex biotechnology in which another virus is employed to carry the DNA code required for triggering immune response in human cells.
Working of Sputnik V Vaccine
- It uses two different viruses that cause the common cold (adenovirus) in humans.
- The adenoviruses are weakened so they cannot replicate in humans and cannot cause disease.
- They are also modified so that the vaccine delivers a code for making the coronavirus spike protein.
- It aims to ensure that when the real virus tries to infect the body, it can mount an immune response in the form of antibodies.
- Sputnik uses a different vector for each of the two shots in a course of vaccination.
- It provides immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.
Basava Jayanti
Recently, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has bowed to Jagadguru Basaveshwaraon 'Basava Jayanti'.
Basava Jayanti
- It is a regional government holiday in the Indian state of Karnataka on the third day of Shukla Paksha (18th day) in the month of Vaisakha.
- It is traditionally observed by the Lingayats in the Indian state of Karnataka.
- It marks the birth anniversary of Basavanna, a 12th-century poet-philosopher who was the founding saint of the Lingayat sect.
- The Lingayats are a Hindu sect with a wide following in southern India that worships Shiva as the only deity.
- It is celebrated by Lingayats majorly in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.
Basavanna
- Basavanna was born in 1105 CE in the northern part of Karnataka, to a Kannada family devoted to Hindu deity Shiva.
- Basava helped to spread the Lingayat sect by teaching and by dispersing funds to Lingayat guilds.
- Several important Lingayat works are credited to Basavanna, including Vachana such as the Shat-sthala-vachana, Kala-jnana-vachana, Mantra-gopya, Ghatachakra-vachana and Raja-yoga-vachana.
- Basavanna believed that every human being was equal, irrespective of caste and that all forms of manual labour were equally important.
- Basava advocated the wearing of a necklace with a pendant that contains a small votary object symbolizing Shiva called a Linga, from which the Lingayats get their name.
- Basavanna also holds the distinction of being the first Kannadiga to have a commemorative coin, which was minted in recognition of his social reforms.
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