Chilika sees record number of migratory birds amid bird flu scare - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Chilika sees record number of migratory birds amid bird flu scare.

A record number of migratory birds arrived this season in Odisha’s Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, according to the latest bird census of the wetland.

This season, 1,242,826 birds belonging to 190 species were spotted compared to 1,105,040 birds of 183 species last year. Forest officials had counted 1,047,978 birds in 2019, 893,390 in 2018, 947,119 in 2017 and 761,940 in 2016 in the lagoon area.

Two rare birds — falcated teal and mallard — were sighted this time, said S Balachandran, deputy director, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), which assisted in the survey. The annual census was conducted by the Chilika Wildlife Division on January 5, 2021 by 120 persons, including ornithologists from BNHS, officials of wildlife organisations and wildlife activists in 21 teams.

Susant Nanda, chief executive of Chilika Development Authority (CDA), said the increase this season was due to the availability of open space after large tracts of illegal prawn gheries were cleared by the authority.

Since December 2020, hundreds of birds have died of bird flu in Kerala, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Taking note of this, authorities in Chilika have started collecting wet faecal droppings and serum samples from the migratory birds and poultry farms in the lake area and around Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district.

The samples will be stored in leak-proof containers and cold chains maintained by veterinary doctors and sent to Animal Disease Research Institute (ADRI) in Cuttack. From there, it will be dispatched to the high-security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal, informed Sarat Chandra Mishra, assistant conservator of forest (ACF), Chilika Lake.

In January last year, the state government had sounded a bird flu alert in Bhubaneswar after the avian influenza virus was found in samples collected from dead chickens.

Since then, officials have organised awareness drives among villagers near the Bhitarkanika National Park and have been inspecting migratory birds at Bhitarkanika, Satabhaya, Hukitola and other major bird habitats with the help of mobile veterinary units.

Forest and veterinary officials are keeping an eye on species like bar-headed geese, brahminy duck, plovers, pintails, among others which are prone to carry H5N1 strain of avian influenza.

The bird flu virus does not survive in temperatures above 39 degree Celsius and so, bird flu cases are reported only in winter.

Chilika Lake, a popular birding destination, comes alive with colourful birds from Siberia, China, Japan and other far-off lands in the northern hemisphere as the lake presents them a hospitable alternative to the freezing conditions in their natural habitats.

This year, the highest number of godwall (222,009) have come to the lake and 460,116 northern pintails were spotted.

Nalabana island on the lake that houses the Nalabana Bird Sanctuary remained the favourite destination for the winged visitors, with 424,788 birds spotted.

Earlier, migratory birds were confined to this sanctuary because much of the rest of the wetland area was encroached upon by illegal prawn cultivation units.

In 2019, the Orissa high court ordered the state government to initiate demolition of these structures to restore the ecology of the area.

With around 200 square kilometre of illegal prawn gheries demolished, birds have been spotted across a larger area of the lake over the last two years.

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Chilika sees record number of migratory birds amid bird flu scare.

Meeting India’s air quality targets across South Asia may prevent 7% of pregnancy losses: Lancet study - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Meeting India’s air quality targets across South Asia may prevent 7% of pregnancy losses: Lancet study.

Previous studies have suggested a link between air pollution and pregnancy loss in other regions, but this is the first study to quantify the burden in South Asia.

Poor air quality is associated with a considerable proportion of pregnancy loss in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, according to a modelling study to be published on Thursday in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.

An estimated 349,681 pregnancy losses per year in South Asia were associated with exposure to PM2.5 concentrations that exceeded India’s air quality standard (more than 40 µg/m³), accounting for 7% of annual pregnancy loss in the region from 2000-2016.

Previous studies have suggested a link between air pollution and pregnancy loss in other regions, but this is the first study to quantify the burden in South Asia, which is the most populous region in the world and has the highest rate of pregnancy loss, Lead author on the study, Dr. Tao Xue, Peking University, China, told The Indian Express via email. Therefore, understanding the risk factors for pregnancy loss in South Asia is crucial to improving maternal health regionally and globally, he said.

“Among some of the explanations why air pollution can cause pregnancy loss is that fine particles have been reported to cross the blood placenta barrier and harm the embryo directly. Exposure to poor air quality can cause disorders such as inflammation, oxidative stress and blood pressure elevation which can act as factors to increase the risk of pregnancy loss,” Dr Tao said.

To carry out their analysis, the authors combined data from household surveys on health from 1998-2016 (from women who reported at least one pregnancy loss and one or more live births) and estimated exposure to PM2.5 during pregnancy through combining satellite with atmospheric modelling outputs. They created a model to examine how exposure to PM2.5 increased women’s risk of pregnancy loss, calculating risk for each 10 µg/m³ increased in PM2.5 after adjusting for maternal age, temperature and humidity, seasonal variation, and long-term trends in pregnancy loss.

Using this association, they calculated the number of pregnancy losses that may have been caused by PM2.5 in the whole region for the period 2000–16 and looked at how many pregnancy losses might have been prevented under India’s and WHO’s air quality standard (40 µg/m³ and 10 µg/m³, respectively).

In the study, they included 34,197 women who had lost a pregnancy, including 27,480 miscarriages and 6,717 stillbirths, which were compared to live birth controls. Of the pregnancy loss cases, 77% were from India, 12% from Pakistan, and 11% from Bangladesh.

Gestational exposure to PM2.5 was associated with an increased likelihood of pregnancy loss, and this remained significant after adjusting for other factors. Each increase in 10 µg/m³ was estimated to increase a mother’s risk of pregnancy loss by 3%. The increase in risk was greater for mothers from rural areas or those who became pregnant at an older age, compared to younger mothers from urban areas.

Although WHO’s guidelines aims for a safer level of air pollution, the authors said that India’s standard is a more realistic target level, given the high average levels of air pollution in the region and the need to balance practical governance and public health. (Source: The Indian Express)

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Meeting India’s air quality targets across South Asia may prevent 7% of pregnancy losses: Lancet study.

India saw largest area-wise forest fires in South Asia from 2003-17, finds ISRO study - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India saw largest area-wise forest fires in South Asia from 2003-17, finds ISRO study.

The study found that most fires in India were surface fires emerging during hot and dry weather conditions in March and April, and the most common cause of fires in South Asia was deforestation surface fires burn down small vegetation, debris and spread rapidly, destroying the forest floor.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) researchers have found that India saw the largest area-wise forest fires across a region comprising seven South Asian countries, over a 15-year period between 2003 and 2017.
The study found that most fires in India were surface fires emerging during hot and dry weather conditions in March and April, and the most common cause of fires in South Asia was deforestation surface fires burn down small vegetation, debris and spread rapidly, destroying the forest floor. The study found that fire hotspots are increasing in Bangladesh (34.2 percent) and India (32.2 percent).
An Indian Forest Service official said on condition of anonymity, “The season of forest fire in India is about to begin. This time, there is higher ground load the presence of dried-up grass and leaves, which can easily go up in flames in case of fire.”
According to the latest Forest Survey of India (FSI) report, 36 percent of forests in India are prone to fires, of which 95 percent were caused by anthropogenic activities. The study found that the largest area-wise forest fires in India emerged from Central India, though fires were more frequent in Northeast India due to the shifting of cultivation. The FSI report of 2019 lists out the electric spark, cigarette smoking or naked flame besides natural fire, as some of the common causes for fire in Indian forests.
“The ill-effects of forest burning is directly on the ecology and economy, as there is an imbalance created in the atmospheric chemistry. Due to forest burning, there is an increase in emissions of greenhouse gases,” the study stated.
A team of researchers from ISRO’s Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) conducted the study over an area of 51,23,270 sq km across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Bangladesh from 2003 to 2017. The results were published in Springer Nature in February.
Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, and Meghalaya were ranked at the top among Indian states where the highest number of forest fire incidents were reported during the study period. But the concentration of emerging hotspots was reportedly growing over Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh.
Forest officials blamed human activity as the main cause of most forest fires in India.
Over 15 years, the researchers recorded a total of 5,22,348 fire incidents of varying intensities and different types. Like India, most fires emerged during March and April in the other countries in the study, mainly owing to the region’s hot and dry weather conditions besides the land’s topography, the experts said.
Of the total landmass in South Asia, only 14.7 percent is under forest cover, while agriculture has the largest share at 43 percent. The rest 19.9 percent is a barren land.
According to the NRSC team’s analysis, the maximum number of fire incidents are reported from tropical moist deciduous and tropical dry deciduous forests. “The…common causes for fires in South Asian countries are deforestation, controlled burning, promotion of new flush of grasses, collection of minor forest produce and firewood burning,” the study stated.
Recently, there has been a spate of wildfires in Australia, California, and Brazil. Australia, despite having advanced equipment to tackle fires, could not bring them under control until the maximum damage was already done.
The forest official, explaining the challenges India faces, said, “Tackling and controlling forest fires is extremely difficult as the fire progresses in the direction along with the wind and towards higher altitudes. Besides, with limited access and to carry heavy water extinguishers into forests here, dousing fires often forces forest staffers to risk their lives and get closer to fire. They mostly use hand-held blowers. Besides, limited ground staff makes it more difficult to take timely action, particularly during the peak forest fire season.”
Indicating a direct link between the variation in temperatures and forests coming under fire, the NRSC study explained the maximum fires (9.9 percent) recorded in 2009. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 2009 was the warmest ever year recorded (till then), when India’s annual mean temperature was 25.6 degrees Celsius. Notably, 2009 was a year that saw a strong influence of El Nino. The scientists observed a similar surge in the forest fire events in 2012 (8.7 percent). (Source: The Indian Express)


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India saw largest area-wise forest fires in South Asia from 2003-17, finds ISRO study.

India saw 82 internet shutdowns in 2017-18; highest in south Asia: UNESCO - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India saw 82 internet shutdowns in 2017-18; highest in south Asia: UNESCO.

As per the report released by UNESCO-International Federation of Journalists, Pakistan witnessed 12 cases of Internet shutdown, while Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka reported one such case each.

People in South Asian countries experienced at least 97 instances of Internet shutdown, a barometer on freedom of press and expression, between May 2017 and April 2018, with India alone accounting for 82 such cases, according to a UNESCO report.
According to the Clampdowns and Courage-South Asia Press Freedom Report 2017-18, released recently by the UNESCO-International Federation of Journalists, Pakistan witnessed 12 instances of Internet shutdown, while Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka reported one such case each.
Internet shutdown and deliberate slowdowns are increasing the world over and are now also a barometer on press freedom and freedom of expression controls. South Asia has witnessed the highest number of Internet shutdowns globally, with India earning the dubious crown for the country with the highest number of Internet shutdowns, the report said.
It said Internet shutdowns are any intentional disruption of the broadband or mobile Internet or Internet-based mobile apps, by an order of the authorities or threat of non-state party, to control communication or online content or slowing down the access to the general public.
In most cases, the justification given for Internet shutdown was to maintain law and order, while many shutdowns were either preemptive or reactive measures in the face of mass or potential violent public protests, it said.
In India, Kashmir Valley experienced nearly half of the cases of Internet shutdown in the country. Clamping down on communication generally followed military operations in which militant or civilians were killed, the report said.
Over 10 instances of internet being affected were witnessed in Rajasthan, while Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana were among states in which less than 10 cases of Internet shutdown were recorded, according to the report.
In the six biggest instances of Internet shutdown, India accounted for five of them while one was experienced in Afghanistan.
It said in Darjeeling in West Bengal, a 45-day Internet shutdown was ordered due to political demonstration, protest and clashes by activists seeking a separate state.
Similarly, a 40-day Internet shutdown was witnessed in Nawada in Bihar after communal clashes, while mobile Internet and social media were affected for 31 days in Jammu and Kashmir to prevent circulation of videos and photos showing alleged military abuse, the report said.
Mobile and broadband Internet were suspended for 15 days in Jammu and Kashmir in July last year after terrorists opened fire on a bus full of pilgrims, while SMS and mobile Internet services were suspended in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh for 12 days to stop rumours following violent communal clashes, according to the report.
The Afghanistan Telecommunication Regulatory Authority had directed Internet service providers to block telegram and WhatsApp services for 20 days. However, it was not fully implemented, the report said.
The report said apart from causing massive economic losses, they also create adverse social impacts in access to vital information and affect crisis communication by general citizens.
Slowdowns also impede the work of journalists in critical ways. When the Internet is blocked or slowed or social media is shut down, a valuable journalism tool is lost for research, verification and essential communication, it noted.
Internet shutdowns prevent journalists from freely accessing information and disseminating news and also stop citizens from accessing and sharing information, the report said.
They pose threat to human rights and block the people's rights to know, and have emerged as a significant tool of censorship by governments which are increasingly utilising shutdowns under the guise of security, it added. (Source: The Times of India)


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India saw 82 internet shutdowns in 2017-18; highest in south Asia: UNESCO.