6th, June, 2022

 

 

Topic: Environment Concern in Himachal

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

What is the news?

• Concern about the toxicity of pesticides in Himachal.

 

How?

• The toxicity caused by the use of pesticides in agriculture and horticulture, and vulnerability to natural and climatic hazards such as floods remains a major concern.

 

What does the latest State of the Environment report say?

• These are some of the issues highlighted in the latest state of the environment report issued by the State Department of Environment, Science and Technology, here today.
• “Generation of pollution from synthetic resources like the use of pesticides, both in the agriculture as well as the horticulture sector, is certainly a cause of concern,” the report states.
• The previous status of the environment report was released in 2010.
• The report indicates that in the agriculture sector, net area under cultivation has decreased, but production per hectare is increasing due to technological advances in the agriculture sector. Crop intensity shows fluctuating trends even if opportunities arise with growing demands for flowers and aromatic and medicinal plants.
• Deliberating on the issue of natural disasters, the report indicates that Himachal remains vulnerable to natural and climatic hazards.
• The report also highlights the damage caused to private and public property due to devastating floods and rising incidence of forest fires.
• While recognizing the significant role of the tourism sector in economic development and job creation in the state, the report also throws light on negative impact is solid waste pollution due to biodegradable and non- biodegradable waste littering in the hill area thereby eroding biodiversity.
• The report, while appreciating the positive impact of tourism in preservation of mountain monuments and heritage property in Himachal Pradesh, states that it promotes and helps in survival of various forms of craft and culture.
• While discussing the issue of environment pollution and management, the report states that despite the best efforts of the state government, the issue of the management of solid waste still remains a cause of concern and needs concentrated efforts.
• The reports provide background of industrial development in Himachal Pradesh, indicating an increasing trend in industrial investment, but stresses that the issue of mining of minerals in the state remains a major environmental concern.

 

Actions taken:

• Himachal was the first state in the country to ban the use of plastic and ensure 15 percent discharge in rivers where hydel projects have come up,” said Prabodh Saxena, Additional Chief Secretary Environment. He said that awareness of the protection of the environment has increased in Himachal, where the use of single plastic will be completely banned from July 1.
• As far as the horticulture sector is concerned, the state remains prone to natural and climate-induced hazards and the need for developing institutional arrangements to meet any disaster-related issues have been stressed.
• The report also highlights the devastating floods causing damage to private and public property and the growing trend of wildfires causing immense damage to valuable forest wealth.
• The improvement in the overall forest area by 915 km² over the last two years compared to 2019 has been welcomed. Intense efforts to increase forest coverage in the state have been successful.

 

What is single use plastic?

• Single-use plastic products (SUPs) are used once, or for a short period of time, before being thrown away. The impact of these plastics on the environment and our health is global and can be dramatic. Single-use plastic products are more likely to be found in our seas than re-usable options.

 

Examples of single-use plastic products that damage our communities and our environment include:

 

• Plastic bread bag tags.
• Plastic bottles.
• Styrofoam takeaway containers.
• Straws.
• Plastic packaging materials.
• Plastic cutlery.
• Plastic shopping bags.

(Source: The Tribune)

 

 

Topic: Research

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

What is the news?

• IIT-Mandi researchers are developing a technology to address radio frequency shortages.
• Researchers at India’s Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, have developed advanced solutions for telecommunications technologies.

 

How will this help?

• This digital CSR ASIC-chip developed by the IIT-Mandi delivers excellent detection reliability of the primary user under real-world channel scenarios with the best hardware efficiency and fast sensing time.
• The CSR chip can be used with any portable cordless communication device to access unused spectrum. It can be used in future 5G and 6G technologies to improve spectrum efficiency.
• The recent development of collaborative spectrum sensors improves the reuse of the radio frequency spectrum to meet the growing demand for data communication in future wireless communication applications.

 

What are Radiofrequency waves, or “spectrum”?

 

• Radio waves, or “spectrum”, as they are known in telecommunications, are low-energy radiation used in wireless communications.
• Wireless radio spectrum is a finite resource and is allocated by governments to telecommunications carriers as part of a licensing process.
• The rapid growth in the wireless communication technology in recent years and the projected exponential increase due to the mass adoption of technology such as fifth-generation new-radio (5G-NR) and the Internet of Things (IoT) are expected to result in a massive demand for spectrum bands.

 

Rahul Shrestha, Assistant Professor, IIT-Mandi, says:

• “Given the fixed-spectrum allocation policy followed by many governments around the world, including ours, it becomes important to use the available spectrum intelligently. The Cognitive Radio Technology is considered one of the best ways to optimise spectrum use”.

 

Rohit B. Chaurasiya, research scholar, IIT-Mandi, says, :

• “We have proposed implementation-friendly algorithms for cooperative spectrum sensing with lower computational complexity. We have also developed multiple new hardware-architectures for Cooperative Spectrum Sensor and their submodules”

(Source: The Tribune)

 

 

Topic: Initiative towards environment

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

What is the news?

• Shimla: 3 schools recognised for their ‘green’ efforts.

 

Who won the trophies?

• The Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) Green Schools Programme (GSP) gave away the 2021-22 Chief Minister’s Rolling Trophies to Shivalik Valley Public School, Solan, Government Senior Secondary School, Nainidhar (Sirmaur) and Government High School, Dugha on the occasion of World Environment Day here today.
• These three schools have been awarded for their “green” efforts. Besides, district Solan was adjudged the best in the state as most of the schools in the district have been consistently practising environment-friendly measures over the last three years.
• The awards are given every year by the CSE in association with Himachal Pradesh Council for Science Technology and Environment (HIMCOSTE) – the two have been working together for almost a decade for furthering environment education in the state.

 

Purpose of this initiatve:

• CSE’s Green Schools Program is an innovative initiative that encourages schools, their students and teachers to test environmental practices on their campuses and strive to improve them.

 

Himachal Pradesh’s participation:

• Himachal Pradesh’s participation in the program since 2012 has increased significantly, from 44 schools in 2012 to 699 today. In 2019-20, the state witnessed an impressive jump in the GSP audit performance.
• In terms of registrations, 557 schools registered for the GSP Audit 2019 — a 65 per cent increase when compared to 2018 (367 schools). Of the total 557 registrations, 156 schools completed and submitted the audit in 2019. Of these, 15 schools were rated ‘green’ in the audit, up from four in 2018.

(Source: The Tribune)

 

Some More HP News:

• Two students of Shimla have been selected for edtech firm LEAD’s ‘Super 100’ program. The students, Dhruv Thakur and Palak Thakur of Mount Shivalik Public School, are among 100 students selected for the program from various CBSE affiliated schools across the country.