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- As of 2023, 440 districts in India report excessive nitrate levels in their groundwater, an increase from 359 districts in 2017, according to a report by the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB).
- About Central Groundwater Board (CGWB):
- CGWB is a scientific organization under the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.
- It serves as the National Apex Agency responsible for providing scientific inputs for the management, exploration, monitoring, assessment, augmentation, and regulation of the country's groundwater resources.
- Mandate:
- The board’s key responsibility is to develop and promote technologies, as well as monitor and implement national policies aimed at the scientific and sustainable development and management of India’s groundwater resources. This includes their exploration, conservation, augmentation, protection from pollution, and equitable distribution, following economic and ecological principles.
- Organization Structure:
- The CGWB is headed by a Chairman and consists of five members.
- It is a multidisciplinary body, with experts including Hydrogeologists, Geophysicists, Chemists, Hydrologists, Hydrometeorologists, and Engineers.
- Headquarters: Bhujal Bhawan, Faridabad, Haryana.
- Key Activities of CGWB:
- National Aquifer Mapping and Management (NAQUIM), involving the preparation of Aquifer Maps and Management Plans.
- Groundwater exploration to identify areas suitable for groundwater development and to locate potential aquifers.
- Conducting geophysical surveys to locate groundwater-bearing zones.
- Periodic assessments of the country’s groundwater resources.
- Monitoring groundwater levels and quality through observation wells.
- Disseminating groundwater data and knowledge.
- Conducting groundwater modeling.
- Utilizing GIS and remote sensing technologies.
- Coordinating with State Government Organizations for groundwater regulation and management, through the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
- Collaborating with State Governments to establish standardized methodologies for groundwater studies.
- Conducting research and development (R&D) in the groundwater sector, and applying new technologies for groundwater investigation, development, and management.
- Promoting water conservation and artificial recharge of groundwater.
- Building capacity and transferring knowledge on groundwater management.
- In a major enhancement to its maritime defense capabilities, the Indian Navy is set to commission three key platforms next month: the guided-missile destroyer INS Surat, the stealth frigate INS Nilgiri, and the diesel-electric submarine INS Vagsheer.
- About INS Surat:
- INS Surat is a stealth destroyer, the fourth and final ship of the Project-15B, also known as the Vishakhapatnam Class.
- It has been designed indigenously by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau and is being built by Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL).
- The ship boasts an impressive 72% indigenous content.
- Features:
- INS Surat is the Indian Navy’s first AI-enabled warship, which significantly boosts its operational efficiency.
- The ship has a displacement of 7,400 tons, a length of 163 meters, and can achieve a top speed of nearly 60 km/h.
- It has an impressive range of 15,000 km.
- Armed with supersonic surface-to-surface BrahMos missiles and Barak-8 medium-range surface-to-air missiles, it is a formidable weapon platform.
- The destroyer is equipped with a range of indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, including the hull-mounted Sonar Humsa NG, heavy-weight torpedo tube launchers, and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) rocket launchers.
- Recently, 179 people lost their lives when Jeju Air flight 7C2216 made a belly landing in South Korea.
- About Belly Landing:
- Also referred to as a gear-up landing, this emergency technique involves an aircraft landing without deploying its landing gear.
- It is typically a last resort for pilots when they are unable to extend the landing gear due to a technical or mechanical failure.
- Belly landings are highly risky and are only attempted in emergency situations. They often result in significant damage to the aircraft, including its engines and wings, as the plane skids to a stop. Passengers and crew members may also suffer injuries.
- The friction caused by the aircraft skidding on the runway can create sparks or even lead to a fire.
- The decision to perform a belly landing is made by the cockpit crew in the following scenarios:
- The landing gear fails to deploy.
- A distressed aircraft cannot reach an airport and a field landing is deemed safer, where skidding to a stop is considered less risky than attempting a regular wheel landing.
- Ditching, when an aircraft makes an emergency landing on water.
- Any other scenario where the pilot believes a belly landing is safer than landing on the wheels.
- Other Aviation Terminology:
- Landing long and fast: This term refers to when an aircraft touches down well beyond the designated touchdown zone of the runway, leaving the crew with less runway space to stop the plane, and at a speed that exceeds the recommended landing speed.