5 October 2023

• Sikkim GLOF: the South Lhonak glacial lake burst in North Sikkim on the night of October 3-4, sending flash floods down the Teesta River. By October 5 the death toll stood at 14 with 102 missing including 23 Army personnel.
• Nobel Chemistry: Alexei Ekimov, Louis Brus, and Moungi Bawendi were named the 2023 Chemistry Nobel laureates for quantum dots.
• Turmeric Board: the Union Commerce Ministry formally established a dedicated Turmeric Board. India holds 62 per cent of global turmeric trade.
• Coral reef breakthrough: the International Coral Reef Initiative and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs set 2030 targets to protect 125,000 sq km of shallow-water reefs.

GS area: Geography, Disaster Management, Environment

In the early hours of October 4, a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) occurred from South Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim. The floods swept through the Teesta Valley, causing deaths, displacing communities, and breaching the Chungthang hydroelectric dam.

• South Lhonak Lake: a glacial lake at approximately 5,200 metres altitude in the Zemu Glacier area of North Sikkim. Lhonak means "black soil plain" in the local language.
• Trigger: about 14.7 million cubic metres of frozen lateral moraine collapsed into the lake, generating a massive displacement wave. Heavy rainfall contributed.
• Casualties (as of October 5): 14 confirmed deaths; 102 missing including 23 Army personnel from the 17 Mountain Division stationed nearby.
• Districts affected: Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong, and Namchi through the Teesta River.
• Chungthang dam: part of the 1,200 MW Teesta Stage III Hydroelectric Project operated by Sikkim Urja. The dam was inundated and its embankment breached, releasing a second surge downstream.
• Teesta River: originates near Chungthang in North Sikkim; flows through West Bengal and into Bangladesh before meeting the Brahmaputra. It is a key water-sharing issue between India and Bangladesh.
• GLOF definition: a sudden release of water from a glacial lake bounded by sediment or ice. When the boundary is breached, large volumes of water and debris rush downstream.
• India's vulnerability: Himalayan glacial lakes increased 9 per cent in number and 14 per cent in area between 2002 and 2022. Approximately 3 million Indians live in GLOF-vulnerable zones. GLOFs are recognised under India's National Disaster Management Plan (2019).

Critical note. The Chungthang breach turned a natural GLOF into a cascading disaster. Run-of-river dams in steep Himalayan valleys amplify flood peaks by releasing their reservoir in minutes. The economics of high-altitude hydropower need to weigh this risk more carefully.

Static linkage: Disaster management, geography (rivers), environment.

GS area: Science and Technology

Alexei Ekimov (Russia, worked at Vavilov State Optical Institute), Louis Brus (USA, Columbia University), and Moungi Bawendi (France/USA, MIT) were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

• Ekimov (early 1980s): demonstrated size-dependent quantum effects in coloured glass using copper chloride nanocrystals. The first experimental proof that quantum effects vary with particle size.
• Brus (1983): showed the same size-dependent quantum effects in nanocrystals suspended in liquid solution. Moved the phenomenon out of glass into chemistry.
• Bawendi (1993): developed a method to produce well-defined quantum dots with precisely controlled sizes. This made useful and reproducible quantum dots possible.
• What a quantum dot is: a tiny particle just a few nanometres in size whose optical properties depend on its diameter. Smaller dots glow blue; larger ones glow red. The colour is tunable by changing size.
• Applications: Samsung QLED displays use quantum dots. LED lighting with adjustable colour temperature. Biomedical imaging for cancer diagnosis and cell tracking. Drug delivery systems. Solar photovoltaics. Quantum computing qubits. Anti-counterfeiting security markers.

Static linkage: Science and technology.

GS area: Economy, Agriculture

The Union Commerce Ministry established a dedicated Turmeric Board.

• Purpose: to oversee development, promotion, and export of turmeric and turmeric-based products.
• India's position: India produces about 80 per cent of the world's turmeric. It holds roughly 62 per cent of global turmeric trade.
• Major producing states: Maharashtra and Telangana lead production. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh also produce significant quantities.
• Botany: turmeric is the rhizome (underground stem) of Curcuma longa, a member of the ginger family. The active compound curcumin gives turmeric its colour and most of its medicinal properties.
• Export markets: the Middle East, Southeast Asia, USA, and the UK are major buyers.
• Analogy: the Turmeric Board follows the model of dedicated commodity boards like the Tea Board (established 1954), Coffee Board (1942), Rubber Board (1947), Spices Board (1987), and Coconut Development Board (1981). These operate under the Ministry of Commerce.

Static linkage: Economy, agriculture.

GS area: Environment, International Relations

The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), together with the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) and High-Level Climate Champions (HLCC), announced targets to protect 125,000 sq km of shallow-water tropical coral reefs by 2030.

• Investment target: at least USD 12 billion from public and private sources.
• Action areas: mitigate local loss drivers (land pollution, coastal development, overfishing); double the area of protected coral reefs; accelerate restoration to impact 30 per cent of degraded reefs by 2030.
• ICRI: a non-formal partnership established in 1994 by eight countries (including the USA, France, Japan, UK, Australia) and now involving about 45 states and 30 organisations.
• Coral significance: coral reefs support approximately 25 per cent of all known marine species despite covering less than 1 per cent of the ocean floor. They protect coastlines, support fisheries, and generate tourism revenue.
• India's reefs: found in the Lakshadweep Islands, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Mannar, and Palk Bay. The Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Mannar have Biosphere Reserves that include coral reef ecosystems.

Static linkage: Environment and ecology, marine geography.

GS area: Environment, Biodiversity

Approximately 120 river dolphins were found dead in the Amazon basin in late September and early October 2023, linked to severe drought and unusually high water temperatures.

• Species: Inia geoffrensis, the Amazon River Dolphin, also known as boto, bufeo, or pink river dolphin because of its striking pink colouration. Adults develop the pink tone gradually.
• Status: Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Slow reproductive cycles (one calf every 2-3 years) make population recovery difficult.
• Cause of 2023 deaths: water temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in some Amazon tributaries due to a combination of drought and the developing El Niño event. Warm water carries less dissolved oxygen.
• Context: the October Global Declaration for River Dolphins was signed by 11 countries from Asia and South America to protect six surviving river dolphin species. All six are endangered or critically endangered. The Ganges River Dolphin is India's national aquatic animal.

Static linkage: Environment, biodiversity.

GS area: Economy, Society

Discussion on circular migration came up in the context of India's migrant labour flows.

• Definition: movement of people to and from destinations based on employment availability rather than a permanent or purely temporary relocation.
• India's pattern: internal migration is primarily rural-to-urban. Major source states are West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Destination sectors: manufacturing, construction, and services.
• Benefits for sending regions: remittances that boost rural incomes; return of skills acquired outside.
• Risk: brain drain if skilled workers do not return.
• Interstate Migrant Workmen Act, 1979: the main law governing migrant workers employed through contractors. The new Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 consolidates protection for migrant workers.

Static linkage: Economy, labour welfare.

• Udangudi Panangarupatti palm jaggery: this Tamil Nadu product received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. It is prepared without chemical additives. The low groundwater retention of red sand dune soil creates the dry climate that gives palm sap its high sucrose content.
• MP Mohammed Faizal: the Lakshadweep MP was disqualified from the Lok Sabha for a second time after a Kerala High Court refused to suspend his conviction in an attempted murder case. Disqualification under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 follows a conviction with a sentence of two or more years.