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Subject: Disaster Management

  • National Flood Commission

    At least 43 years after India’s first and last commission on floods was constituted, there is no national-level flood control authority in the country so far.

    Try this question for mains:
    Q. What are the various causes of urban floods in India?

    National Flood Commission

    • Rashtriya Barh Ayog or the National Flood Commission (NFC) was set up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in 1976.
    • It aimed to study India’s flood-control measures after the projects launched under the National Flood Control Programme of 1954 failed to achieve much success.

    NFCs recommendation

    • In 1980, the NFC made 207 recommendations and four broad observations:
    • First, it said there was no increase in rainfall in India and, thus, the increase in floods was due to anthropogenic factors such as deforestation, drainage congestion and badly planned development works.
    • Second, it questioned the effectiveness of the methods adopted to control floods, such as embankments and reservoirs, and suggested that the construction of these structures be halted until their efficacy was assessed.
    • Third, it said there have to be consolidated efforts among the states and the Centre to take up research and policy initiatives to control floods.
    • Fourth, it recommended a dynamic strategy to cope with the changing nature of floods. An analysis of the report suggested that the problem began with the methods of estimating flood-prone areas of the country.

    Why revive NFC?

    • An accurate estimate is crucial for framing flood management programmes.
    • The NFC estimated that the total area vulnerable to floods in 1980 was around 40 million hectares.
    • There is another problem. The very definition of the flood-prone area does not reflect the effectiveness of the flood management works undertaken.

  • We need National Plan for Covid-19

    The Disaster Management Act (DMA) 2005 has been invoked by the government to deal with the pandemic. However, National Plan as provided under the Act to deal with Covid-19 is nowhere to be found. Also, the creations of PM CARES violated the provision of the DMA-2005. These two issues are discussed here.

    Provisions of DMA 2005

    • The Act, along with other things provides the constitution of a National Authority, a National Executive committee.
    • It also provides for the constitution of an advisory committee of experts in the field to make recommendations and to prepare a national plan.
    • This plan must provide for measures for prevention or mitigation.
    • The Act lays down “guidelines for minimum standards of relief, including ex gratia assistance.

    Provision of various Funds under DMA 2005

    • It enables the creation of a National Disaster Response Fund in which the central government must make due contribution.
    • It also requires “any grants that may be made by any person or institution for the purpose of disaster management” to be credited into the same Fund.
    • It also provides for a National Disaster Mitigation Fund, exclusively for mitigation.
    • The Act also provides for State and local-level plans and for creating State Disaster Response Fund among others.

    Provision of disaster management plan

    • After the direction by the SC, the government came out with a National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP), 2016.
    • This Plan dealt with various kinds of disasters; it was amended in 2019.
    • Bu this National Plan not in place now.
    • Without it, the fight against COVID-19 is ad hoc and has resulted in thousands of government orders.
    • These orders are confusing those who are to enforce them as well as the public.

    NDRF and PM CARES issue

    • On April 3, 2020, the government of India agreed to contribute its share to the NDRF.
    • But a public charitable trust under the name of Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) was set up to receive grants made by persons and institutions out of the NDRF, in violation of Section 46 of the Act.
    • The crores being sent to this fund are not even audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
    • It is a totally opaque exercise.
    • The government of the day has not only ignored the binding law but also circumvented it.
    • The government has been fighting the crisis in an ad hoc and arbitrary manner instead of the organised steps as mandated by the Act.
    • In so doing, the experts have been sidelined.

    Consider the question “Describe the various provision of the DMA 2005 to deal with the disaster. In light of this, examine whether the creation of PM CARES conflicts with the provision of his act”

    Conclusion

    The national plan to deal with the pandemic and making PM CARES more transparent would help the government in its fight against the corona crisis.

  • What makes Himalayan tourism spots vulnerable to landslides?

    This newscard talks about the city of Dharamshala where landslides occur frequently.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q.“Himalayan region is more susceptible to floods and flood induced landslides than the Western Ghats”. Discuss.

    Why is Dharamshala more vulnerable to landslides?

    • Dharamshala has a slope varying from gentle to steep, depending on different parts of the city.
    • It is located in Zone V in the earthquake hazard zoning map of India.
    • The large differences in slope between different parts of the city make it more susceptible to critical hazards like landslides.
    • The vulnerability of the geologically young steep slopes of Dhauladhar has increased because of anthropogenic activities and illegal construction due to the lack of availability of land.

    Why do landslides occur?

    • Increasing urbanisation, deforestation and encroachment of areas at high hill slopes, unscientific road cutting and water-intensive agricultural practices contributed to the increase in intensity and frequency of landslides.
    • The situation is worse during the monsoon when landslide-prone areas are washed away due to exposure.
    • This is due to the demand for living within the city. It is not just the difference between slopes, but also anthropogenic causes that lead to the emergence of hazards like landslides.

    Why tourist spots are more vulnerable?

    1) Road traffic is high

    • During the peak tourist season, the road is marred with traffic jams due to continuous sinking.
    • Several factors have continuously contributed to an increase in the road’s vulnerability. The first is Illegal construction and uncontrolled levelling of hillocks along the roads.
    • Hillocks are flattened to accommodate housing projects, commercial establishments, etc. The informal sector often starts residing in these areas which are more vulnerable to risks.
    • These areas have comparatively lower land values and fewer people come to settle here.

    2) Loss in green cover

    • The second is a loss in green cover, something that occurs as more people reside within the city, increasing soil erosion, risking the further vulnerability to landslides.
    • Due to the loss of green cover and steep gradient of the slope, water is not absorbed in the soil and washed away very quickly.

    3) Damaged topography

    • The third is the unscientific manner of cutting hills for widening roads and construction.
    • This causes the sinking of roads, which affects road width and causes traffic interruptions.

    4) Sewage failures

    • The fourth is the absence of a sewerage system in the area. Due to unavailability of sewerage systems, people construct septic tanks that are unsafe for soil strata.
    • Water from septic tanks drains to the upper layer of soil that has loose soil, making areas more vulnerable to damage from landslides.

    Also read

    The Northern and Northeastern Mountains | Part 1

  • I-FLOWS: Mumbai Flood Management System

    Integrated Flood Warning System for Mumbai (I-FLOWS Mumbai), a state-of-the-art flood warning system has been developed for the city.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. Urban floods in India are consequences of unplanned urbanization in India. Discuss with references to the frequent annual floods in Mumbai.

    What is IFLOWS-Mumbai?

    • IFLOWS is a monitoring and flood warning system that will be able to relay alerts of possible flood-prone areas anywhere between six to 72 hours in advance.
    • The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has developed the system with in-house expertise and coordination with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
    • The system can provide all information regarding possible flood-prone areas, likely height the floodwater could attain location-wise problem areas across all 24 wards and calculate the vulnerability and risk of elements exposed to flood.
    • Mumbai is only the second city in the country after Chennai to get this system. Similar systems are being developed for Bengaluru and Kolkata.

    How will it work?

    • The primary source for the system is the amount of rainfall, but with Mumbai being a coastal city, the system also factors in tidal waves and storm tides for its flood assessments.
    • The system has provisions to capture the urban drainage within the city and predict the areas of flooding.
    • The system comprises seven modules- Data Assimilation, Flood, Inundation, Vulnerability, Risk, Dissemination Module and Decision Support System.

    Why was this system needed in Mumbai?

    • Mumbai, the financial capital of India, has been experiencing floods with increased periodicity.
    • Floods, especially the ones in 2005 and 2017, are etched in everyone’s memory.
    • Last year, post-monsoon and unseasonal rainfall as late as October, two tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea had caught authorities off guard and left a trail of destruction.
    • The flood during 26th July 2005, when the city received a rainfall of 94 cm, a 100 year high in a span of 24 hours had paralyzed the city completely.
    • Urban flooding is common in the city from June to September, resulting in the crippling of traffic, railways and airlines.
    • As preparedness for floods before they occur, the system will help in warning the citizens so that they can be prepared in advance for flooding conditions.

    Benefits

    • IFLOWS-Mumbai will enhance the resilience of the city by providing early warning for flooding, especially during high rainfall events and cyclones.
    • Using this, it will be possible to have an estimate of the flood inundation three days in advance, along with immediate weather updates.
    • The Union Minister said the system was “one of the most advanced” ones and will help the city, which has been experiencing floods with increasing periodicity.
    • The hi-tech system will predict floods before they occur, therefore enabling Mumbaikars to take due precautions in advance.

  • Ambarnaya River Oil spill in Russia

    Russia has declared a state of emergency after a power plant fuel leak in its Arctic region caused 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil to escape into a local river, turning its surface crimson red.

    Locate major rivers in Russia in the given map from east-west and west-east directions.

    Details of the spillage

    • The Ambarnaya River, into which the oil has been discharged, is part of a network that flows into the environmentally sensitive Arctic Ocean.
    • The state-owned TASS news agency reported that the emergency measures were announced within Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Region, located in the vast and sparsely populated Siberian peninsula.

    How did the leak happen?

    • The thermoelectric power plant at Norilsk is built on permafrost, which has weakened over the years owing to climate change.
    • The power plant is located near the Region’s Norilsk city, around 3000 km northeast of Moscow.
    • This caused the pillars that supported the plant’s fuel tank to sink.
    • Around 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil was released into the Ambarnaya river, which has since drifted 12 km on its surface.

    What has Russia done so far?

    • Boom obstacles were placed in the river, but they were unable to contain the oil because of shallow waters.
    • The state of emergency declared would bring in extra forces and federal resources for the clean-up efforts.

    What is the extent of the damage?

    • Environmentalists have said the river would be difficult to clean, given its shallow waters and remote location, as well as the magnitude of the spill.
    • This is the second-largest known oil leak in modern Russia’s history in terms of volume.
    • The clean-up effort could take between 5-10 years.

  • Extreme weather events in India

    Nineteen extreme weather events in 2019 claimed 1,357 lives, with heavy rain and flood accounting for 63 per cent of these deaths, revealed Down To Earth’s State of India’s Environment 2020 report.

    Extreme weather events:

    • Extreme weather events are out of the ordinary, unexpected, unusual climatic events which wreak havoc and disrupt everyday life.
    • Over the years, the frequency of extreme weather events has increased due to global warming and climate change.
    • Extreme weather events include hailstorm, heatwaves, dust storm, cloud bursts etc.

    Try this question:

    Q. Extreme weather events have been the biggest catastrophe in India this year. Discuss.

    Data from this newscard can be used to substantiate your mains answer with relevant data.

    Loss of lives

    • The most lives were lost in Bihar, with people dying from floods and heavy rain (306), thunderstorms (71) and heatwave (292) between May and October.
    • In Maharashtra, 136 people died from floods and heavy rain, 51 died from lightning and 44 died from the heatwave between June and September.
    • There was a 69 per cent increase in the number of heatwave days between 2013 and 2019 as well, the report said.
    • Over 5,300 people died from heatwaves in the past seven years.
    • Cold waves increased by 69 per cent within a year, between 2017 and 2018, with the latter year reported having an extremely cold winter, with the most casualties (279) in the past seven years.

    Risks of Extreme weather events in India

    • Climate change related risks will increasingly affect the Indian subcontinent, including via sea level rise, cyclonic activity and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns.
    • Rising sea levels would submerge low-lying islands and coastal lands and contaminate coastal freshwater reserves.Climate change will increase the risks of death, injury and ill-health and disrupt livelihoods in low-lying coastal zones due to cyclones and coastal and inland flooding, storm surges and sea-level rise.
    • Melting Himalayan glaciers would reduce downstream water supply in many of India’s important rivers in the dry season, impacting millions
    • A warmer atmosphere will spread tropical diseases and pests to new areas.
    • Increased river, coastal and urban floods could cause considerable loss of life and widespread damage to property, infrastructure and settlements.
    • Erratic rainfall in parts of India could lower rice yields and lead to higher food prices and living costs, while increased drought related water and food shortages linked to rising and extreme temperatures may increase malnutrition and worsen rural poverty. Over 55% of Indian rural households depend on agriculture for a living and, with fisheries and forestry,

    Systems in place to tackle extreme weather events are as follows:

    1.Meteorological predictions

    2.Contingency fund

    3.Early warning to citizens

    4.NDMA has issued an action plan for Prevention and Management of Heat Waves.

    5.Remote sensing satellites.

    Problems with accurate meteorological predictions are as follows:

    1.Meteorological predictions are considered for broad geographical areas and timeframes. It is not yet possible to predict a thunderstorm or lightning at a village or a part of a city.

    2.The exact times these events will hit, too, cannot be predicted.

    3.Alerts and warnings are in the nature of a general advisory, telling the people to expect these events, and to take precautions

    Steps taken by the State government are as follows:

    1.Rajasthan:

    • storm has been included in the category of natural disasters for the first time in the State and funds to the tune of ₹2.55 crore have been sanctioned to the affected districts.
    • The next of kin of each deceased in Rajasthan will get financial assistance of ₹4 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
    • Power discoms have launched action on a war-footing to restore electricity supply in the affected areas, while the administration has ordered a survey of damaged properties.
    • In Dholpur district, relief camps have been opened for the villagers whose houses were destroyed.

    2.Uttar Pradesh:

    • The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has announced a compensation of up to Rs 400,000 to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for each of the injured in the heavy rainfall and storm across the state.
    • contingency funds have been released to the respective district administration.

  • Heatwaves and its unusualness this year

    For the past five days, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra have been experiencing severe to very severe heatwave conditions. Here is why this summer is slightly unusual.

    Heatwaves being more frequent phenomena, the UPSC may end up asking a prelim as well as mains question about it.  It may ask Q. What are heat waves and how are they classified? What are the external factors on which it is depended?

    A MCQ may be a statement based question mentioning the criteria for declaring a heatwave.

    What is a heatwave and when is it declared?

    Heatwaves occur over India between March and June.

    • IMD declares a heatwave event when the maximum (day) temperature for a location in the plains crosses 40 degrees Celsius.
    • Over the hills, the threshold temperature is 30 degrees Celsius.

    Following criteria are used to declare heatwave:

    To declare heatwave, the below criteria should be met at least in 2 stations in a Meteorological subdivision for at least two consecutive days and it will be declared on the second day.

    a) Based on Departure from Normal

    • Heat Wave: Departure from normal is 4.5°C to 6.4°C
    • Severe Heat Wave: Departure from normal is >6.4°C

    b) Based on Actual Maximum Temperature (for plains only)

    • Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥ 45°C
    • Severe Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥47°C

    How long can a heatwave spell last?

    • A heatwave spell generally lasts for a minimum of four days. On some occasions, it can extend up to seven or ten days.
    • The longest recorded heatwave spell, in recent years, was between 18 – 31 May 2015.
    • This spell had severely affected parts of West Bengal along with Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
    • Heatwave conditions occurring in May have been observed to last longer, as the season reaches its peak this month.
    • Whereas those reported in June often die down sooner, often due to the onset of Southwest monsoon over the location or in its neighbourhood.

    Does all of India experience heatwave conditions?

    • Heatwaves are common over the Core Heatwave Zone (CHZ) — Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Vidarbha in Maharashtra.
    • The CHZ also includes parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, as categorised by IMD.
    • Several recent studies indicate that CHZ experience more than six heatwave days per year during these four months.
    • Many places in the northwest and cities along southeastern coast report eight heatwave days per season.
    • However, the regions in the extreme north, northeast and southwestern India are lesser prone to heatwaves.

    Whats’ so unusual this year?

    • Summer season reaches its peak by May 15 in India when the day temperatures across north, west, and central India cross 40 degrees and hover close to 45 degrees then on.
    • This year, north India did not experience such temperatures till May 21.
    • It was mainly because of the continuous inflow of Western Disturbances that influenced the weather in the north till as late as April.
    • Since last winter, there was frequent passing of Western Disturbances over the north, appearing after every five to seven days.

    What are these Western Disturbances?

    • Originating in the Mediterranean Sea, Western Disturbances are eastward-moving winds that blow in lower atmospheric levels.
    • They affect the local weather of a region during its onward journey.
    • Between January and March this year, there were about 20 Western Disturbances, a record of sorts.
    • When Western Disturbances interact with weather systems heading from the two southern seas, that is, warm winds blowing in from the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea, they cause snowfall or rainfall over the north.
    • A significant influence of Western Disturbances is experienced from December to February. However, this year, its influence persisted until early May.
    • The recent Western Disturbances got support from easterly winds blowing over from the Bay of Bengal.

    Has cyclone Amphan influenced the current heatwave?

    • Since the event of severe heat has emerged immediately after the passing of Cyclone Amphan, experts confirm its role in leading to the present heatwave spell.
    • Cyclone Amphan, which was a massive Super Storm covering 700 km, managed to drag maximum moisture from over the Bay of Bengal to entire Peninsula.
    • All the moisture that was otherwise built during the thunderstorm and rainfall got gradually depleted from over vast areas as the storm advanced towards West Bengal and Bangladesh between May 16 and 20.
    • It has now triggered dry north-westerly winds to blow over Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra causing severe heatwave.

  • Super Cyclone Amphan and its threats

    The storm system in the Bay of Bengal, Amphan, developed into a super cyclone and is expected to make landfall along the West Bengal-Bangladesh coast very soon.

    Realted PYQ:

    Q. In the South Atlantic and South Eastern Pacific regions in tropical latitudes, cyclone does not originate. What is the reason? (CSP 2015)

    (a) Sea Surface temperature are low
    (b) Inter Tropical Convergence Zone seldom occurs
    (c) Coriolis force is too weak
    (d) Absence of land in those regions

    Super Cyclone Amphan

    • Cyclone Amphan is a tropical cyclone formed over the Bay of Bengal that has intensified and likely to turn into a “super cyclonic storm (maximum wind speed is 224 kmph)”.
    • It has been named by Thailand.
    • Amphan is the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
    • By the time it makes landfall in West Bengal, Amphan is expected to tone down into a category 4 Extremely Severe Cyclonic (ESC) storm with a wind speed of 165-175 kmph and gusting to 195 kmph.

    What makes it a nightmare?

    • This is the first super cyclone to form in the Bay of Bengal after the 1999 super cyclone that hit Odisha and claimed more than 10,000 lives.
    • It is the third super cyclone to occur in the North Indian Ocean region after 1999 which comprises of the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the northern part of the Indian Ocean.
    • The other two super cyclones were Cyclone Kyarr in 2019 and Cyclone Gonu in 2007.

    Recent cyclones in the region

    • From 1965 to 2017, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea collectively registered 46 ‘severe cyclonic storms’.
    • More than half of them occurred between October and December.
    • Seven of them occurred in May and only two (in 1966 and 1976) were recorded in April, according to data from the IMDs cyclone statistics unit.
    • Cyclone Phailin in 2013 and the super cyclone of 1999 — both of which hit coastal Odisha — have been the most powerful cyclones in the Bay of Bengal in the past two decades in terms of wind speed.
    • Last year, Fani, which was an ESC made landfall in Odisha and ravaged the State, claiming at least 40 lives.

    Back2Basics: Tropical Cyclones

    • Cyclones are formed over slightly warm ocean waters.
    • The temperature of the top layer of the sea, up to a depth of about 60 metres, need to be at least 28°C to support the formation of a cyclone.
    • This explains why the April-May and October-December periods are conducive for cyclones.
    • Then, the low level of air above the waters needs to have an ‘anticlockwise’ rotation (in the northern hemisphere; clockwise in the southern hemisphere).
    • During these periods, there is an ITCZ in the Bay of Bengal whose southern boundary experiences winds from west to east, while the northern boundary has winds flowing east to west.
    • This induces the anticlockwise rotation of the air.
    • Once formed, cyclones in this area usually move northwest. As it travels over the sea, the cyclone gathers more moist air from the warm sea and adds to its heft.

    What strengthens them?

    • A thumb rule for cyclones is that the more time they spend over the seas, the stronger they become.
    • Hurricanes around the US, which originate in the vast open Pacific Ocean, are usually much stronger than the tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal, a relatively narrow and enclosed region.
    • The cyclones originating here, after hitting the landmass, decay rapidly due to friction and absence of moisture.

    Grading of Cyclones

    • Tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal are graded according to maximum wind speeds at their centre.
    • At the lower end are depressions that generate wind speeds of 30 to 60 km per hour, followed by:
    1. cyclonic storms (61 to 88 kmph)
    2. severe cyclonic storms (89 to 117 kmph)
    3. very severe cyclonic storms (118 to 166 kmph)
    4. extremely severe cyclonic storms (167 to 221 kmph) and
    5. super cyclones (222 kmph or higher)

  • Risk of Early Locusts Attacks: A new concern

    Locusts normally arrive during July-October but have already been spotted in Rajasthan. At a time India is battling COVID, they present a new worry with their potential for exponential growth and crop destruction.

    Along with being a disaster issue, Locust attack is also a challenge for India’s food security. Discuss what socio – economic and technological ways can be adopted to tackle this menance.

    What exactly are Locusts?

    • The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is a short-horned grasshopper that is innocuous while it is in a “solitary phase” and moving about independently.
    • These winged insects differ from normal hoppers and become dangerous only when their populations build up rapidly and the close physical contact in crowded conditions triggers behavioural changes.
    • They, then, enter the “gregarious phase”, by grouping into bands and forming swarms that can travel great distances (up to 150 km daily), while eating up every bit of vegetation on the way.
    • If not controlled at the right time, these insect swarms can threaten the food security of countries.

    How seriously should the first sightings be viewed?

    • The damage potential of locusts has been limited in India only because of the country hosting a single breeding season — unlike Pakistan, Iran and East Africa, where they also multiply during January-June.
    • There’s nothing much to worry right now, as the rabi crop has already been harvested and farmers are yet to commence plantings for the new Kharif season.
    • The locusts’ bands so observed are less populated. But their timing, though, is cause for concern.
    • The normal breeding season for locusts in India is July-October. But this time, they have been sighted by mid-April.
    • Last year, too, they were seen towards end-May as isolated grasshoppers.
    • The longer time to breed is more conducive for a build-up of gregarious insect swarms, as opposed to solitary, innocuous hoppers.

    Control measures in India

    • India has a Locust Control and Research scheme that is being implemented through the Locust Warning Organisation (LWO), established in 1939.
    • It was amalgamated in 1946 with the Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) of the Ministry of Agriculture.
    • The LWO’s responsibility is monitoring and control of the locust situation in Scheduled Desert Areas mainly in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and partly in Punjab and Haryana.
    • The LWO publishes a fortnightly bulletin on the locust situation.

    What kind of damage can they cause?

    • Locusts are polyphagous, i.e. they can feed on a wide variety of crops.
    • Secondly, they have the ability to multiply rapidly. A single female desert locust lays 60-80 eggs thrice during its roughly 90-day life cycle.
    • It is estimated that a 1-square-km area can accommodate 40-80 million of these insects, making the growth of their swarms exponential quite like the Covid-19 virus.

    What is the genesis of the present locust upsurge, particularly in East Africa?

    • It lies in the Mekunu and Luban cyclonic storms of May and October 2018 that struck Oman and Yemen, respectively.
    • These turned large desert areas in remote parts of the southern Arabian Peninsula into lakes, which allowed the insects to breed undetected across multiple generations.
    • The swarms attacking crops in East Africa reached peak populations from November onwards while building up since the start of this year in southern Iran and Pakistan.
    • Widespread rains in East Africa in late March and April have enabled further breeding.
    • Prior to that, the locusts from spring breeding areas of southwest Pakistan and southern Iran would arrive in Rajasthan and Gujarat during May-June.
    • They would, then, breed with the onset of the southwest monsoon rains and continue doing so through the Kharif cropping season.

    What can and should be done?

    • If the monsoon is good, and in the absence of control operations, the magnitude of attack could be worse than in the 2019-20 rabi season.
    • The last year’s locust incursions were the first and most significant since 1993.
    • Local authorities in Rajasthan and Gujarat had to treat over 4.30 lakh hectares of infested areas with sprayers mounted on tractors and other vehicles.

    Pesticides give better control

    • The old generation organophosphate insecticides such as Malathion (96% ultra-low volume aerial application) are effective against locusts.
    • About one litre of the chemical is necessary to treat a hectare of their breeding areas, including trees where they halt for the night.
    • There is ample stock of pesticides to control any swarms in India.

    Click here to read about the complete genesis of Locusts and their origin:

    Locust Invasions and its mitigation

  • Vizag Gas Leak: What is Styrene Gas?

    A gas leak has claimed at least 11 lives and affected thousands of residents in five villages in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.  The source of the leak was a styrene plant owned by South Korean electronics giant LG.

    Practice question:

    Despite a robust policy framework governing the hazardous chemicals in India, the recent gas leakage incident in Vizag highlights India’s unaddressed vulnerability to chemical disasters. Criticallly comment.

    Vizag gas lead: What is styrene?

    • It is a flammable liquid that is used in the manufacturing of polystyrene plastics, fibreglass, rubber, and latex.
    • Styrene is also found in vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke, and in natural foods like fruits and vegetables.
    • According to The Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989, styrene is classified as a toxic and hazardous chemical.

    What happens when exposed to styrene?

    • A short-term exposure to the substance can result in respiratory problems, irritation in the eyes, irritation in the mucous membrane, and gastrointestinal issues.
    • And long-term exposure could drastically affect the central nervous system and lead to other related problems like peripheral neuropathy.
    • It is, likely, a carcinogenic substance that can react with oxygen in the air to mutate into styrene dioxide, a substance that is more lethal.
    • However, there is no sufficient evidence despite several epidemiology studies indicating there may be an association between styrene exposure and an increased risk of leukaemia and lymphoma.

    What are the symptoms?

    • Symptoms include headache, hearing loss, fatigue, weakness, difficulty in concentrating etc.
    • Animal studies have reported effects on the nervous system, liver, kidney, and eye and nasal irritation from inhalation exposure to styrene.

    How bad is the situation in Visakhapatnam?

    • It is yet unclear whether the deaths are due to direct exposure to styrene gas or one of its byproducts.
    • However, hundreds of people including many children were admitted to hospitals.
    • The cases are high as the gas leak was only detected at 3 am in the morning, meaning several crucial hours have been lost till safety precautions were taken.
    • More fatally, the gas was leaked while people were fast asleep.

    What caused the leak?

    • Styrene monomer was used at the manufacturing plant to produce expandable plastics.
    • The storage requirement of styrene monomer strictly mentions that it has to be below 17 degrees Celsius.
    • There was a temporary and partial shutdown of the plant because of the nationwide lockdown.
    • The leak occurred as a result of styrene gas not being kept at the appropriate temperature.
    • This caused a pressure build-up in the storage chamber that contained styrene and caused the valve to break, resulting in the gas leakage.

    Is it under control?

    • The leak has been plugged and NDRF teams moved into the five affected villages and have started opening the houses to find out if anyone was stranded inside.
    • The Covid-19 preparedness helped a lot as dozens of ambulances with oxygen cylinders and ventilators were readily available.
    • The spread of the gas depends on wind speeds. So far it is estimated that areas within a five-kilometre radius have been affected.

    What are the guidelines on the storage of hazardous chemicals in plants?

    After the Bhopal disaster, much legislation was enacted starting from the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991. They are-

    Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 Omnibus act, which gives sweeping powers to Central government to take all measures to protect the environment
    Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 Set discharge and product standards – source standards for restricting pollution; product standards for manufactured goods and ambient air and water standards – for regulating quality of life and environmental protection
    Hazardous Waste (Management Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 1989 Industry required to identify major accident hazards, take preventive measures and submit a report to the designated authorities
    Manufacture, Storage And Import Of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989 Importer must furnish complete product safety information to the competent authority and must transport imported chemicals in accordance with the amended rules.
    Chemical Accidents (Emergency, Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules, 1996 Centre is required to constitute a central crisis group for management of chemical accidents; set up quick response mechanism termed as the crisis alert system. Each state is required to set up a crisis group and report on its work.
    Factories Amendment Act, 1987 Provision to regulate siting of hazardous units; safety of workers and nearby residents and mandates for on-site emergency plans and disaster control measures
    Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 Imposes a no-fault liability on the owner of hazardous substance and requires the owner to compensate victims of accident irrespective of any neglect or default. For this, the owner is required to take out an insurance policy covering potential liability from any accident.