Geography of India (Part -II) (UPSC)

• It is the largest saltwater lake in India.
• It is located in the districts of Nagaur and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
• This saline wetland is elliptical in shape, with a length of 35.5 km and a breadth varying between 3 km and 11 km.
• It covers an area in excess of 200 sq.km., surrounded on all sides by the Aravalli hills. The water from two major ephemeral streams, namely Mendha and Runpangarh, along with numerous rivulets and surface runoff feed the lake.
• It was designated as a Ramsar site in the year 1990.
• Several migrating birds visit the waterbody during the winter.
• Along with Phulera and Deedwana, the wetland is the most important wintering area for flamingoes (both Phoniconaias minor and Phoenicopterus roseus) in India outside the Rann of Kachchh.
• The other winged visitors to the area include pelicans, common shelduck, redshank, and common sandpiper, black-winged stilt, Kentish plover, and Ringed plover, Ruff, and Sociable lapwing.
• Sambhar Lake produces 2,10,000 tonnes of salt each year, placing Rajasthan among the top three salt-producing states of India...

• The average annual rainfall in India is about 125 cm, but it has great spatial variations
• Areas of High Rainfall: The highest rainfall occurs along the west coast, on the Western Ghats, as well as in the sub-Himalayan areas is the northeast and the hills of Meghalaya. Here the rainfall exceeds 200 cm. In some parts of
• Khasi and Jaintia hills, the cainfall exceeds 1,000 cm. In the Brahmaputra valley and the adjoining hills, the rainfall is less then 200 cm.
  Areas of Medium Rainfall: Rainfall between 100-200 cm is received in the southern parts of Gujarat, east Tamil Nadu, northeastern Peninsula covering Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, eastern Madhya Pradesh, northern Ganga plain along the sub-Himalayas and the Cachar Valley and Manipur.
• Areas of Low Rainfall: Western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, eastern Rajasthan, Gujarat and Deccan Plateau receive rainfall between 50-100 cm.
• Areas of Inadequate Rainfall: Parts of the Peninsula, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Kamataka and Maharashtra, Ladakh and most of western Rajasthan receive rainfall below 50 cm

• The west flowing rivers of the Peninsular India are fewer and smaller as compared to their east flowing counterparts.
• The two major west flowing rivers are the Narmada and the Tapi
• This exceptional behavior is because these rivers didn't form valleys and instead they flow through faults (linear rift, rift valley, trough) created due to the bending of the northern peninsula during the formation process of Himalayas.
• These faults run parallel to the Vindhyas and the Satpuras
• The Sabarmati, Mahi and Luni are other rivers of the Peninsular India which flow westwards
• Hundreds of small streams originating in the Western Ghats flow swiftly westwards and join the Arabian Sea
• It is interesting to note that the Peninsular rivers which fall into the Arabian Sea do not form deltas, but only estuaries. (Fluvial Depositional Landforms)
• This is due to the fact that the west flowing rivers, especially the Narmada and the Tapi flow through hard rocks and hence do not carry any good amount of silt.
• Moreover, the tributaries of these rivers are very small and hence they don't contribute any silt.
• Hence these rivers are not able to form distributaries or a delta before they enter the sea.

• India's nuclear research program, initiated in the 1940s under the leadership of Dr. Homi J. Bhabha, has made significant strides in both energy production and technological advancements.
• The program is spearheaded by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), which operates the country's nuclear power plants, research reactors, and develops nuclear technologies. India's nuclear power capacity stands at approximately 6,780 MW, generated by 22 operational reactors across various plants, including the Kudankulam and Tarapur stations.
• India follows a three-stage nuclear program, focusing on utilizing its vast thorium reserves for long-term energy sustainability.
• India's advanced reactor designs include Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs), and the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)
• The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) in Tamil Nadu is a major step toward utilizing plutonium and thorium.
• Additionally, India has contributed to global nuclear science, conducting research in fields like radiation medicine, agriculture, and nuclear waste management.
• India has consciously proceeded to explore the possibility of tapping nuclear energy for the purpose of power generation and the Atomic Energy Act was framed and implemented with the set objectives of using two naturally occurring elements Uranium and Thorium having good potential to be utilized as nuclear fuel in Indian Nuclear Power Reactors. The estimated natural deposits of these elements in India are:
  * Natural Uranium deposits-~70,000 tonnes
  * Thorium deposits-3,60,000 tonnes

• A Biosphere Reserve (BR) is an area of terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems that promote the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use.
• They are integral components of the internationally recognized framework of UNESCO's Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme initiated in 1971 and they are nominated by national Governments.
• There are more than 500 such reserves spread across over 100 countries worldwide

Highlights of India State of Forest Report 2023

• The Forest and Tree cover of India is 25.17 percent of the geographical area and in that 21.76% is forest cover and 3.41% is tree cover.
• As compared to assessment of 2021, there is an increase in the forest and tree cover of the country.
• Top four states showing maximum increase in forest and tree cover are Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan.
• Top three states showing maximum increase in forest cover are Mizoram, Gujarat and Odisha.
• Area wise top three states having largest forest area cover are Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Area wise top three states having largest forest cover are Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
• In terms of percentage of forest cover, Lakshadweep (91.33 percent) has the highest forest cover followed by Mizoram and Andaman & Nicobar Island.
• The present assessment also reveals that 19 states/UTs have above 33 percent of the geographical area under forest cover. Out of these, eight states/UTs namely Mizoram, Lakshadweep, A & N Island, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Manipur have forest cover above 75 percent.
• The total mangrove cover is 4,992 sq km in the country.
• The extent of bamboo bearing area of the country has increased as compared to the last assessment done in 2021.
• There is an increase in the carbon stock of the country as compared to the last assessment.
• India’s carbon stock has reached 30.43 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, which indicates that as compared to the base year of 2005, India has already reached 2.29 billion tonnes of additional carbon sink as against the target of 2.5 to 3.0 billion tonnes by 2030.

Highlights of India State of Forest Report 2023

• The Forest and Tree cover of India is 25.17 percent of the geographical area and in that 21.76% is forest cover and 3.41% is tree cover.
• As compared to assessment of 2021, there is an increase in the forest and tree cover of the country.
• Top four states showing maximum increase in forest and tree cover are Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan.
• Top three states showing maximum increase in forest cover are Mizoram, Gujarat and Odisha.
• Area wise top three states having largest forest area cover are Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Area wise top three states having largest forest cover are Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
• In terms of percentage of forest cover, Lakshadweep (91.33 percent) has the highest forest cover followed by Mizoram and Andaman & Nicobar Island.
• The present assessment also reveals that 19 states/UTs have above 33 percent of the geographical area under forest cover. Out of these, eight states/UTs namely Mizoram, Lakshadweep, A & N Island, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Manipur have forest cover above 75 percent.
• The total mangrove cover is 4,992 sq km in the country.
• The extent of bamboo bearing area of the country has increased as compared to the last assessment done in 2021.
• There is an increase in the carbon stock of the country as compared to the last assessment.
• India’s carbon stock has reached 30.43 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, which indicates that as compared to the base year of 2005, India has already reached 2.29 billion tonnes of additional carbon sink as against the target of 2.5 to 3.0 billion tonnes by 2030.