Geography of India (Part -IV) (UPSC)

• Biodiversity Hotspots refer to biogeographic regions that are both a significant reservoir of biodiversity and are threatened with destruction.
  ο In other words, they are regions that are both rich in biodiversity and significantly threatened by human activities.
• These areas are critical for conservation efforts due to their high levels of endemic species, which are species found nowhere else on Earth
• To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must fulfil the following two strict criteria:
• Endemism: It must have at least 1,500 vascular plants as endemics (>0.5% of the world's total) - i.e. it must have a high percentage of plant species found nowhere else on the planet
  ο A hotspot, in other words, is irreplaceable.
• Threat Level: It must have lost 70% or more of its original natural vegetation
  ο In other words, it must have only 30% or less of its original natural vegetation

About Sambhar Lake:

• 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 Rupangarh, 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 Phoenicoparrus 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.

All Indian ports are located in nine coastal states: Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

• The country’s thirteen major ports handle a large volume of container and cargo traffic.
• Mumbai is India’s largest natural port.
• As you are aware, the Indian government has a federal structure, and maritime transit is to be controlled by both the Central and State governments, according to the Indian constitution.
• While the central government’s shipping ministry is in charge of the major ports, the minor and intermediate ports are managed by the respective departments or ministries in the nine coastal states: Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
Six of India’s 13 major ports are located on the western coast. The other six ports are on the east coast, with one on the Andaman Nicobar Islands in Port Blair.

About Shompen Tribe:

• They are one of the most isolated tribes on Earth.
• They are one of the least studied Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India.
• They reside in dense tropical rain forests of the Great Nicobar Island of Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands. Around 95% of the island is covered in rainforest.
• The Shompen habitat is also an important biological hotspot, and there are two National Parks and one Biosphere Reserve, namely Campbell Bay National Park, Galathea National Park, and Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve.
• Population: Though according to the Census (2011), the estimated population of Shompen is 229, the exact population of Shompen is unknown till today.
• Most of them remain in the forest and have little or no contact with outsiders.
• They are semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers and their main sources of livelihood are hunting, gathering, fishing, and a little bit of horticultural activities in a rudimentary form.

Features of SouthWest Monsoon
These winds generally strike the Indian coast in the first week of June. However, their arrival and departure may be before time or even delayed.

• There may be dry spells between rainy periods, leading to crop failure.
• At times the winds may skip over certain regions without any apparent cause.
• The amount and timing of rainfall and the intervals of wet and dry spells vary yearly, a phenomenon known as the vagaries of the monsoons.
• The spatial distribution of rainfall is uneven: some regions may experience heavy rains, while others receive meagre or scanty rainfall.
• Typically, these winds begin retreating by the end of September, but their departure may sometimes be delayed until October.

According to data presented by the Census of India – “The infant mortality rate, which plays an important role in health planning, has shown a considerable decline from 129 per 1000 live births in 1971 to 110 in 1981 and from 80 in 1991 to 33 in 2017.”

• This rate for a region is calculated by dividing the number of deaths of children less than 1 year old by the number of live births in a year times 1000.
• The major causes of congenital infant mortality are sudden infant death syndrome, malformations, accidents, maternal complications during the pregnancy and unintentional injuries.
• Contributing causes are social and environmental obstacles that prevent the availability of basic medical resources. 99% of the deaths of infants take place in developing nations. Among these, 86% are caused due to premature births, infections, delivery complications, birth injuries and perinatal asphyxia.

About Sutlej River

• It is an important tributary of the Indus River.
• It is the longest of the five big rivers that flow through the Punjab region in northern India and Pakistan.
• It is also known as “Satadree”.
• It is located north of the Vindhya Range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and in Pakistan.
• Length: It has a total length of 1550 km, out of which 529 km is in Pakistan.
• The hydrology of the Sutlej is controlled by spring and summer snowmelt in the Himalayas and by the South Asian monsoon.
• Tributaries: Spiti River, Baspa River, Soan River, and the Nogli Khad are the major tributaries of the Sutlej River.
• The waters of the Sutlej are allocated to India under the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan, and are mostly diverted to irrigation canals in India.
• There are many hydroelectric and irrigation projects across the river, such as the Bhakra-Nangal Dam, Kol Dam, Nathpa Jhakri Project, and Baspa Hydel Scheme.