News in Shorts: 12 July 2024

Cauvery Panel

• The Cauvery panel asks Karnataka to ensure flow of water for Tamil Nadu.

Cauvery Panel:

• Cauvery Water Dispute: The allocation of Cauvery water has been a longstanding issue between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, rooted in agreements from 1892 and 1924 between the former Madras Presidency and the Princely State of Mysore.
• Establishment of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal: In 1990, the Union government established the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, which issued its ruling in 2007. 
  • However, the decision did not resolve the dispute, prompting both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to file petitions seeking a review of the verdict.

Cauvery Delta: 

• Cauvery River Basin: The Cauvery river basin, covering 81,155 km2, is among South India’s largest. It is shared by Karnataka (42.23%), Kerala (3.53%), Puducherry (0.2%), and Tamil Nadu (54.04%), with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu having the largest shares. 
• Cauvery River: The Cauvery river, which travels approximately 800 kilometres, empties into the Bay of Bengal.

Vizhinjam International seaport in Kerala

• The Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala receives its inaugural container vessel.

Vizhinjam International Seaport:

• About: Vizhinjam Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is India’s first Deepwater Container Transshipment Port, representing an ambitious project of the Kerala government.
• Development Model: The port is currently under development in a landlord model with a Public-Private Partnership component, following a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer (DBFOT) basis. 
  • Under this model, the port authority serves as a regulatory body and landlord, while private companies (specifically Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd in this instance) handle port operations, particularly cargo handling.
• Versatile Functionality: The port is equipped to manage container transshipment, multi-purpose, and break-bulk cargo. Situated strategically just ten nautical miles from the international shipping route.
• Efficient Operations: With minimal littoral drift and low maintenance dredging needs, the port ensures reduced operational costs.

Transshipment Hub:

• About: Transshipment hubs are ports that serve as intermediate points for cargo transfer between originating and destination ports.
  • Approximately 75% of India’s transshipment cargo is processed at ports located outside the country. The majority of this cargo, over 85%, is handled by the Ports of Colombo, Singapore, and Klang.

Steps to develop transshipment hubs in India:

• Cochin Port: The Cochin Port Authority (CoPA) has established the International Container Transshipment Terminal in Cochin.
• Great Nicobar: Galathea Bay in Great Nicobar Island, part of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has been earmarked for the development of an International Container Transshipment Port.

Zika Virus

• At least 15 cases, including eight pregnant women, of Zika have been discovered so far in Pune, Maharashtra.

Zika Virus:

• About: It is a virus transmitted by mosquitoes, initially identified in Uganda in 1947 in a Rhesus macaque monkey. Subsequently, evidence of infection and disease in humans emerged in other African countries during the 1950s.
• Transmission: Zika virus spreads through bites of infected Aedes mosquitoes, which also transmit dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever.
  • Zika virus can be sexually transmitted between humans.
  • Infected mothers can transmit the virus to their newborns during childbirth.
• Symptoms: Zika virus often causes no symptoms in infected individuals.
  • Symptoms of Zika virus infection are similar to other arbovirus diseases like dengue, including fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache.
  • Zika virus infection during pregnancy can lead to babies being born with microcephaly.
• Diagnosis: Through blood tests conducted in a laboratory
• Treatment: No specific treatment or vaccine exists for Zika virus infection or disease. 
  • Those with symptoms such as rash, fever, or joint pain should rest, stay hydrated, and manage symptoms with antipyretics and/or analgesics.
• Prevention: Prevention and control of Zika virus rely on reducing mosquito breeding sites.
  • To reduce mosquito-human contact, use insect repellent, wear light-coloured clothing, use screens on windows and doors, and sleep under mosquito nets.

MeDevIS Platform

• The World Health Organization (WHO) recently launched the MeDevIS platform.

MeDevIS:

• About: The MeDevIS platform is the first global open access clearinghouse for information on medical devices.
• Handling Non-Standard Device Names: Replaces traditional paper-based literature searches across multiple publications, particularly when dealing with non-standard device names, which can increase complexity.
• Features: This platform assists governments, regulators, and users in choosing, acquiring, and utilising medical devices for diagnosing, testing, and treating various health conditions.
  • MeDevIS encompasses 2301 types of medical devices, addressing health concerns such as reproductive health, noncommunicable diseases, and infectious diseases like COVID-19.
• Aim: To simplify the naming of medical devices.
• References: MeDevIS includes two international naming systems for medical devices.
  • European Medical Device Nomenclature (EMDN) is predominantly used in European countries
  • Global Medical Device Nomenclature (GMDN) is used in Australia, Canada, the USA, and other member countries.

Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve

• Madhya Pradesh launches probe into alleged irregularities poaching in new tiger reserve

Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve: 

• About: The reserve stretches across Sagar, Damoh, and Narsinghpur districts in Madhya Pradesh.
  • It includes parts of the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Named after Rani Durgavati, the queen of the Gondi people, it is the seventh tiger reserve established in Madhya Pradesh.
• Features: A green corridor is planned to connect the Panna Tiger Reserve with Durgavati, enabling tigers to move freely between the reserves.
  • The reserve encompasses areas within the Narmada and Yamuna River basins.
  • The historic Singorgarh Fort lies within the reserve’s boundaries.
• Fauna: Teak, Saja, Dhaora, Ber, and Amla.
• Flora: Tigers, leopards, wolves, jackals, Indian foxes, striped hyenas, Nilgai, Chinkara, Chital, Sambhar, Black Buck, Barking deer, Common Langur, and Rhesus Macaque, White-Rumped and Indian Vultures can be found.