Typhoon Bavi (2026)
Context: Typhoon Bavi weakened into a tropical storm after making landfall in China’s Zhejiang province, causing widespread disruption across East Asia.
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About Typhoon Bavi (2026)
- Typhoon Bavi was an exceptionally large and intense Category 5 tropical cyclone that developed over the western North Pacific Ocean in 2026.
- It affected Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Japan, Taiwan and eastern China before weakening into a tropical storm.
- Location: The cyclone originated over the western Pacific Ocean and tracked northwest across the Philippine Sea towards East Asia.
- It is also known as Super Typhoon Inday in the Philippines.
- Landfall: It first struck Rota (Northern Mariana Islands) at Category 5 intensity on 6 July 2026, later crossing Japan’s Sakishima Islands before making landfall in Zhejiang, China.
- Widespread Impact: The typhoon triggered storm surges, torrential rainfall, flash floods, landslides, power outages and mass evacuations across affected regions.
- Extreme Intensity: Bavi generated maximum sustained winds of about 285 km/h and expanded to nearly 1,000 km in diameter.
About Typhoons
- A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that forms over the western North Pacific Ocean with maximum sustained winds of at least 119 km/h.
- Factors Causing Typhoons
- Warm Ocean Waters: Sea surface temperatures of 26.5–27°C or higher provide the energy needed for cyclone formation.
- Coriolis Force: Earth’s rotation causes the storm to spin, forming its characteristic cyclonic circulation.
- Atmospheric Conditions: High humidity, atmospheric instability and low vertical wind shear favour rapid intensification.
- Pre-existing Disturbance: A low-pressure system or tropical disturbance acts as the initial trigger for cyclone development.
- Features of Typhoons
- Eye: A calm, low-pressure centre with relatively clear skies.
- Eyewall: A ring of intense thunderstorms surrounding the eye that contains the strongest winds and heaviest rainfall.
- Spiral Rainbands: Curved bands of thunderstorms extending outward, producing heavy rain and squally winds.
- Storm Surge: An abnormal rise in sea level driven by strong winds, often causing the greatest coastal damage during landfall.
Eärendil-1 Mission
Context: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved Reflect Orbital’s Eärendil-1 mission, a test satellite that will use a giant mirror to reflect sunlight onto Earth at night.
About Eärendil-1 Mission
- Eärendil-1 is an experimental orbital illumination mission developed by Reflect Orbital, a California-based space technology startup.
- Objective: To reflect natural sunlight onto selected locations on Earth during nighttime using a large deployable mirror in space.
- Tenure of Licencing: It has received a two-year experimental licence from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a proof-of-concept demonstration.
- Key Features
- Deployable Reflector: Equipped with an 18 × 18 metre ultra-thin Mylar mirror that unfolds after reaching orbit.
- Orbital Configuration: Operates in a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) at an altitude of about 625 km with an 88° orbital inclination.
- Sunlight Steering System: Uses a motorised attitude-control system to direct reflected sunlight onto a target area of approximately 5 km in diameter.
- Illumination Capacity: Produces approximately 0.1 lux of ground illumination, comparable to the brightness of a full moon.
- Potential Application:
- Renewable Energy: Extend daylight hours for solar farms to enhance electricity generation after sunset.
- Emergency & Humanitarian Support: Provide temporary illumination during disaster response, rescue operations and humanitarian missions.
- Infrastructure Support: Facilitate night-time construction, logistics and other critical operations requiring artificial lighting.
- Technology Demonstration: Validate the technical feasibility of controlled orbital sunlight reflection for future commercial applications.
- Key Concerns
- Impact on Astronomy: Artificial skyglow could interfere with optical telescopes and astronomical observations.
- Ecological Implications: Artificial night-time illumination may disrupt nocturnal wildlife and natural circadian rhythms.
- Regulatory Challenges: The FCC regulates radiofrequency interference and orbital debris but does not have statutory authority over visual impacts.
Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Population Status Report (2024–25)
Context: The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), in collaboration with the Rajasthan Forest Department, released the first official Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Population and Habitat Status Report since 2017–18.
Key Findings of the Report
- Population Stability: The estimated GIB population is around 130 birds (range: 110–150) and has remained stable since the 2017–18 assessment.
- Shrinking Habitat Use: The species currently occupies only 16% of the surveyed landscape, despite the availability of larger suitable habitat.
- Geographical Distribution: The assessment covered Rajasthan, whereas Gujarat has only a few surviving wild female GIBs.
- Habitat Preference: GIBs are primarily found in flat grasslands around Desert National Park and the Pokhran Range, avoiding intensive agriculture and infrastructure.
- Wildlife Observations: Surveys recorded 35 GIB flocks, 1,568 Chinkara herds, 79 Desert foxes, and Nilgai, wild pigs, and free-ranging dogs.
- Infrastructure Expansion: Expansion of power lines, solar plants, roads, agricultural fencing, and water sources has increased habitat fragmentation.
- Mortality Risk: Collisions with overhead power transmission lines remain one of the most significant threats.
- GIB’s poor frontal vision limits its ability to detect and manoeuvre around overhead power transmission lines.
- GIB continues to face threats from habitat fragmentation, poaching, and predation of eggs by wild animals.
- Recovery Potential: The Thar Desert remains the last viable landscape for long-term recovery due to its large, contiguous open habitats.
About GIB (Ardeotis nigriceps)
- Endemic: Native to the Indian subcontinent.
- State Bird: Rajasthan.
- Habitat: Arid and semi-arid grasslands, scrublands, and open plains.
- Distribution: Mainly found in Rajasthan (Thar Desert); small populations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
- Physical Features:
- One of the heaviest flying birds in the world.
- The largest flying bird in India.
- Long legs, long neck, and horizontal body posture.
- Diet: Omnivorous– feeds on insects, grass seeds, small reptiles, rodents, and berries.
- Ecological Significance: Flagship and indicator species of grassland ecosystems.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
- CITES: Appendix I
- Convention on Migratory Species (CMS): Appendix I
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Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai
Context: Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan unveiled a statue and inaugurated the Mannam Smrithi Mandapam in New Delhi to honour social reformer Mannathu Padmanabhan.
About Mannathu Padmanabhan
- Mannathu Padmanabhan (1878–1970) was a renowned social reformer, freedom fighter and educationist from Kerala.
- Early Life: He was born on 2 January 1878 at Perunna village in Travancore (present-day Kerala).
- He began his career as a school teacher before becoming a law practitioner in 1905.
- His early experiences of poverty and social discrimination inspired him to work for social justice, educational advancement and community upliftment.
- Key Contributions
- Founder of Nair Service Society (NSS): He founded NSS on 31 October 1914 to promote education, social reform, self-reliance and community development.
- Social Equality and Temple Entry Movement: He actively participated in the Vaikom Satyagraha (1924–25) and Guruvayur Satyagraha (1931–32) against untouchability.
- He led the historic Savarna Jatha demanding equal access to roads surrounding temples for all Hindus.
- Freedom Struggle and Democratic Movements: He joined the Indian National Congress in 1946 and participated in the movement against Sir C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer’s administration in Travancore.
- He later played an important role in the Vimochana Samaram (Liberation Struggle) of 1959.
- Educational and Social Reforms: He promoted the Nair Regulation (1924–25), which modernised family laws and property rights.
- Legacy: Mannathu Padmanabhan is remembered as a pioneer of Kerala’s social renaissance and an advocate of equality, education and national service.
- He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan (1966) and the title “Bharata Kesari” for his outstanding contributions.
13 Jul 2026
