Natural Disasters: Floods and Consequences

Over 27,000 people evacuated from their homes due to devastating floods
Losses in terms of property, businesses, and earnings have run into crores of rupees
Experts attribute the unprecedented flooding in Delhi to:
- Encroachment on the river floodplain
- Extreme rainfall within a short span of time
- Silt accumulation that has raised the riverbed

Rising toxicity in Kali, Yamuna, and Hindon rivers has raised concerns
Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Pal Singh Tomar alleges that the rivers have become a "source of cancer" in over 100 villages
Oxygen level in the Kali river was found to be zero, making it unfit for drinking and irrigation
Sugar and paper mills releasing effluent discharge into the rivers are the main cause of pollution

Objective: Transfer surplus water from the Ken River in Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa River in Uttar Pradesh
Goal: Irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region
Geographical scope: Benefits districts in two states: Jhansi, Banda, Lalitpur, and Mahoba in UP; and Tikamgarh, Panna, and Chhatarpur in MP
Components: Dhaudhan Dam, 230-km long canal

Statutory organization established under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972
Primary function: Promote conservation and protection of wildlife and its habitats
Chairperson: Prime Minister of India
Members: Environmentalists, ecologists, government officials, among others
Role: Advisory body providing recommendations to the Government on wildlife conservation policies

Established in 1985
Located at the confluence of the Ken River and Khudar River
Usually visited along with the Raneh Falls site nearby
Gharial (also known as Gavial or Fish-Eating Crocodile)
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List
Physical Features: Males have a distinctive boss at the end of the snout, resembling an earthenware pot
Origin of Name: Hindi name "Gharial" comes from this feature

Mugger: Found throughout the Indian subcontinent, listed as vulnerable by IUCN
Saltwater Crocodile: Listed as least concern by IUCN, found throughout the east coast of India

Ancient fossils of ammonites, a class of extinct sea creatures related to modern squids
Originating from the Kali Gandaki River Valley in northern Nepal
Viewed primarily as manifestations of the Hindu god Vishnu
Believed to have an intrinsic consciousness of their own
Kept in homes and temples, treated as both living gods and active community members
News: Becoming rarer due to climate change, faster glacial melting, and gravel mining in the Kali Gandaki