Biodiversity Profile Of India

India is one of the 17 identified mega diverse countries of the world. From about 70 per cent of the total geographical area surveyed so far, 45,500 plant species (including fungi and lower plants) and 91,000 animal species, representing about seven percent of the world’s flora and 6.5 per cent of the world’s fauna, respectively, have been described. Nearly 6,500 native plants are still used prominently in the indigenous healthcare systems.

From the biodiversity standpoint, India has some 59,353 insect species, 2,546 fish species, 240 amphibian species, 460 reptile species, 1,232 bird species and 397 mammal species, of which 18.4 per cent are endemic and 10.8 per cent are threatened. The country is home to at least 18,664 species of vascular plants, of which 26.8 per cent are endemic. With only 2.4 per cent of the total land area of the world, the known biological diversity of India contributes 8 per cent to the known global biological diversity. It has been estimated that at least 10 per cent of the country’s recorded wild flora, and possibly the same percentage of its wild fauna, are on the threatened list, many of them on the verge of extinction.

India has two biodiversity hot spots, namely:

1. The Eastern Himalayas
2. The Western Ghats

And, it is composed of diverse ecological habitats:

1. Forests
2. Grasslands
3. Wetlands
4. Coastal and Marine ecosystems
5. Desert ecosystem

India, with varied terrain, topography, land use, geographic and climatic factors, can be divided into ten recognizable biogeographic zones. These zones encompass a variety of ecosystems – mountains, plateaus, rivers, forests, deserts, wetlands, lakes, mangroves, coral reefs, coasts and islands.

Trans-Himalayan Region: Trans-Himalayan Region, constituting 5.6 per cent of the total geographical area, includes the high altitude, cold and arid mountain areas of Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, North Sikkim, Lahaul and Spiti areas of Himachal Pradesh. This zone has sparse alpine steppe vegetation  that harbours several endemic species and is a favourable habitat for the biggest populations of wild sheep and goat in the world and other rare fauna that includes Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia) and the migratory Blacknecked Crane (Grus nigricollis).

Himalayan Zone: Himalayan Zone, in the far North, constituting 6.4 per cent of the total geographical area includes some of the highest peaks in the world and makes India one of the richest areas in terms of habitats and species. The steep slopes, unconsolidated soils and intense rainfall render the zone extremely fragile.

The alpine and sub-alpine forests, grassy meadows and moist mixed deciduous forests provide diverse habitat for endangered species of bovids such as Bharal (Pseudois nayaur), Ibex (Capra ibex), Markhor (Capra falconeri), Tahr (Hemitragus jemlabicus), and Takin (Budoreas taxicolor). Other rare and endangered species restricted to this zone include Hangul (Cervus eldi eldi) and Musk Deer (Moschus moschiferus)

Indian Desert Zone: Indian Desert Zone, constituting 6.6 per cent of the total geographical area, includes the Thar and the Kutch deserts and has large expanses of grassland that supports several endangered species of mammals such as Wolf (Canis lupus), Caracal (Felis caracal), Desert Cat (Felis libyca) and birds of conservation interest viz., Houbara Bustard (Chamydotis undulate) and the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps).

Semi-arid Region: Semi-arid Region, constituting 16.6 per cent of the total geographical area, is a transition zone between the desert and the dense forests of Western Ghats. Peninsular India has two large regions, which are climatically semi-arid. This semi-arid region also has several artificial and natural lakes and marshy lands.

The dominant grass and palatable shrub layer in this zone supports the highest wildlife biomass. The cervid species of Sambar (Cervus unicolor) and Chital (Axis axis) are restricted to the better wooded hills and moister valley areas respectively.

The Lion (Leo persica), an endangered carnivore species (restricted to a small area in Gujarat), Caracal (Felis caracal), Jackal (Canis aureus) and Wolf (Canis lupus) are some of the endangered species that are characteristic of this region.

Western Ghats: Western Ghats, constituting 4.0 per cent of the total geographical area, is one of the major tropical evergreen forest regions in India. The zone stretches from the hills to the South of the Tapti River in the North to Kanyakumari in the South and in the West, this zone is bound by the coast. This zone represents one of the biodiversity ‘hot spots’ with some 15,000 species of higher plants, of which 4,000 (27 per cent) are endemic to the region.
Significant species endemic to this region include Nilgiri Langur (Presbytis jobni), Lion Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus), Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura), Malabar Civet (Viverricula megaspila), Nilgiri Tahr (Hemitragus bylocrius) and Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocycerous griseus). The Travancore Tortoise (Indotestudo forstem) and Cane turtle (Heosemys silvatica) are two endangered taxa restricted to a small area in central Western Ghats.

Deccan Plateau: Deccan Plateau, constituting 42 per cent of the total geographical area, is a semi-arid region that falls in the rain shadow area of the Western Ghats. This bio-geographic zone of peninsular India is by far the most extensive zone, covering India’s finest forests, particularly in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa.

The zone comprising of deciduous forests, thorn forests and degraded scrubland support diverse wildlife species. Species such as Chital (Axis axis), Sambar (Cervus unicolor), Nilgai (Boselapbus tragocamelus) and Chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis) are abundant in this zone.

Some other species like Barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak) and Gaur (Antilope cervicapra) are more frequent in, or are restricted to moister areas, but are still found in fairly large numbers.

Species with small populations include the Elephant (Elephas maximus) in Bihar-Orissa and Karnataka-Tamil Nadu belts, Wild Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in a small area at the junction of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and the hard ground Swamp Deer (Cervus duvauceli), now restricted to a single locality in Madhya Pradesh.

Gangetic Plain: Gangetic Plain, constituting 10.8 per cent of the total geographical area, is a flat alluvial region lying to the North and South of the Ganga River and its major tributaries and in the foothills of the Himalayas. The Gangetic plain is topographically homogenous for hundreds of kilometers. The characterstic fauna of this region include Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis), Elephant (Elephas maximus), Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), Swamp Deer (Cervus duvauceli), Hog-Deer (Axis porcinus) and Hispid Hare (Carprolagus bispidus). This zone gains considerable ecological significance in the context of increasing industrialization and pollution and the consequent environmental degradation and deforestation.

North-East Region: North-East Region, constituting 5.2 per cent of the total geographical area, represents the transition zone between the Indian, Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese bio-geographical regions as well as being a meeting point of the Himalayan mountains and peninsular India. The North-East is thus the biogeographical ‘gateway’ for much of India’s fauna and flora and also a biodiversity hotspot. Adiverse set of habitats coupled with long term geological stability has allowed the development of significant levels of endemism in all animal and plant groups.

Coasts: The country’s extensive Coasts, constituting 2.5 per cent of the total geographical area with sandy beaches, mangroves, mud flats, coral reefs and marine angiosperm pastures make them the wealth and health zones of India. The coastline from Gujarat to Sunderbans is estimated to be 5,423 km long. Atotal of 25 islets constitute the Lakshadweep, which are of coral origin, and have a typical reef lagoon system, rich in biodiversity. However, the densely populated Lakshadweep islands virtually have no natural vegetation.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, constituting 0.3 per cent of the total geographical area are one of the three tropical moist evergreen forests zones in India. The islands house an array of flora and fauna not found elsewhere. The elongated North-South oriented groups of 348 Andaman Islands have a biogeographical affinity with Myanmar. The Nicobar Islands, lying only 90 kms away from Sumatra have much stronger Indonesian and South-East Asian elements. These islands are centres of high endemism and contain some of India’s finest evergreen forests and support a wide diversity of corals.

Rivers Of India

The rivers of India can be classified into four groups viz., the Himalayan rivers, the Deccan rivers, the coastal rivers, and rivers of the inland drainage basin.

The main Himalayan River System includes the Indus and the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna system. The Indus originates near Mansarovar in Tibet, flows through India and Pakistan, and finally falls into the Arabian Sea near Karachi. Its important tributaries flowing through Indian territory are Sutlej (originating in Tibet), Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum. The Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system creates principal subbasins of the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda, which join at Dev Prayag to form the Ganga. It then traverses through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. Below the Rajmahal hills, Bhagirathi, which used to be the main course in the past, takes off, while Padma continues eastwards and enters Bangladesh.

The Yamuna, Ramganga, Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi, Mahananda and Sone are the important tributaries of Ganga. Rivers Chambal and Betwa are the important sub-tributaries, which join Yamuna before it merges with Ganga. The Padma and the Brahmaputra join in Bangladesh, and continue to flow as River Padma or Ganga.

The Brahmaputra rises in Tibet, where it is known as Tsangpo and runs a long distance till it crosses over into India in Arunachal Pradesh under the name of Dihang.

Near Passighat, Debang and Lohit join river Brahmaputra and together run all along Assam in a narrow valley. It crosses Bangladesh as a downstream of Dhubri.

In the Deccan region, most of the major river systems flow in the eastern direction and fall into the Bay of Bengal. The major East-flowing rivers are Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery and Mahanadi.

Narmada and Tapti are the major West-flowing rivers.

River Godavari in the Southern peninsula forms the second largest river basin, covering ten per cent of the total area of the country, while the Mahanadi has the third largest basin.

River basin of the Narmada in the uplands of the Deccan, flowing into the Arabian Sea, and of Cauvery in the south, falling into the Bay of Bengal is about the same size, though with different character and shape.

There are numerous coastal rivers, which are comparatively smaller. While only a handful of such rivers drain into the sea along the East Coast, there are as many as 600 such rivers on the West Coast.

India Among Top 10 Countries In Hydro Power Capacity

India acounts for 0.36 per cent of world’s installed hydro capacity. India has an estimated potential of about 19,750 MW of Small Hydro Power (SHP) projects. So far, 898 SHP projects with an aggregate capacity of 3411 MW have been set up and 348 projects aggregating to 1309 MW are under implementation. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy ensures performance testing of all the plants for their functionality.
During the 11th Plan, a capacity of 1419 MW was added against 536 MW during the 10th Plan. A capacity addition of 2100 MW from SHP projects has been planned during the 12th Five Year Plan. Ministry Of New And Renewable Energy provids Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to set up small / micro hydro projects both in public and private sectors. Financial support is also given to the State Government for identification of new potential sites including survey and preparation of DPRs, and renovation and modernization of old SHP projects. It also helps the State Governments in formulating their policies for the development of small hydro projects and exploitation of this potential.
Have a look at this infographic which provides the details of top 10 countries in hydro power capacity.

Earthquake Risk And Vulnerability In India

According to the latest seismic zone map of India, about 59 per cent of India’s land area is vulnerable to moderate or severe seismic hazard, i.e., prone to shaking of MSK intensity VII and above. In the recent past, most Indian cities have witnessed the phenomenal growth of multi-storied buildings, super malls, luxury apartments and social infrastructure as a part of the process of development. The rapid expansion of the built environment in moderate or high-risk cities makes it imperative to incorporate seismic risk reduction strategies in various aspects of urban planning and construction of new structures.

During the period 1990 to 2006, India has experienced 6 major earthquakes that have resulted in over 23,000 deaths and caused enormous damage to property, assets and infrastructure.

The entire Himalayan Region is considered to be vulnerable to high intensity earthquakes of a magnitude exceeding 8.0 on the Richter Scale, and in a relatively short span of about 50 years, four such earthquakes have occurred: Shillong, 1897 (M 8.7); Kangra, 1905 (M.8.0); Bihar–Nepal, 1934 (M 8.3); and Assam–Tibet, 1950 (M 8.6).

Scientific publications have warned that very severe earthquakes are likely to occur anytime in the Himalayan Region, which could adversely affect the lives of several million people in India.

The Bhuj earthquake of 2001 caused widespread damage and destruction not only to residential buildings but also to government buildings, public infrastructure and to buildings housing industrial enterprises in more than 7,900 villages in 21 districts of Gujarat. The severe economic losses caused by the Gujarat earthquake were not only restricted to the local economy but also influenced the savings and investment patterns and stock market behaviour.

Thus, the economic impact of an earthquake in a metropolitan city like Delhi or Mumbai etc., will have primary, secondary and tertiary effects.

Critical Areas of Concern in Earthquake Management

There is an increasing need being felt for a more systematic, holistic and integrated effort to address the critical areas of concern responsible for the weak seismic safety measures in India.

These Guidelines have been drawn up to address these critical areas of concern and to provide the foundation for seismic safety.

The regions away from the Himalayas and other inter-plate boundaries were previously considered to be relatively safe from the devastating impact of earthquakes. However, the Koyna earthquake of 1967 and the Latur earthquake of 1993 dispelled this widely held view and influenced the revisions of the seismic zoning map. This map, however, only indicates areas with low, moderate and high seismic hazards based on past trends.

There is an urgent need to revise the seismic zone map of India to reflect the return period related design accelerations. This work will be carried out in a phased manner covering the Himalayan ranges, the North-East and the western region in the first phase.

The critical areas of concern for the management of earthquakes in India include the:

• Lack of awareness among various stakeholders about the seismic risk
• Inadequate attention to structural mitigation measures in the engineering education syllabus
• Inadequate monitoring and enforcement of earthquake-resistant building codes and town planning bye-laws
• Absence of systems of licensing of engineers and masons
• Absence of earthquake-resistant features in non-engineered construction in suburban and rural areas
• Lack of formal training among professionals in earthquake-resistant construction practices
• Lack of adequate preparedness and response capacity among various stakeholder groups

Urgent Need: A More Realistic and Scientific Seismic Zonation Map

The Ministry of Environment And Science (MoES) will coordinate this task in collaboration with technical institutions like the IMD, the Earthquake Risk Evaluation Centre (EREC), the BIS and the Geological Survey of India (GSI), along with the concerned scientific and professional institutions.

Intensification Of Forest Management Scheme (IFMS)

This programme was formerly known as Integrated Forest Protection Scheme.  The National Forest Policy 1988 aims at bringing 33 per cent of country’s geographical area under the forests/tree cover. While aiming to expand the forest cover in the country, it is equally important to improve the state of existing forests and protect them against various threats.

The threats to forests include encroachments, forest fires, illegal felling for timber and firewood grazing, diseases and incursion of weeds and other invasive species. In addition, there are problems related to unique vegetation and eco-systems either due to high value or peculiar nature of their management. Examples of this include forests with species such as Sandalwood, Red Sanders and Bamboo to name a few. The scheme of Intensification of Forest Management intends to address both the general problems of forest protection and protection of unique vegetation.

Introduction Of The Scheme

The Intensification of Forest Management scheme is a revised version of Integrated Forest Protection Scheme that was in operation during the 10th Five Year Plan and was allowed to continue in the 11th Five Year Plan as well. The main components of the scheme during the 11th Five Year Plan were as under:

1. Forest Fire control and Management (existing)
2. Strengthening of Infrastructure (existing)
3. Survey, Demarcation and Working Plan preparation (existing)
4. Protection and Conservation of Sacred Groves (New)
5. Conservation and Restoration of Unique Vegetation & Ecosystems (New)
6. Control and Eradication of Forest Invasive Species (New)
7. Preparedness for Meeting Challenges of Bamboo Flowering and Improving Management of Bamboo Forests (New)

Implementing Agencies

The Scheme has a Central Sector component and a State Sector component. The major works of the Scheme that are to be implemented by the State/UT Forest Department would be implemented through the State Sector component by releasing the funds to the concerned States/UT Governments.

Under the Central Sector component of the Scheme, the Forest Protection Division of the Ministry of Environment & Forests would implement the works of monitoring, evaluation and other such works which are spread over more than one State/Union Territory.

During the 12thPlan Period Intensification of Forest Management Scheme (IFMS) and National Afforestation Programme will be under a new scheme called Afforestation & Forest Management.

National Afforestation Programme (NAP)

Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) was operating four centrally sponsored afforestation schemes during the 9th Plan, i.e. Integrated Afforestation and Eco-development Project Scheme (IAEPS), Area Oriented Fuel wood and Fodder Project Scheme (AOFFPS), Conservation of Non-Timber Forest Produce including Medicinal Plants (NTFPS), and Association of ST and Rural Poor in Regeneration of Degraded Forests (ASTRPS).

The Mid-Term Evaluation of the projects under these Schemes recommended a decentralised approach and speedy fund transfer mechanism. Taking cue from these recommendations, a Pilot Scheme, Samnavit Gram Vanikaran Samridhi Yojana (SGVSY) was launched in 2000-01 utilising the delivery mechanism of Forest Development Agency (FDA) and Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC).   47 Pilot projects launched during 9th Plan were highly successful in terms of achievement of  the set objectives.

As per 10th Plan document of Planning Commission relating to the Forests and Environment sector, the National Afforestation Programme (NAP) Scheme was initiated by scaling-up the SGVSY project experience and converging all afforestation schemes of the 9th Plan period to avoid  duplicity or redundancy, and at the same time keeping in focus the decentralization agenda of the government.   NAP is being operated as a 100 per cent Central Sector Scheme.

The Scheme is being operated by the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests as a 100% Central Sector/Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

Objectives

The overall objective of the scheme is to develop the forest resources with people’s participation, with focus on improvement in livelihoods of the forest-fringe communities, especially the poor.

NAP Scheme aims to support and accelerate the ongoing process of devolving forest protection, management and development functions to decentralized institutions of Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC) at the village level, and Forest Development Agency (FDA) at the forest division level.

Components

Financial support under NAP Scheme is available for:

1. Mobilisation of village JFMC, and Micro-planning in project villages
2. Afforestation – following components:
• Aided Natural Regeneration
• Artificial Regeneration
• Bamboo plantation
• Cane Plantation
• Mixed Plantation of trees having MFP & medicinal value
• Regeneration of perennial herbs & shrubs of medicine value
• Pasture Development/Silvipasture
3. Soil & Moisture Conservation
4. Entry Point Activity (for village development; average assistance Rs. 1.6 lakh per village
5. Fencing, Monitoring & Evaluation, Training, Awareness raising, Overheads

National River Conservation Plan (NRCP)

Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase-I was started in 1985 as a 100 per cent centrally funded Scheme. The main objective of GAP was to improve the water quality of Ganga to acceptable standards by preventing the pollution load reaching the river. Under GAP Phase-I pollution abatement works were taken up in 21 class-I towns in UP, Bihar and West Bengal. This Phase has been declared complete on 31st March 2000 at a cost of Rs 451.70 crore.

GAP Phase-I was extended to GAP Phase-II approved in stages from 1993 to 1996, which covered the river Ganga and its major tributaries viz., Yamuna, Gomati and Damodar. This action plan covers pollution abatement works in 95 towns along the polluted stretches of four rivers spread over seven States. The total approved cost of this action plan is Rs 1498.86 crore which was approved on 50:50 cost sharing basis between the Centre and the State Governments.

Later, however, it was felt that the river conservation activity needed to be extended to other rivers of the country also. Accordingly, the existing Scheme was merged into a National River Conservation Plan.

National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) was approved for Rs 772.08 crore in 1995 on 50:50 cost sharing basis between the Centre and the State Government. The then Ganga Project Directorate was converted into National River Conservation Directorate for servicing the National River Conservation Authority and the Steering Committee.

The current programmes covered under NRCP include works in 172 towns along polluted stretches of various rivers spread over 20 states. To give a fresh impetus to pollution abatement of River Ganga and its tributaries, a major initiative under the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) has been started in 2010.

Objectives

The objective of National River Conservation Plan being to improve the water quality of the major rivers which are the major fresh water source in the country through the implementation of pollution abatement Schemes. It covered pollution abatement works in 46 towns along the polluted stretches of 18 rivers spread over 10 States. The Ganga Action Plan Phase-II was merged with NRCP in December 1996. Seven additional towns of Tamil Nadu were approved in January 2001 at a cost of Rs 575.30 crore on this funding pattern.

In a meeting of the National River Conservation Authority held in March, 2001 under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister of India, it was decided to adopt an integrated approach for the river cleaning programmes; and that all future works would be shared on a 70:30 basis between the Centre and the State Governments. Of the State share, the share of public shall be minimum of 10% of the total costs.

Activities Covered

The activities under NRCP include the following:

• Interception and Diversion works to capture the raw sewage flowing into the river through open drains and divert them for treatment
• Sewage Treatment Plants for treating the diverted sewage
• Low Cost Sanitation works to prevent open defecation on riverbanks
• Electric Crematoria and Improved Wood Crematoria to conserve the use of wood and help in ensuring proper cremation of bodies brought to the burning ghats
• River Front Development works such as improvement of bathing ghats
• Public awareness and public participation
• HRD, capacity building, training and research in the area of River Conservation
• Other miscellaneous works depend upon location specific conditions including the interface with human population

Restructuring Of Environment Schemes

Pursuant to the recommendations of the B.K. Chaturvedi Report (September 2011) on CSS, MoEF has rationalised the eight schemes existing in the Eleventh Five Year Plan to five in the Twelfth Five Year Plan by suitable merger/clubbing as shown in the figure given below:

The total number of thematic schemes in the Twelfth Plan has been reduced to 18 comprising of 5 CSS and 13 CS schemes, including one on Climate Change which has been approved by the Planning Commission. Amongst sub-schemes, the schemes of Industrial Pollution abatement through preventive strategies and Clean Technologies have been merged into a single scheme under the Pollution Abatement Scheme.

Similarly, the schemes of National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) and Wetlands have been merged into a single scheme, namely, National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems under the thematic scheme of Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems. The scheme of Taj Protection has also been clubbed under this scheme. Under the thematic scheme of International Cooperation Activities, a new sub-scheme on Desertification Cell has been proposed. The Civil Construction Unit scheme is a non-Plan scheme and has been shown to account for Plan expenditure on construction of new building of MoEF, which is likely to be completed in 2012–13.

Source: Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012–2017) Faster, More Inclusive and Sustainable Growth

Green India Mission

The Government of India has taken initiatives by formulating National Mission for a Green India (GIM) as one of the 8 missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The mission has been approved by the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change with a proposed cost of Rs 46000 crore over 10 years starting from 2012‒13.

The GIM has been conceived as a multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral and multi-departmental mission, recognising that climate change phenomena will seriously affect and alter the distribution, type and quality of natural resources of the country and the associated livelihoods of the people.

GIM puts the ‘greening’ in the context of climate change adaptation and mitigation and is meant to enhance ecosystem services like carbon sequestration and storage (in forests and other ecosystems), hydrological services and biodiversity; along with provisioning services like fuel, fodder, small timber through agro and farm forestry, and NTFPs.

During the Twelfth Five Year Plan, provisions have been kept for the GIM for increasing forest and tree cover on 2.5 mha area (non forest through agro/social/farm forestry), improving quality of forest cover on another 2.5 mha area, improving ecosystems services, and increasing forest based livelihood income and enhanced annual CO2 sequestration.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT EARTH

*The water of Antarctica is so cold that nothing can rot there.

• An Earthquake on Dec 16 , 1811 caused parts of Mississippi river to flow backwards.
• If Antarctica Sheet melted , the world's ocean would rise by 60-65 metres everywhere.
• The Amazon rain forest produces produces more than 20% of the world's water supply.
• The Sahara desert expands at about 1 km per month.
• The North Atlantic gets centi metres wider every year.
• The average Ice Berg weighs 20,000,000 tons!  
• It takes a drop of ocean water more than 1000 years to circulate around the world.
• Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill.
• A volcano has enough power to shoot ash as high as 50 km into the atmosphere.
• Even Antarctica has an area code . Its 672.
• 10 of the tributaries Flowing into the Amazon river are as big as Mississippi river
• One Cubic miles of Seawater contains abt 25 kg of gold.
• On an Average , 20,000 earthquakes are located each year , world wide.
• There is Zero gravity at the center of the earth. 
• A storm officially becomes a Hurricane when cyclone wind reach 199 km/hr
• Earth is slowing down - In a few million years there wont be a leap year.
• Thousands of Metorites falls into earth every year but most fall in  seas and unpopulated areas

भारत का भूगोल – भारत की नदियाँ (सिंधु और ब्रह्मपुत्र)

सिंधु (Indus)

1) भारतीय उपमहाद्वीप की सबसे लम्बी नदी कौन सी है? – सिंधु

2) सिंधु नदी की कुल लम्बाई कितनी है? – लगभग 3,200 किमी (2,000 मील)

3) सिंधु नदी का उद्गम स्थल कौन सा है? – चीन के तिब्बत क्षेत्र में सेंगे और गर नदियों का संगम (कैलाश-मानसरोवर के पास स्थित)

4) सिंधु नदी भारत के किस एकमात्र राज्य से होकर गुजरती है? – जम्मू और कश्मीर

5) किस नदी को लद्दाख क्षेत्र में “लायन रिवर” के उप-नाम से भी जाना जाता है? –सिंधु

6) जम्मू और कश्मीर में सिंधु नदी की प्रमुख सहायक नदियाँ कौन सी हैं? – श्योक, सिगर और गिलगित

7) सिंधु की सर्वप्रमुख सहायक नदियाँ कौन सी हैं? – झेलम, चेनाब, रावी, ब्यास और सतलुज

8) उत्तर-पश्चिम पाकिस्तान-अफगानिस्तान क्षेत्र से निकलकर सिंधु में मिलने वाली प्रमुख नदियां कौन सी हैं? – गुमल, झोब, तोची और स्वात

9) सिंधु किस सागर में गिरती है? – अरब सागर में

10) अरब सागर में गिरने से पूर्व सिंधु किस प्रमुख पाकिस्तानी शहर से होकर गुजरती है? – कराची

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ब्रह्मपुत्र (Brahmaputra)

1) ब्रह्मपुत्र का उद्गम स्थल क्या है? – चीन के तिब्बत क्षेत्र में स्थित आंग्सी ग्लेशियर (कैलाश-मानसरोवर के पास स्थित)

2) ब्रह्मपुत्र की कुल लम्बाई कितनी है? – 2,900 किमी (1,800 मील)

3) ब्रह्मपुत्र को चीन में किस नाम से पुकारा जाता है? – सांग्पो (Tsangpo)

4) ब्रह्मपुत्र किस राज्य से होकर भारत में प्रविष्ट होती है? – अरुणाचल प्रदेश

5) अरुणाचल प्रदेश में ब्रह्मपुत्र को किन प्रमुख नामों से जाना जाता है? – सियांग और दिहांग (जब ब्रह्मपुत्र पहाड़ी क्षेत्र से होकर अरुणाचल में प्रवेश करती है तो इसे सियांग कहा जाता है और अरुणाचल के मैदानी क्षेत्र में पहुंचने के बाद इसे दिहांग नाम से जाना जाता है)

6) ब्रह्मपुत्र नदी अपने पूरे मार्ग में मुख्यत: कितनी बार दिशा बदलती है? – दो बार (एक बार चीन से भारत की सीमा में प्रविष्ट होने के समय और दूसरी बार भारत से बांग्लादेश में प्रविष्ट होने के समय)

7) ब्रह्मपुत्र भारत के कितने राज्यों से होकर बहती है? – दो (अरुणाचल प्रदेश और असम)

8) ब्रह्मपुत्र की लम्बाई किस राज्य में अधिक है – अरुणाचल प्रदेश या असम? –असम

9) विश्व के कुछ सबसे बड़े नदी-द्वीपों में से एक का निर्माण असम में ब्रह्मपुत्र नदी द्वारा किया जाता है। इस प्रसिद्ध नदी-द्वीप का नाम क्या है? – माजुली (वर्तमान में माजुली का आकार कम हो रहा है और अब इसके अस्तित्व को लेकर खतरा पैदा हो गया है)

10) असम को कौन सा प्रमुख शहर ब्रह्मपुत्र के तट पर बसा हुआ है? – गुवाहाटी

11) ब्रह्मपुत्र को बांग्लादेश में किस नाम से जाना जाता है? – जमुना (भारत की यमुना नदी से अलग है)

12) ब्रह्मपुत्र की प्रमुख सहायक नदियाँ कौन सी हैं? – दिबांग और लोहित (अरुणाचल प्रदेश में), कामेंग (असम में) और गंगा (या पद्मा), तीस्ता और मेघना(बांग्लादेश में)

13) ब्रह्मपुत्र किस नदी से मिलकर सुन्दरबन के विशाल डेल्टा का निर्माण करती है? – गंगा या पद्मा

14) ब्रह्मपुत्र किस सागर में मिलकर विलुप्त होती है? – बंगाल की खाड़ी (ब्रह्मपुत्र बंगाल की खाड़ी में मिलते समय मेघना के नाम से पुकारी जाती है)

15) कौन सा देश ब्रह्मपुत्र के पानी के विशाल प्रवाह को देखते हुए इस पर बांध बनाने की योजना बना रहा है, जिससे भारत में ब्रह्मपुत्र के पानी की मात्रा में काफी कमी आने की संभावना है? – चीन

भारत की नदियाँ – गंगा

1) भारत की नदियों को मुख्यत: कितनी श्रेणियों में बाँटा जाता है? –दो श्रेणियाँ A) हिमालय से निकलने वाली नदियाँ और B) प्रायद्वीपीय नदियाँ

2) हिमालय से निकलने वाली सर्वप्रमुख तीन नदियाँ कौन सी हैं, जो भारत से बहती हैं? – गंगा, सिन्धु और ब्रह्मपुत्र

3) भारत की सबसे लंबी नदी कौन सी है? – गंगा – इसकी भारत में लम्बाई लगभग 2,500 किमी है (हालांकि सिन्धु (3,200 किमी) और ब्रह्मपुत्र (2,900 किमी) नदियों की लम्बाई गंगा से अधिक है लेकिन भारत में बहने वाला भाग कम होने के कारण गंगा सबसे लम्बी नदी मानी जाती है)

4) गंगा का उद्गम स्थल क्या है? – गोमुख (उत्तराखण्ड)

5) गंगा को गोमुख से निकलने के बाद किस नाम से जाना जाता है? – भागीरथी

6) भागीरथी उत्तराखण्ड के देवप्रयाग में किस नदी से मिलकर गंगा नदी का स्वरूप लेती है? – अलकनंदा (इसका अर्थ हुआ कि गंगा को गंगा नाम देवप्रयाग से मिलता है, जहाँ गंगा के प्रारंभिक स्वरूप भागीरथी का अलकनंदा से संगम होता है)

7) गंगा की प्रमुख सहायक नदियां कौन सी हैं? – यमुना, घाघरा, गण्डक, कोसी, सोन और दामोदर

8) गंगा की वे कौन सी प्रमुख सहायक नदियाँ हैं जो दक्षिण से उत्तर दिशा में बहते हुए गंगा में मिलती हैं? – सोन और दामोदर

9) गंगा की सर्वप्रमुख सहायक नदी किसे माना जाता है? – यमुना (जो उत्तरप्रदेश के इलाहाबाद में गंगा से मिलकर संगम का निर्माण करती है)

10) पौराणिक मान्यताओं के अनुसार कौन सी नदी अदृश्य रूप में गंगा और यमुना से इलाहाबाद से मिलती है? – सरस्वती (माना गया है कि सरस्वती 2,000 वर्ष से भी अधिक समय पूर्व मार्ग बदल जाने के कारण भारत के रेगिस्तानों में विलुप्त हो गई थी। कुछ विशेषज्ञ हरियाणा की घग्गर नदी को ही विलुप्त सरस्वती मानते हैं)

11) यमुना का उद्गम स्थल क्या है? – चीन के तिब्बत क्षेत्र की मानसरोवर झील (हालांकि भारतीय श्रद्धालु उत्तराखण्ड के यमुनोत्री ग्लेशियर को यमुना का उद्गम मानते हैं)

12) यमुना की प्रमुख सहायक नदियाँ कौन सी हैं? – चम्बल, केन और बेतवा

13) यमुना की सहायक नदियों की एक विशेषता क्या है? – यह नदियाँ दक्षिण से उत्तर दिशा में बहते हुए यमुना से मिलती हैं

14) भारत के अलावा गंगा और किस देश में भी बहती है? –बांग्लादेश में

15) बांग्लादेश में गंगा को इसके किस स्थानीय नाम से जाना जाता है? – पद्मा

16) बंगाल की खाड़ी में मिलने से पूर्व गंगा किस नदी से बांग्लादेश में मिलकर एक विशाल डेल्टा का निर्माण करती है? – ब्रह्मपुत्र

17) गंगा और ब्रह्मपुत्र द्वारा किस विशाल डेल्टा का निर्माण किया जाता है? – सुंदरबन डेल्टा (Sundarbans)

18) सुंदरबन डेल्टा की प्रमुख विशेषता क्या है? – यह विश्व का सबसे बड़ा डेल्टा है, जो 4,000 वर्ग किमी से अधिक क्षेत्र में फैला हुआ है (इस डेल्टा का लगभग 80% हिस्सा बांग्लादेश में आता है जबकि शेष 20% भारत में आता है)

19) इस डेल्टा का नाम सुंदरबन कैसे पड़ा? – यहाँ पाए जाने वाले सुंदरी वृक्ष के कारण

20) गंगा नदी के तट पर बसे प्रमुख भारतीय नगर कौन से हैं? –ऋषिकेश, हरिद्वार, कानपुर, इलाहाबाद, पटना और कोलकाता