India releases the 'FloodWatch' app to provide real-time flood updates

India releases the 'FloodWatch' app to provide real-time flood updates

The Central Water Commission unveiled the ‘FloodWatch’ app, which can predict the likelihood of flooding up to a day in advance recently. Both textual and audio alert messages and flood forecasts will be distributed through "FloodWatch." Additionally, it offers a seven-day forecast on the likelihood of flooding at several locations across the nation where the CWC maintains its measurement gauges.

The app, which is accessible on Google Play, features a map of India with colored circles at water stations throughout the country indicating the current risk of floods. A ‘green’ circle indicates ‘normal’; yellow, above normal; orange, ‘severe’ and red, ‘extreme’. The station's current water level, the maximum level ever reached, the danger level, and the warning level may all be seen by clicking on a circle. The voice-activated prompt option is available along with warnings in either English or Hindi.

The parent organization of the CWC, the Jal Shakti Ministry, stated in a release, "The app will also provide State-wise/basin-wide flood forecast up to 24 hours or flood advisory, up to seven days, that can be accessed by selecting specific stations." To provide precise and timely flood forecasts, FloodWatch makes use of cutting-edge technologies like "satellite data processing, mathematical modeling, and real-time monitoring. Users of this app can get crucial information on the flood scenario, according to a statement from CWC Chairman Kushvinder Vohra. (The Hindu)

Supreme Court to hear the Union government’s plea on GM mustard

The Supreme Court recently said that it will consider the Union government's appeal to have its November 2022 commitment to forgo commercial production of genetically modified (GM) mustard across the nation withdrawn.

Aishwarya Bhati, additional solicitor general (ASG), spoke on behalf of the Center on November 3, 2022, and promised the court orally that "no precipitative action" would be done. The Center has now attempted to back out of its promise that it won't grow GM mustard. The assurance was given in response to various petitions contesting the genetically engineered mustard hybrid DMH-11's environmental release approval, which had been approved on October 25 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change's (MoEF&CC) Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).

Aruna Rodrigues, the NGO Gene Campaign, which had launched a lawsuit in the matter in 2004, and other parties were recently asked to respond to the Centre's plea for a hearing by a bench made up of justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan.

The oral statement made on behalf of the Union of India on November 3 was in the specific context of the present matter being listed for final hearing the following week," the Centre claimed in its application. This was not meant to put an end to all research and testing that had been approved conditionally by the government (on October 25) for an extended period of time.

The petitioners in this case had relied on the conclusions of a technical expert committee that had determined that these genetically modified crops were "unsustainable" and "unsuitable" for India, pointing out that the herbicides sprayed on the herbicide-tolerant crops, including GM mustard, could cause cancer.

Since Gene Campaign filed the first PIL in 2004 and Rodrigues and others petitioned the Supreme Court in 2005, the topic of genetically modified organisms (GMO) has been on the court's agenda. The PILs urged that GEAC establish a thorough and stringent biosafety methodology before granting clearance to any GMO and demanded openness in the findings of field tests on GM crops. (The Hindustan Times)

Union government SOP permits drones to monitor MGNREGA worksites

The Union Ministry of Rural Development will use drones more frequently to check on work sites under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) program, increasing both the quantity and quality of assets generated. In accordance with a standard operating procedure (SOP) that the Ministry has released, the drones will be used for four different types of monitoring: surveying the ongoing works, inspecting the completed works, assessing the impact, and special inspection in the event of complaints.

“There are several complaints about corruption in MNREGS works that we receive regularly. These vary from machines being used in place of the workers, many receiving wages without doing work, or works beyond the approved list being undertaken, and so on. Drones will be especially helpful in such cases for real-time monitoring and for garnering evidence,” a senior Ministry official told The Hindu.

This will be the second significant technical advancement made to monitor MGNREGA employees. The Union government mandated that every worksite attendance be recorded via a specifically created mobile-based application starting in May 2022.

According to the Act that controls the plan, there shall be one ombudsperson per district who is in charge of registering suo moto complaints and resolving them within 30 days. The SOP specifies that the ombudsperson will employ drones. “For efficient monitoring and redressal of grievances, it is decided by the Ministry that the ombudsperson may use drone technology facilities for verification of the works virtually,” the SOP states. It has instructed State governments to give ombudspersons access to the facility as needed.

The Union government, however, will not provide the States any more funding for the use of these drones. The administrative head, or around 10% of a State's MGNREGA budget, is supposed to provide the finances that the State governments need. Instead of purchasing drones, the Union administration has instructed States to work with drone-specific entities.

For data processing and reporting reasons, the Ministry also suggests creating a centralized dashboard to house the films and photographs taken by the drones. (MGNREGA website, The Hindu)

Centre releases agroforestry fact sheet

The central government has released a fact sheet listing species that can be grown in various agro-climatic zones following the adoption of a new law to regulate forest conservation in India that exempts agroforestry and plantations from regulatory oversight so that farmers can practice agroforestry on private land and harvest timber as necessary.

Agroforestry is the practice of both agriculture and forestry together on the same piece of land. According to the FAQ document created by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education and made available by the environment ministry on August 16, it is a traditional practice recognizing and supporting trees and/or livestock on farms in a specific arrangement pattern.

The paper posted on the ministry's website provides information on cultivating 36 particular species, including bamboo, that are appropriate for home gardens and agroforestry systems. “Information is also on prospective state-specific agroforestry tree species, ICFRE-developed agro climate-specific models, supplemented with state-specific felling and transit regulations,” the FAQ stated.

Leucaena leucocephala, sometimes known as subabul, and several eucalyptus species are among the 36 species. Important wood species including mahogany, teak, shisham (Indian rosewood), and poplar are also included on the list.

Less than 3% of India's total usage of teak is thought to be produced there. Imports have increased as prices have risen as a result of India's poor crops and high demand. According to the FAQ, India imported 900,000 cum of sawn and chipped teakwood and roughly 10 million cum of round wood between 2009 and 2019. Due to rising demand, India imported mahogany worth $53.86 million in 2018.

According to the FAQ, agroforestry operations have both financial and environmental benefits. Among them are farm profitability, the fact that the combined output of trees, crops, and livestock per unit area is greater than the combined output of any one of the components acting alone, the use of mulch and leaf litter as manure and bio-pesticides derived from tree components, the protection of crops and livestock from wind damage, new products from agroforestry that increase financial flexibility and diversification of farming enterprises, and carbon sequestration. (The Hindustan Times)

Cauvery water dispute: Tamil Nadu's desire for greater water lacks legal support, says Karnataka

According to the State of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu has failed to comprehend that 2023 is a "distressed water year" rather than a "normal water year," as stated in a statement to the Supreme Court. On the other hand, according to Tamil Nadu, the urgent need for water release is due to the standing crops' high demands.

The Cauvery water dispute is a long-standing conflict between the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the sharing of water from the Cauvery River. The river originates in Karnataka and flows through Tamil Nadu and Kerala before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Karnataka stated in a 26-page statement made public recently that Tamil Nadu's request for the release of 24,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of Cauvery water each day is based on an incorrect assumption. According to records kept by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), Karnataka's four reservoirs' inflow has reduced by 42.5% up to August 9, 2023, while Tamil Nadu has reported that rainfall has decreased by 25%.

The stipulated release of 36.76 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) for September, according to the State, was unlawful. It stated that this number was set forth in a typical water year, not a year of suffering. Karnataka argued that since the Cauvery basin appeared to be in distress due to 23% lower rainfall in the K.R. Sagar catchment and 22% lower rainfall in the Kabini catchment than during a typical water year, the CWMA should not be ordered to provide the flows specified during that year.

Karnataka disagreed with Tamil Nadu's claim that there was no rush because crops needed to be protected. It was noted that the Kuruvai rice crop will be able to be grown and that the Samba rice crop was still in the transplanting stage. According to the State, it was unfair to share Cauvery water proportionately or pro rata in a time of need. It requested further rules, one of which was to take 20 TMC of groundwater from Tamil Nadu's delta into account.

Tamil Nadu has moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to Karnataka to forthwith release 24,000 cusecs of Cauvery water from its reservoirs at Billigundulu for the remaining period of the month, starting from August 14. The State said the release of water was a dire necessity to meet the pressing demands of the standing crops.

Tamil Nadu has urged the court to direct Karnataka to ensure the stipulated release for the month of September 2023 (36.76 TMC) as per the Cauvery Tribunal award as modified by the Supreme Court in 2018. The State said Karnataka should make good the shortfall of 28.849 TMC water during the current irrigation year for the period between June 1 to July 31. (The Hindu)

This is a roundup of important policy matters from August 16 - August 31, 2023.