🔆Subansiri dam
✅The NHPC's plan to start generating electricity from the 2000 megawatt Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project (LSHP) has triggered downstream impact worries in Assam, specifically because an independent reservoir management authority recommended by an Environment Ministry-constituted panel has not been set up
📍Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Project (SLHEP):
✅It is an under-construction gravity dam on the Subansiri River in North Eastern India on the borders of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
✅It is a run-of-river project.
✅It will be the single largest hydroelectric plant in India when completed.
✅The dam will be 116 m high from the river bed level and 130 m from the foundation. The length of the dam will be 284 m.
✅The project is being developed by the state-run National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC).
✅It is expected to supply 2,000 MW of power (eight 250 MW units) when completed.
✅The NHPC's plan to start generating electricity from the 2000 megawatt Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project (LSHP) has triggered downstream impact worries in Assam, specifically because an independent reservoir management authority recommended by an Environment Ministry-constituted panel has not been set up
📍Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Project (SLHEP):
✅It is an under-construction gravity dam on the Subansiri River in North Eastern India on the borders of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
✅It is a run-of-river project.
✅It will be the single largest hydroelectric plant in India when completed.
✅The dam will be 116 m high from the river bed level and 130 m from the foundation. The length of the dam will be 284 m.
✅The project is being developed by the state-run National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC).
✅It is expected to supply 2,000 MW of power (eight 250 MW units) when completed.
Forwarded from CSE EXAM ( UPSC prelims mains) CAPF
🔆Shahid Rajaee Port
✅Recently, a massive explosion occurred at Shahid Rajaee Port near the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, resulting in 18 deaths and 800 injuries.
📍Strategic Importance of Shahid Rajaee Port
✅Location: The port is located near the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20% of global oil trade passes, making it a critical chokepoint in global energy security.
✅Economic role: It is Iran’s largest and most technologically advanced container port, handling a significant share of the country’s import-export trade.
#mapping
✅Recently, a massive explosion occurred at Shahid Rajaee Port near the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, resulting in 18 deaths and 800 injuries.
📍Strategic Importance of Shahid Rajaee Port
✅Location: The port is located near the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20% of global oil trade passes, making it a critical chokepoint in global energy security.
✅Economic role: It is Iran’s largest and most technologically advanced container port, handling a significant share of the country’s import-export trade.
#mapping
🔆China and Phillipines claim their control over Tiexian Reef
📍Tiexian Reef
✅The Tiexian Reef or Sandy Cay is part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
✅This 200 sq metre reef is situated near Thitu Island (also known as Pag-asa Island), where the Philippines maintains a military facility and a newly established coast guard base.
Spratly Islands
✅The Spratly Islands are a group of over 100 small islands and reefs in the South China Sea.
✅They are north of Malaysia and roughly halfway between Vietnam and the Philippines.
📍Who Claims Them:
✅China, Taiwan, and Vietnam each claim the whole group.
Malaysia and the Philippines claim parts of it.
✅Brunei does not claim the islands themselves but claims a nearby area that includes a reef.
✅Climate: The islands have a tropical climate.
📍Tiexian Reef
✅The Tiexian Reef or Sandy Cay is part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
✅This 200 sq metre reef is situated near Thitu Island (also known as Pag-asa Island), where the Philippines maintains a military facility and a newly established coast guard base.
Spratly Islands
✅The Spratly Islands are a group of over 100 small islands and reefs in the South China Sea.
✅They are north of Malaysia and roughly halfway between Vietnam and the Philippines.
📍Who Claims Them:
✅China, Taiwan, and Vietnam each claim the whole group.
Malaysia and the Philippines claim parts of it.
✅Brunei does not claim the islands themselves but claims a nearby area that includes a reef.
✅Climate: The islands have a tropical climate.
🔆 Tea
📍 Temperature
✅ 25-35°C
📍 Rainfall
✅ >150 cm
📍 Soil Conditions
✅ Well-drained, deep friable loams or forest soils, rich in organic water
📍 Geographical Distribution
✅ Undulating topography of hilly areas and well-drained soils in humid and sub-humid tropics and sub-tropics
- Assam, West Bengal (Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Bihar districts)
- Lower slopes of Nilgiri and Cardamom hills in Tamil Nadu
📍 Key Features
✅ Plantation crop
✅ Black tea leaves – fermented
✅ Green tea leaves – unfermented
✅ Rich content of caffeine and tannin
✅ Indigenous crop of hills in Northern China
✅ India – started in the 1840s in Brahmaputra Valley
✅ 28% of the world’s production
📍 Temperature
✅ 25-35°C
📍 Rainfall
✅ >150 cm
📍 Soil Conditions
✅ Well-drained, deep friable loams or forest soils, rich in organic water
📍 Geographical Distribution
✅ Undulating topography of hilly areas and well-drained soils in humid and sub-humid tropics and sub-tropics
- Assam, West Bengal (Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Bihar districts)
- Lower slopes of Nilgiri and Cardamom hills in Tamil Nadu
📍 Key Features
✅ Plantation crop
✅ Black tea leaves – fermented
✅ Green tea leaves – unfermented
✅ Rich content of caffeine and tannin
✅ Indigenous crop of hills in Northern China
✅ India – started in the 1840s in Brahmaputra Valley
✅ 28% of the world’s production
🔆 Waterfalls in India
📍 Chhattisgarh
1. Amritdhara Falls
✅ Height: 90 m
✅ River: Hasdeo (Tributary of Mahanadi)
2. Teerathgarh Falls
✅ Height: 91 m
✅ River: Munga (Tributary of Kanger which joins Mahanadi)
3. Chitrakote Waterfalls
✅ Height: 29 m
✅ River: Indravati (Tributary of Godavari)
📍 Madhya Pradesh
1. Dhuandhar Waterfall
✅ Height: 30 m
✅ River: Narmada (Independent)
2. Chachai
✅ Height: 130 m
✅ River: Bihad (Tributary of Tons, a tributary of Ganga)
3. Kapildhara Falls
✅ Height: 30 m
✅ River: Narmada (Independent)
4. Rajat Prapat (Silver Falls)
✅ Height: 107 m
✅ River: Not associated with a specific river
5. Sonemuda Falls
✅ Height: 15 m
✅ River: Son (Tributary of Ganga)
📍 Jharkhand
1. Panchghagh Falls
✅ Height: 45 m
✅ River: Banai (Tributary of Subarnarekha)
2. Lodh Falls
✅ Height: 143 m
✅ River: Budha (Tributary of North Koel)
3. Hundru Falls
✅ Height: 99 m
✅ River: Subarnarekha (Independent)
📍 Odisha
1. Barehipani
✅ Height: 399 m
✅ River: Budhabalanga (Tributary of Subarnarekha)
2. Khandadhar Falls
✅ Height: 244 m
✅ River: Korapani Nala (Tributary of Brahmani)
3. Koilighugar Falls
✅ Height: 61 m
✅ River: Ahiraj (Tributary of Mahanadi)
📍 Karnataka
1. Kunchikal Falls
✅ Height: 455 m
✅ River: Varahi (Tributary of Krishna)
2. Barkana Falls
✅ Height: 259 m
✅ River: Sita (Tributary of Krishna)
3. Jog Falls
✅ Height: 253 m
✅ River: Sharavati
4. Magod Falls
✅ Height: 198 m
✅ River: Bedti
5. Shimsha Falls
✅ Height: 46 m
✅ River: Shimsha (Tributary of Cauvery)
6. Shivanasamudra Falls
✅ Height: 98 m
✅ River: Cauvery
7. Hebbe Falls
✅ Height: 168 m
✅ River: Thunga (Tributary of Krishna)
📍 Maharashtra
1. Thoseghar (Series of Waterfalls)
✅ Height: 15 to 20 m, one is 200m
✅ River: Cataracts (unnamed river)
2. Gangapur Falls
✅ Height: 50 m
✅ River: Godavari (Independent)
3. Someshwar Falls
✅ Height: 10 m
✅ River: Godavari (Independent)
📍 Kerala
1. Athirappilly Waterfall
✅ Height: 25 m
✅ River: Chalakuddy (Tributary of Periyar)
2. Soochipara Falls
✅ Height: 200 m
✅ River: Chaliyar (Independent)
3. Meenvumty Falls
✅ Height: 300 m
✅ River: Kallar (Tributary of Neyyar)
📍 Other States
1. Nohsngithiang Waterfall
✅ Height: 315 m
✅ River: Cherrapunji (Rain-fed), Meghalaya
2. Vantawng Falls
✅ Height: 229 m
✅ River: Lau (Tributary of Tlawng which joins Barak river), Mizoram
3. Kempty Falls
✅ Height: 40 m
✅ River: Yamuna, Uttarakhand
4. Dudhsagar Falls
✅ Height: 320 m
✅ River: Mandovi, Goa
5. Thalaiyar Falls (Rat Tail Falls)
✅ Height: 297 m
✅ River: Manjalar (Tributary of Vaigai)
📍 Chhattisgarh
1. Amritdhara Falls
✅ Height: 90 m
✅ River: Hasdeo (Tributary of Mahanadi)
2. Teerathgarh Falls
✅ Height: 91 m
✅ River: Munga (Tributary of Kanger which joins Mahanadi)
3. Chitrakote Waterfalls
✅ Height: 29 m
✅ River: Indravati (Tributary of Godavari)
📍 Madhya Pradesh
1. Dhuandhar Waterfall
✅ Height: 30 m
✅ River: Narmada (Independent)
2. Chachai
✅ Height: 130 m
✅ River: Bihad (Tributary of Tons, a tributary of Ganga)
3. Kapildhara Falls
✅ Height: 30 m
✅ River: Narmada (Independent)
4. Rajat Prapat (Silver Falls)
✅ Height: 107 m
✅ River: Not associated with a specific river
5. Sonemuda Falls
✅ Height: 15 m
✅ River: Son (Tributary of Ganga)
📍 Jharkhand
1. Panchghagh Falls
✅ Height: 45 m
✅ River: Banai (Tributary of Subarnarekha)
2. Lodh Falls
✅ Height: 143 m
✅ River: Budha (Tributary of North Koel)
3. Hundru Falls
✅ Height: 99 m
✅ River: Subarnarekha (Independent)
📍 Odisha
1. Barehipani
✅ Height: 399 m
✅ River: Budhabalanga (Tributary of Subarnarekha)
2. Khandadhar Falls
✅ Height: 244 m
✅ River: Korapani Nala (Tributary of Brahmani)
3. Koilighugar Falls
✅ Height: 61 m
✅ River: Ahiraj (Tributary of Mahanadi)
📍 Karnataka
1. Kunchikal Falls
✅ Height: 455 m
✅ River: Varahi (Tributary of Krishna)
2. Barkana Falls
✅ Height: 259 m
✅ River: Sita (Tributary of Krishna)
3. Jog Falls
✅ Height: 253 m
✅ River: Sharavati
4. Magod Falls
✅ Height: 198 m
✅ River: Bedti
5. Shimsha Falls
✅ Height: 46 m
✅ River: Shimsha (Tributary of Cauvery)
6. Shivanasamudra Falls
✅ Height: 98 m
✅ River: Cauvery
7. Hebbe Falls
✅ Height: 168 m
✅ River: Thunga (Tributary of Krishna)
📍 Maharashtra
1. Thoseghar (Series of Waterfalls)
✅ Height: 15 to 20 m, one is 200m
✅ River: Cataracts (unnamed river)
2. Gangapur Falls
✅ Height: 50 m
✅ River: Godavari (Independent)
3. Someshwar Falls
✅ Height: 10 m
✅ River: Godavari (Independent)
📍 Kerala
1. Athirappilly Waterfall
✅ Height: 25 m
✅ River: Chalakuddy (Tributary of Periyar)
2. Soochipara Falls
✅ Height: 200 m
✅ River: Chaliyar (Independent)
3. Meenvumty Falls
✅ Height: 300 m
✅ River: Kallar (Tributary of Neyyar)
📍 Other States
1. Nohsngithiang Waterfall
✅ Height: 315 m
✅ River: Cherrapunji (Rain-fed), Meghalaya
2. Vantawng Falls
✅ Height: 229 m
✅ River: Lau (Tributary of Tlawng which joins Barak river), Mizoram
3. Kempty Falls
✅ Height: 40 m
✅ River: Yamuna, Uttarakhand
4. Dudhsagar Falls
✅ Height: 320 m
✅ River: Mandovi, Goa
5. Thalaiyar Falls (Rat Tail Falls)
✅ Height: 297 m
✅ River: Manjalar (Tributary of Vaigai)
🔆 Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Resumption
📍 Resumption of Yatra
• Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resumes in 2025 after a four-year suspension due to Covid-19 and border tensions.
• This signals improving India-China relations, especially after a disengagement pact in October 2024.
📍 Geopolitical Context
• The yatra was paused after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, a pivotal moment in India-China relations.
• Diplomatic engagements, such as meetings between Ajit Doval and Wang Yi, and Vikram Misri’s visit to Beijing in January 2025, paved the way for the resumption.
📍 Religious and Cultural Significance
• Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar are sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Tibetan Bon followers.
• This yatra holds cultural and religious significance, also acting as a tool for Indian soft power.
📍 Official Routes
• Lipulekh Pass Route (Uttarakhand):
▪ Altitude: 5,115 meters, 200 km trek.
▪ Direct route, operational since 1981.
• Nathu La Pass Route (Sikkim):
▪ Altitude: 4,310 meters, 1,500 km long, 35–40 km trek.
▪ Operational since 2015.
📍 Other Route via Nepal
• Informal route via Nepal exists, reopened in 2023.
• High costs and visa issues limit its use.
📍 Resumption of Yatra
• Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resumes in 2025 after a four-year suspension due to Covid-19 and border tensions.
• This signals improving India-China relations, especially after a disengagement pact in October 2024.
📍 Geopolitical Context
• The yatra was paused after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, a pivotal moment in India-China relations.
• Diplomatic engagements, such as meetings between Ajit Doval and Wang Yi, and Vikram Misri’s visit to Beijing in January 2025, paved the way for the resumption.
📍 Religious and Cultural Significance
• Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar are sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Tibetan Bon followers.
• This yatra holds cultural and religious significance, also acting as a tool for Indian soft power.
📍 Official Routes
• Lipulekh Pass Route (Uttarakhand):
▪ Altitude: 5,115 meters, 200 km trek.
▪ Direct route, operational since 1981.
• Nathu La Pass Route (Sikkim):
▪ Altitude: 4,310 meters, 1,500 km long, 35–40 km trek.
▪ Operational since 2015.
📍 Other Route via Nepal
• Informal route via Nepal exists, reopened in 2023.
• High costs and visa issues limit its use.