Places in news (geography)

Atal Tunnel

Context

Atal Tunnel was inaugurated at Rohtang at an altitude of above 3,000 metres in Himachal Pradesh.

Key Points

• The 9.02 km-long tunnel, built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), is the world’s longest highway tunnel. It connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley.
• The tunnel, also significant from the military logistics viewpoint, will provide better connectivity to the armed forces in reaching Ladakh.

Brahmaputra Tunnel

Context

The Central government has given in-principle approval for the construction of an underwater tunnel in the Brahmaputra river in Assam.

Key Points

• The tunnel will connect Gohpur (NH-54) with Numaligarh (NH-37) in Assam.
• The tunnel will be of strategic importance as it will provide round the year connectivity between the North-Eastern states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
• The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHAIDCL) has roped in the US-based firm Louis Berger for the same.

Chenab River

Context

The world’s highest railway bridge is being built over the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir.

About Chenab

• It is formed by the union of two headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh.
• After receiving the Jhelum river near Trimmu, the Chenab empties into the Sutlej river, a tributary of the Indus river.
• The Chenab river was called Asikni in the Rigveda meaning that it was seen to have dark-coloured waters.
• Salal Dam is a 690 MW hydroelectric power project on Chenab river near Reasi, Jammu & Kashmir.
• The Ratle Hydroelectric Plant and Kiru Hydroelectric Power Project are proposed to be built over the Chenab.

Chirbasa

Context

Black Carbon research project has been established in Chirbasa.

About Chirbasa

• It is located on the banks of River Bhagirathi in the Gangotri National Park (Uttarakhand).
• This place at the altitude of 3,500 meters falls on the famous trekking route of Gomukh and Tapovan.
• Scientists have been monitoring black carbon in the region and especially the glaciers through two weather stations on the way to Gangotri glacier – namely Chirbasa and Bhojbasa (a few km ahead of Chirbasa).

Kameng Dam

Context

Recently, the Kameng Hydropower Project got fully commissioned.

About Kameng Project

• Situated in West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh, the Kameng Hydroelectric Project (600 MW) is a run-of-the-river scheme that will utilize the flows from Bichom and Tenga Rivers (both tributaries of the River Kameng).

Kameng River

• It originates in Tawang district from the glacial lake below snow-capped Gori Chen mountain.
• It becomes a braided river in its lower reaches and is one of the major tributaries of the Brahmaputra River.
• The Kameng forms the boundary between East Kameng and West Kameng districts and is also the boundary between the Sessa and Eaglenest sanctuaries to its west and the Pakke Tiger Reserve to the east.
• Kameng Hydroelectric Project is the largest hydropower plant in the northeastern region.

Kholongchu Hydroelectric Project

Context

India and Bhutan have signed a pact for the construction of Kholongchhu joint venture hydroelectric project in Bhutan.

India-Bhutan Hydro Projects

The 600 MW run-of-the-river project, Kholongchhu, is located on the lower course of the Kholongchhu river in Trashiyangtse district in eastern Bhutan.

Currently, four hydroelectric projects of bilateral cooperation totalling over 2,100 MW, are operational in Bhutan. These include:

• Chukha Hydro Electric project
• Kurichu Hydro Electric project
• Tala Hydro Electric Project
• Mangdechhu HydroElectric Project

Besides, both sides are also in process of expediting the completion of other ongoing projects including the Punatsangchhu Project.

Luhri Hydropower Project

Context

Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the building of the Luhri Hydropower Project.

About

The Luhri Project is situated in Shimla and Kullu districts of HImachal Pradesh.

It is being implemented by the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) on Build-Own-Operate- Maintain (BOOM) basis.

Rangit Power Project

Context

The stressed asset Rangit-IV Hydroelectric Project of Jal Power Corporation Ltd (JPCL) has been handedn over to the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) Ltd.

About

Rangit dam is a run-of-the-river power project on the Rangit river, a major tributary of the Teesta river in Sikkim.

The Rangit river arises from the Talung glacier and it meets the Teesta river at Melli in Sikkim itself.

Dharchula to Lipulekh Road

Context

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has completed the construction of a road from Dharchula to Lipulekh along the China Border, famously known as Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra Route.

About the Road

The road has been built from Ghatibagar in Dharchula to Lipulekh near the border with China.

The tough Himalayan terrain beginning from Mangti camp near Tawaghat to Gunji in Vyans valley, and Indian security posts situated near Indo-China border, are now accessible by a concrete road.

The road ends at the 17,000 feet high Lipulekh pass. From there, Mount Kailash is located around 97 km north of the pass in Tibet.

The Lipulekh pass, close to the tri-junction of India-China-Nepal, is the lowest point in this section of the high Himalayas.

Dhauli Ganga River

Context

Recently, Dhauli Ganga river in Uttarakhand witnessed glacial floods.

About Dhauli Ganga

Originating in the vicinity of the Niti Pass (Uttarakhand), the Dhauli Ganga flows in a meandering course, which takes it through the Nanda Devi National Park.

Dhauli Ganga, which merges with Alaknanda, is one of the several tributaries of the Ganga, as the holy river flows down from the Himalayas and snakes its way through the plains.

Dhauli Ganga is joined by the Rishi Ganga river at Raini where the disaster at the power project dam took place.

The river takes a V turn and continues to flow in the opposite direction, toward north, as Dhauli Ganga, through Tapovan, until it is joined by Alaknanda river at Vishnuprayag near Joshimath.

Dhauli Ganga is one of the important tributaries of Alaknanda, the other being the Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini and Bhagirathi.

Ghogha – Hazira Ro-Ro Ferry

Context

Last year, the Prime Minister virtually inaugurated the Ghogha-Hazira Ro-Pax ferry service in Gujarat.

About Ghoga-Hazira ferry

The ferry moves between Ghogha (a fishing hamlet and an old port) and Hazira (a commercial greenfield port).

The service was launched to bridge the Gulf of Khambhat by providing a sea route to passengers travelling to and fro between Bhavnagar (located on the western side of the Gulf) and South Gujarat (on the east).

Hollongi

Context

Airports Authority of India (AAI) planned to develop a greenfield airport at Hollongi.

About Hollongi

Hollongi is located in Arunachal Pradesh. It lies south of the state capital Itanagar.

This airport, when operational, will service Arunachal Pradesh’s capital Itanagar. The closest airport to the state capital is currently Lilabari airport in Assam, situated 80 kilometres away.

Jogighopa

Context

The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways has laid the foundation stone for the country’s first Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) at Jogighopa in Assam.

About Jogighopa

Jogighopa is a town located on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River. It has a combined roadrail bridge, called Naranarayan Setu, over the Brahmaputra river.

The city has the remains of the five rock-cut caves, examples of Salasthambha period architecture being preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Under its MMLP project, the development includes railway sidings, container terminals,

warehousing, non-cargo processing, a truck terminal, common facilities, support infrastructure and equipment.

With this, Jogighopa will become India’s gateway to South-East Asia as well as the rest of the North- East with road, rail, waterways and air transport facilities under the MMLP.

The MMLP at Jogighopa will be the country’s first international Multi-Modal Logistic Park under the Bharatmala Project of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Kopili Fault Zone

Context

The Kopili Fault Zone closer to Himalayan Frontal Thrust in Assam recently witnessed a powerful

earthquake.

About Kopili Fault Zone

The Kopili fault zone is a 300 km long and 50 km wide lineament (linear feature) extending from the western part of Manipur up to the tri-junction of Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

The area is seismically very active, falling in the highest Seismic Hazard Zone V associated with collisional tectonics where Indian plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate.

Subduction is a geological process in which one crustal plate is forced below the edge of another.

Squeezed between the subduction and collision zones of the Himalayan belt and Sumatran belt, the North East is highly prone to earthquake occurrences.

A tectonic depression filled up by the alluvium of the Kopili river and its tributaries, the Kopili fault zone has witnessed many seismic activities in the past including the 1869 earthquake (7.8 magnitude) and the 1943 earthquake (7.3 magnitude).

Lakshadweep

Context

The entire Lakshadweep group of islands has been declared as an organic agricultural area under the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) of India. 

About Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep is the first Union Territory to become 100% organic as all farming is carried out

without the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, etc. Earlier in 2016, Sikkim became India’s first 100% organic State.

It is an archipelago of 36 islands in the Arabian Sea, located off of the mainland’s southwestern coast.

The Aminidivi subgroup of islands (consisting of Amini, Keltan, Chetlat, Kadamat, Bitra, and Perumal Par) and the Laccadive subgroup of islands (comprising mainly Androth, Kalpeni,

Kavaratti, Pitti, and Suheli Par) have a submarine connection between them through Pitti Bank.

Together with Minicoy Island, a lonely atoll located at the southern end of the 200-km-broad Nine Degree Channel, they form the Coral Islands of India in the Arabian Sea.

Polavaram Irrigation Project

Context

The Polavaram Project is an under-construction multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh.

About Polavaram

Polavaram or Prolavaram is a village in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.

The Papi Hills and Polavaram Project are the major landmarks near the village. The project has been accorded national project status by the Government of India.

This area was under the rule of Kamma kings of Musunuri Nayaks. Kamma king Musunuri Prolayya,

in 1330 donated Polavaram village to Brahmins. Polavaram means, Prola is Prola and Varam is donation.

The Polavaram Project has been a contentious issue in various terms like its financing,

rehabilitation of affected people and affected areas of states other than Andhra Pradesh, i.e. Odisha and Telangana.

Ranebennur

Context

One Common Facility Centre for wool processing has been proposed to be established at Ranebennur

(Karnataka).

About Ranebennur

Ranebennur is a city in Haveri district in Karnataka. It is home to a rich commodity market.

Commodities like cotton yarn, cottonseed, oilseeds, red chilli, betel nut, and betel leaf are traded.

One of Karnataka’s most important rivers – the Tungabhadra – flows along the southern border of Ranebennur taluk.

Another river, Kumadvathi, which originates from Madagh Masur Lake, enters Ranebennur, and joins the Tungabhadra river.

Ranebennur Blackbuck Sanctuary is home to blackbuck, Great Indian Bustard and wolves. The Great Indian Bustard was last spotted in 2005 and may have become locally extinct.

Sabarmati River

Context

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has been working towards development of Sabarmati riverfront.

About Sabarmati river

The Sabarmati river is a monsoon-fed river that flows north-south through Ahmedabad, bisecting the city into its western and eastern halves.

It is one of the major west-flowing rivers that originates in the Aravalli Range of the Udaipur District of Rajasthan. It meets the Gulf of Khambhat of the Arabian Sea.

The river traverses three geomorphic zones: rocky uplands, middle alluvial plains, and lower estuarine zone.

The Dharoi dam is located on this river.

Sela Tunnel

Context

Sela tunnel is an under-construction road which will ensure all-weather connectivity between Assam and

Arunachal Pradesh.

About Sela tunnel

It is located at a height of 13,700 feet and is being executed by Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

The tunnel once complete will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang and forward areas as it is going to avoid all the avalanche prone and snowfall areas.

It will reduce the travelling time from Tezpur to Tawang by more than an hour and boost tourism and related economic activities in the region.

The tunnels would ensure that the 171 km road between Bomdila and Tawang remains accessible in all weather conditions.

Talcher

Context

India’s first coal gasification-based fertiliser plant is being set up at Talcher.

About Talcher

Talcher (Odisha) is situated on the bank of the river Brahmani.

In the 14th century, Panchdiha Chasa who were mainly a farmer community came to this fertile area and started living here. The King of Talcher Padmanabha Birabara Harichandan renamed the state as Talcher after the name of the family Goddess Taleswari.

Talcher is also named as the City of Black Diamond or Coal City of Odisha and is the largest coalfield of India.