Prelims 2020: Places in News Part- 5

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

Egypt has objected to the construction of this dam while Sudan has found itself caught in the midst of this conflict.

Due to the importance of the Nile as a necessary water source in the region, observers are concerned that this dispute may evolve into a full-fledged conflict between the two nations. The US has stepped in to mediate.

• GERD, formerly known as the Millennium Dam, is under construction in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia, on the Blue Nile River, which is located about 40km east of Sudan.
• The project is owned by Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO).
• The primary purpose of the dam is electricity production to relieve Ethiopia’s acute energy shortage and for electricity export to neighbouring countries.
• With a planned installed capacity of 6.45 gigawatts, the dam will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa when completed, as well as the seventh-largest in the world.

Montenegro

Montenegro became the first country in Europe to declare itself coronavirus-free.

• Montenegro is a country of South and Southeast Europe on the coast of the Balkans.
• It borders Bosnia-Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east, Albania to the southeast, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, and Croatia to the west.
• Country's biggest bay- the Bay of Kotor, is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dibang Multipurpose Project (MPP)

NHPC to develop India's largest hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh.

• The project which is located on river Dibang, in lower Dibang Valley District of Arunachal Pradesh envisions the construction of a 278-metre high concrete dam.
• Dibang Multipurpose Project (Dibang MPP) is envisaged as a storage-based hydro-electric project with flood moderation as the key objective.
• The construction of Dibang MPP shall prevent the sizeable downstream area from floods.
• After the implementation of the master plan of Brahmaputra Board for flood moderation of all rivers contributing to river Brahmaputra, of which Dibang MPP is one of the components, the sizable area will be protected from flooding and help in mitigating the perennial damage due to floods in Assam.
• This is the largest ever Hydro Electric Projects to be constructed in India.
• The dam will be the highest dam in India once completed.
• The project has been delayed for over six years because it required diverting 1,165 Aboyhectares of forest in a region of rich biodiversity.

Galwan Valley

On the night of June 15, a violent clash occurred in the Galwan Valley between soldiers of the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and an undisclosed number of Chinese troops.

• The Galwan Valley is one of the flashpoints of the ongoing standoff between the Indian and Chinese troops.
• The Galwan River, which runs 80 kilometres westward from its origins in Karakoram range through Aksai Chin and East Ladakh to join the Shyok river is said to be of strategic significance in the region.
• It may be recalled that the Galwan Valley was also a flashpoint during the Indo-China war of 1962.
• The Galwan river is the highest ridgeline and it allows the Chinese to dominate the Shyok route passes, which is close to the river.
• India is trying to construct a feeder road emanating from Darbuk-Shyok Village– Daulat Beg Oldi road (DS-DBO road).
• This road runs along the Shyok River and is the most critical line of communications close to LAC.
• Hence, Chinese are keen on controlling this area as they fear that the Indian side could end up threatening their position on the Aksai Chin plateau by using the river valley.

Daulat Beg Oldie

The place has been frequently in news amid ongoing border tensions between India and China. 

•  It is a historic campsite and current military base located in Ladakh, India on an ancient trade route connecting Ladakh to the Tarim Basin.
• DBO is the northernmost corner of Indian territory in Ladakh, in the area better known in Army parlance as Sub-Sector North.
• It has the world’s highest airstrip, originally built during the 1962 war but abandoned until 2008 when the Indian Air Force (IAF) revived it as one of its many Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) along the LAC.
• DBO is less than 10 km west of the LAC at Aksai Chin.
• To the west of DBO is the region where China abuts Pakistan in the Gilgit-Baltistan area, once a part of the erstwhile Kashmir principality.

“Hidden Treasures of Chhattisgarh” 

Ministry of Tourism brought out the “Hidden Treasures of Chhattisgarh” through the 30th webinar under the Dekho Apna Desh series.

• Chhattisgarh carved out of Madhya Pradesh, came into being on November 1, 2000, and is the ninth-largest state in India.
• The central Indian state borders 7 other states, 44% of its land is covered by forest, with a tribal population of 34%.
• With three national parks, 11 wildlife sanctuaries and one biosphere reserve it is one of India’s greenest states and well connected with rest of the country by air, rail and road network.
• Some of the best waterfalls of the country are in Chhattisgarh, namely Chitrakote, Amritdhara, Pawai and Machli.
• Chhattisgarh is also blessed with three shaktipeeths – Champaranya, Rajim and Sheorinarayan.
• Wrought iron, bell metal and terracotta are famous handicrafts of Chhattisgarh.

Places:

1. Karkabhat – Megalithic burial site.
2. Dipadih– temple complex dating back to the 7th Century.

Other Treasures: 

1. Sonabai– Famous bas relief ornamentation works of Chhattisgarh got its roots when Sonabai made little toys for her son Daroga Ram to lull him to sleep.
2. Ghotul– It is both an ancient tribal system of education as well as the campus with its own system of hierarchs.
3. Tribal games – Cockfighting.

Gairsain

Gairsain in Chamoli district was formally declared as the summer capital of Uttarakhand.

• The main reason for state activists wanting the city as the capital was because of its geographical importance. The tehsil lies between both the dominant regions of the state, namely Kumaon and Garhwal.
• Gairsain is a tehsil in Chamoli that is about 280 km away from Dehradun, the state capital.
• It is also the source of the state’s Ramganga River.
• In ancient literature, Gairsain was celebrated as the Kedar Kshetra.
• The town has been historically ruled by Nagas, Khasas, Kiratas, Kunindas, and Tunganas.

Depsang

There were reports of a heavy Chinese presence at Depsang.

• It is an area at a crucial dip (called the Bulge) on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• The Chinese Army occupied most of the plains in 1962.
• India controls the western portion of the plains as part of Ladakh, whereas the eastern portion is part of the Aksai Chin region, which is controlled by China and claimed by India.
• The “Depsang plain” is one of the few places in the Western Sector where light armour (vehicles) would have ease of manoeuvre, so any Chinese buildup there is a cause for concern.

Petrapole

The Container Corporation of India (Concor), a PSU under the Ministry of Railways, has begun dedicated container train services to Bangladesh through the Petrapole–Benapole border route.

This is the second such dedicated service to the neighbouring nation after the Gede-Darshana route (passing through Nadia district in West Bengal).

• It is the Indian side of Petrapole-Benapole border the checkpoint between India and Benapole of Bangladesh, on the Bangladesh-India border, near Bongaon in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
• The Petrapole border is the only land port in south Bengal.
• The Petrapole-Benapole route (roadways) accounts for 60% of the $11-billion India- Bangladesh bilateral trade.
• Petrapole– Asia’s largest land port– handles 500-550 trucks from India and around 100-150 from Bangladesh.
• Over the last few months, trade along this route has been hit – firstly because of the pandemic and then due to local resistance because of fear of the spread of the virus.

Lonar lake

Team Of Scientists To Examine Why Maharashtra's Lonar Lake Has Turned Pink.

Some experts have attributed it to the salinity and presence of algae in the water body

• Lonar crater lake was identified as a unique geographical site by a British officer named CJE Alexander in 1823.
• It is an ancient circular lake created by a meteorite strike in Maharashtra.
• Lonar crater became a geo-heritage site in 1979.
• It is relatively young geologically, at just 50,000 years old.
• Lonar Lake lies within the only known extraterrestrial impact crater found within the great Deccan Traps, a huge basaltic formation in India.