Forest՚s Carbon, Thikri-Pehra, Micro Level Forecasts and Urbanization Policy (DTE 16 - 30 June 2020)

Forest՚s Carbon Stock down

  • Total carbon stock in global forests decreased to 662 gigatonnes in 2020 from 668 gigatonnes in 1990.
  • The carbon density has increased to 163 tonnes⟋ha from 159 tonnes⟋ha.

Thikri-Pehra (Community Policing)

  • Farmers in Punjab and Haryana related to turmeric farming took to the old age initiative of thikri pehra (community policing) .
  • This was done to check the movement of the people due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • This move is expected to ease the pressure on the police keeping the diseases away.
  • Earlier more than 40,000 Turmeric farmers in the Kandhamal district of Odisha faced lockdown brunt.

Micro Level Forecasts Impossible

  • The meteorological department has been criticized for not issuing warnings about delayed rains that led to the loss of Rabi crops.
  • Forecasting of extreme and unusual weather events on a micro scale allowing sufficient time to take action at the farm level is impossible.
  • The farmers should be advised to harvest crops as soon as they are ripe enough.
  • The state agricultural department has a bigger role to play- a more feasible and important than that of the weather forecaster.

Urbanization Policy Needs to Be Reviewed

  • The overpopulated country like India needs to be judiciously dispersed in relation to its home and place of work.
  • Threatening migrant problems can be avoided:
    • People needs to be resettled in and around workplaces.
    • Providing equitable wages near their existing homes.
  • Social cost of urbanization for absorbing jobs has become counterproductive.
  • Pandemic and disaster-related migration has become a source for inter-state acrimony.

Examrace Team at Aug 21, 2021