Current Affairs 20 April 2021 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 20 April 2021  focuses on Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

1. India and Germany agreement on marine environment

India and Germany agreement on marine environment

Why in News ?

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety signed an agreement on Technical Cooperation titled ‘Cities Combating Plastic Entering the Marine Environment’.

Cities Combating Plastic Entering the Marine Environment

• The project’s outcomes are completely in line with the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban focusing on sustainable solid waste management
• It was a vision to phase out single use plastic by 2022.
• Project is envisaged under the Joint Declaration of Intent regarding cooperation in the field of ‘Prevention of Marine Litter’ signed between India and Germany in 2019.
• It aimed at enhancing practices to prevent plastic entering the marine environment,will be undertaken at the national level
• Period and States
  • Select states are Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands in the cities of Kanpur, Kochi and Port Blair.
  • It will be for a period of three and a half years.

Why the need of initiatives ?

• Marine litter threatens ecosystems
• Also adversely affects fisheries and tourism industries.
• It affects public health with increased concerns about micro-plastic and risk of particles entering the food chain.
• Reason for accumulation
  • The level of plastic waste that has accumulated in our oceans and marine ecosystems through the increasing production
  • Besides the use of durable synthetic materials also increased
  • It is estimated that 15-20% of all plastics are entering oceans via riverine ecosystems
    • 90% are contributed by 10 of the world’s most polluting rivers.
    • Two of these river systems are located in India, namely Ganga and Brahmaputra.

Way Forward

This is expected an improvements in segregation, collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste in municipalities. This leads to establishing an efficient system, that ensures no waste finds its way into rivers or oceans.

Source : PIB

GS III : Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Prelims Facts : Prelims Facts 20 April 2021