Current Affairs – March 28, 2025

{GS1 – Geo – EG – Water Resources} World Water Development Report 2025

• Context (IE): UNESCO released ‘The UN World Water Development Report 2025 – Mountains and Glaciers: Water Towers’ to mark the 1^st ever World Day for Glaciers on March 21.

Status of the world’s water resources

• Freshwater Withdrawals: As per most recent global estimates (from 2021), the agriculture sector dominates freshwater withdrawals (72%), followed by industry (15%) and domestic (or municipal) use (13%).
  • Over the period 2000–2021, global freshwater withdrawals increased by 14%. Most of this increase occurred in cities, countries and regions undergoing rapid economic development.
• Water Crisis: 25 countries home to one-quarter of the world’s population face ‘extremely high’ water stress every year.
• Challenges: Climate change is increasing seasonal variability in, and uncertainty about, water availability.
  • Pollution, land and ecosystem degradation, and natural hazards can further compromise the availability of water resources.

Progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6

• SDG 6: Seeks to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Progress towards all SDG 6 targets is off track – some severely.
• Drinking Water: About 2.2 bn people (27% of the global population) were without access to safely managed drinking water in 2022. 4 out of 5 people living in rural areas lack even basic drinking water services.
• Sanitation: 3.5 billion people worldwide lacked access to safely managed sanitation in 2022.

Mountain Regions

• Mountains and alpine glaciers – often referred to as the world’s ‘water towers’ – are becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate change and unsustainable human activities.
  • They are home to over 1.1 billion people, or 15% of the world’s population.
• These glaciers – and the more than 3 billion people and countless ecosystems, such as forests, wetlands, soils and rivers, that rely on them – are at great risk.

Key Issues Highlighted in Report

Glaciers Disappearing at an Alarming Rate

• Glacier Melting: Glaciers are vanishing faster than ever, with the last 3 years recording the highest glacial mass loss in history.
  • Since 1975, glaciers (excluding the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets) have lost over 9,000 billion tonnes of ice — equivalent to a 25-meter-thick ice block covering the entire size of Germany.
• Recent Trend: 5 of the last 6 years recorded the largest losses, with 450 gigatons of ice lost in 2024 alone.
  • Glaciers in Scandinavia, the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, and North Asia witnessed their highest-ever annual mass loss in 2023.
• Reasons for Glaciers Melting: Rising temperatures. Frequent wildfires and dust storms deposit black carbon and particulates on glacier surfaces, darkening them and increasing solar absorption. This alters surface energy balance, accelerating melting.

Permafrost Thaw: An Escalating Concern

• Permafrost: Ground that remains frozen (0°C or lower) for at least two consecutive years.
• Permafrost Thawing: High-altitude regions often have permafrost beneath much of the landscape, but warming temperatures are causing rapid thawing.

Declining Snow Cover and Erratic Snowfall Patterns

• Declining Snow: In almost all mountain regions, especially during spring and summer.
  • Snow cover includes all accumulated snow and ice on the ground, both fresh and persistent layers.
• Erratic Snowfall: Rising temperatures are shifting the elevation at which rain transitions to snowfall. Lower elevations and warmer climates experience reduced snow cover depth & shorter durations.
  • Some mountain regions now receive more rain than snow, further shrinking snow-covered areas.

Consequences

• Freshwater Supply: Mountains cover 33 million sq km of Earth’s surface and are critical freshwater sources for nearly 2 billion people.
  • Changes in water flow timing, increased sedimentation, and unpredictable peak and low flow periods threaten downstream communities.
• Agriculture and Hydropower: Glacier-fed water supplies are becoming erratic and unpredictable, affecting drinking water, agriculture, and hydropower.
• Rising Risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs): GLOFs occur when natural dams made of glacial moraines or ice fail, releasing massive floodwaters.
  • Over 12,000 deaths in the past 200 years have been attributed to GLOFs, causing widespread destruction of homes, farmlands, roads, and hydropower infrastructure.
• Sea Level Rise: Melted glacier ice accounts for 25–30% of global sea-level rise. From 2006 to 2016, glaciers lost 335 billion tonnes of ice per year, adding almost 1 mm to sea levels annually.
  • Even 1 mm of sea-level rise can expose up to 300,000 people to annual flooding.

Way Forward

Knowledge and Capacity Building

• Indigenous Knowledge: Acknowledging and respecting the many cultures and diverse Indigenous and local knowledge in the mountains can create strong foundations for site-specific integrated adaptation and mitigation strategies.
• Reducing Data Gaps: To understand cryospheric changes and improve the sustainability of mitigation and adaptation approaches, there is a need for expansion of the observational infrastructure in high mountain areas and also for data to be open access.
  • Remote sensing techniques such as airborne LiDAR can provide valuable information.
• Collaborative Research Networks: Can be a powerful and feasible tool for overcoming knowledge gaps and avoiding redundancies in research or resource deployment.

Governance and Finance

• Mountain Water Governance at International Level: International policy frameworks offer promising support to water governance and adaptation to climate-related changes in the mountains while addressing sustainable development.
• Regional Cooperation: Regional cooperation among countries, including river basin governance initiatives, is an important mechanism for advancing climate adaptation in the mountains.
• Private Sector Participation: Climate adaptation finance and private sector inclusion and contribution are key enablers for achieving the adaptation potential in the mountains.

{GS1 – Geo – Solar System} Oldest Meteorite Impact Crater

• Context (TH): Scientists have discovered the oldest meteorite impact crater on Earth.

About the Crater

• The crater, estimated to be 3.5 Bn years old, predates all previously known craters by over a billion years.
• Location: Pilbara region, Western Australia, specifically within a dome-shaped geological formation near the Antarctic Creek Member.
  • Antarctic Creek Member is a distinct rock layer containing sedimentary rocks and impact spherules (molten droplets from meteorite impacts).
• Discovery Evidence:
  • Presence of shatter cones and conical rock structures formed exclusively due to meteorite impact.
  • The shatter cones were found embedded in rocks of the Antarctic Creek Member.
  • The impacted rocks are overlain by basaltic lava flows that show no signs of shock, helping to accurately date the impact event.

Scientific Importance

• Supports Theory of Continental Formation: It backs a theory that early meteorite impacts contributed to the formation of Earth’s first continents by providing external energy to melt and modify the crust.
• New Insights on Early Earth: Helps understand the process of crust formation, the role of impacts in Earth’s geological evolution, and possibly their role in triggering early life forms.
• Comparison with Other Theories: Previously, it was believed that early continents formed due to internal heat-driven processes like mantle plumes or plate tectonics.
  • This discovery adds extraterrestrial impacts as a significant contributing factor.

{GS2 – IR – International Organisations} Commonwealth *

• Context (IE): Commonwealth Day is celebrated annually on the 2^nd Monday of March.

• Theme for 2025: ‘Together We Thrive’.

What is the Commonwealth?

• Established: In 1949, through the London Declaration, to maintain an association between former British colonies as free and equal members.
• Genesis: Its origin traces back to the Balfour Declaration of 1926 at the Imperial Conference, forming the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Membership

• Criteria: Any country can join the modern Commonwealth. Currently, 56 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific are its members.
  • The last two countries to join the Commonwealth were Gabon and Togo in 2022.
• The Pacific nation of Nauru is the smallest Commonwealth member country, while India is the most populous member country.
  • India is also a founding member of the Commonwealth.
• Head: British Monarch (Currently, King Charles III). The position is symbolic.

Organisational Structure

• Secretariat HQ: Marlborough House, London, UK.
• Board of Governors: All member governments are represented on the Commonwealth Secretariat Board of Governors by their High Commissioners.
  • The role of the Board of Governors, which usually meets once a year, is to approve the Secretariat’s strategic plans, work programmes and budgets.
• Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM): Every 2 years, leaders from each country come together for the CHOGM to decide the policy and activities of the Commonwealth.
  • The recent CHOGM 2024 was held in Apia, the capital of Samoa.

Roles and Functions

• Commonwealth members have agreed to shared goals like development, democracy & peace.
• It promotes democracy, human rights, economic cooperation, and cultural exchange.

Commonwealth Games

• The Commonwealth Games, a multi-sport event, is held every 4 years.
• The 2022 Commonwealth Games were held in Birmingham (UK), and the 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow (Scotland).

Major Achievements of the Commonwealth

• Ending Apartheid Regime: Commonwealth leaders agreed on a programme of economic sanctions against apartheid-era South Africa in 1986.
• Promoting Development: The Commonwealth Secretariat’s Economic Development Programme aims to assist member states to take advantage of opportunities for economic growth.
  • Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) delivers technical assistance.
• Preventing Extremism: The Commonwealth Secretariat Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Unit works with Commonwealth member countries to prevent violent extremism and counter terrorism.
• Environmental: Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance, Commonwealth Blue charter project, etc.
• Climate Change: Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub (CCFAH) helps small and other vulnerable states secure funding to tackle climate change-related issues.

Challenges

• Poverty: Within the Commonwealth, 1/3^rd of its population, around 2 billion people, live on less than US$1 per day. This number was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Governance: Key issue in many countries, both in relation to combating corruption and installing effective democratic institutions and processes.
• Social inequality: Women account for more than 70% of the poor in the Commonwealth and face discrimination in many parts of the organisation, ranging from unequal pay to abusive treatment.
• Health: On the public health and sanitation front, about 60% of the Commonwealth needs access to essential medications or appropriate sanitation.
  • Commonwealth accounts for more than 60% of global HIV infections, and four of the 10 most affected countries are Commonwealth members.
• Climate Change: Risks from climate change and international and intra-national migration create situations of increasing complexity and vulnerability.
  • 32 member states fall under the definition of a “small state”; these states are on the front lines of the effects of climate change, and they have insufficient resources to adapt.

Way Forward

• Expand Membership Outreach: Strengthen partnerships with non-traditional allies and emerging economies to enhance geopolitical and economic relevance.
• Reduce Inequalities: Implement targeted policies to eliminate gender pay disparities, empower women, and foster youth-led entrepreneurship.
• Strengthening Economic & Trade Cooperation: Facilitate intra-Commonwealth trade by reducing tariffs, promoting digital trade, and supporting small economies for inclusive growth.
• Improve Public Health Initiatives: Scale up affordable healthcare programs with a focus on HIV/AIDS prevention, maternal health, and pandemic preparedness to improve well-being.
• Enhance Climate Resilience in Small States: Expand access to climate finance through the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub and reinforce the Blue Charter Project to conserve marine ecosystems.

{GS2 – Polity – IC – Judiciary} Judicial Accountability **

• Context (TH): The decision by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to order an in-house inquiry against the Delhi High Court’s Justice marks a significant step in ensuring judicial accountability and transparency.

What was the Case?

• Discovery of Burnt Cash: During a fire incident at one of the Delhi High Court’s Justice’s residences, charred currency notes were reportedly found in an outhouse storeroom.
• Supreme Court’s Response:
  • Preliminary Report and Response: A report was obtained from the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, along with a response from the alleged Justice.
  • Transfer: Justice has been relieved of judicial duties pending the inquiry and steps were initiated to send him back to Allahabad High Court, his parent court.
  • Three-Judge Inquiry Panel: To probe the matter.
  • Transparency: Crucial documents such as photographs of the burnt notes, Delhi HC Chief Justice’s report, and the alleged Justice’s reply, made publicly accessible on the Supreme Court website.

Judicial Accountability

• Judicial accountability: Refers to the responsibility of judges and judiciary to uphold ethical standards, ensure transparency, and remain answerable to the Constitution, laws, and the people.
• The above case has renewed discussions on judicial accountability vs. judicial independence.
  • While an in-house inquiry upholds institutional autonomy, critics argue that a full-fledged police investigation would provide a clearer picture.

Need for Judicial Accountability

• Ensuring Public Trust: The judiciary is the guardian of constitutional rights and justice. Any perception of bias, corruption, or inefficiency can erode public confidence.
• Preventing Judicial Misconduct: Cases of judicial corruption, nepotism, and unethical behaviour necessitate strict accountability mechanisms.
• Balancing Judicial Independence and Responsibility: While judges must be free from external pressures, they should also be accountable for their decisions and conduct.
• Lack of External Oversight: Unlike the executive and legislature, the judiciary regulates itself, leading to concerns over transparency.

Mechanisms of Judicial Accountability in India

• Constitutional Provisions: Article 124(4) and Article 218 provide the legal basis for removing Judges of the Supreme Court and High Court, respectively.
• In-House Mechanism: The SC has an internal process to investigate allegations against judges.
• Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill (Proposed, 2010): Aimed to establish a framework for judicial ethics and complaints.
  • A Judicial Oversight Committee was proposed but was not passed due to concerns over judicial independence.
• Role of SC: The judiciary often takes serious cognisance of irregularities. Veeraswami v. Union of India (1991) ruled that judges can be investigated for corruption but only with the CJI’s approval.

Challenges in Judicial Accountability

• Difficult Impeachment Process: No judge has ever been removed through impeachment due to political and procedural hurdles.
• Limited Transparency: Internal inquiries lack public disclosure, making it difficult to ensure fair scrutiny.
• Resistance to External Oversight: Judges argue that external bodies (such as the executive) could undermine judicial independence.
• Lack of a Formal Complaint Mechanism: No structured legal process for citizens to file complaints against judicial misconduct.

Way Forward

• Strengthening Internal Accountability: Implement clearer guidelines for in-house probes with public disclosure of findings.
• Clear Guidelines for Investigations: A structured protocol for handling allegations against judges, involving limited police involvement under judicial supervision, could enhance credibility.
• Independent Oversight Body: A Judicial Complaints Commission with representation from judges, legal experts, and civil society can ensure fair scrutiny.
• Reforming the Impeachment Process: Simplifying procedures while maintaining checks and balances can make impeachment more effective.
• Encouraging Transparency: Mandating regular disclosures of assets and a code of conduct for judges can enhance accountability.

{GS2 – Social Sector – Health} Excessive Yawning

• Context (IE): According to experts, excessive yawning accompanied by other symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, or dizziness, etc., indicate major health problems.

What Can Excessive Yawning Indicate?

• Iron Deficiency and Low Oxygen: Iron is essential for oxygen transport in the blood. When iron levels are low, the body may experience reduced oxygen delivery, leading to increased yawning.
  • The body yawns to increase oxygen intake and improve alertness.
• Heart Issues: Linked to stimulation of the vagus nerve, which affects the heart and stomach.
• Neurological Disorders: Conditions like epilepsy may cause increased yawning.
• Brain Problems: In rare cases, it may be a symptom of serious issues like a brain tumour.
• Fatigue or Boredom: Mental exhaustion and lack of stimulation can trigger yawning.
• Sleep Deprivation: Poor or insufficient sleep increases yawning.
• Conditions like sleep apnea or chronic lung diseases can lead to low oxygen levels & frequent yawning.

Remedies

• Improving Sleep Hygiene: Ensure regular sleep patterns and a comfortable sleep environment.
• Iron Intake: Incorporate iron-rich foods like spinach and fruits like apples and berries into your diet.
• Staying Hydrated: Dehydration and iron deficiency have very similar symptoms.
• Regular Exercise: Physical activity can help with oxygen levels and overall well-being.

{GS2 – Social Sector – Health} National One Health Mission **

• Context (IE): India is reviewing the draft National Wildlife Health Policy (NWHP) under the National One Health (NOHM) Mission to strengthen wildlife disease monitoring, research, and diagnostics.

NOHM

Key Pillars of NOHM

1. Integrated Surveillance: Technology-enabled monitoring across human, animal and wildlife habitats.
2. Biosafety-Level 3 (BSL-3) Labs: National network for investigating emerging high-risk pathogens.
3. Collaborative R&D: Devpt of vaccines, diagnostics & therapeutics for outbreak-prone pathogens.
4. Data Integration & Analysis: Strengthening disease monitoring and response systems.
5. Capacity Building: Enhancing expertise in pandemic preparedness across sectors.

Key Features of NOHM

• Adopts One Health Approach recognising interconnection of human, animal & environmental health.

  

• Launched in 2022 to coordinate pandemic preparedness across ministries.
• National Institute for One Health (Nagpur): Acts as the nodal center for One Health initiatives.
• Initiated based on PM-STIAC’s recommendation to unify existing One Health activities & bridge gaps.
• Key Ministries & Departments Involved: MoHFW, MoEFCC, AYUSH, DHR, DBT, DoP, DAHD, NCDC, NDMA, DRDO, PSA to the Government of India.
• Key Initiative: Creation of a BSL-3/4 Lab Network.
  • Currently, 22 labs support disease detection and response; this strengthens India’s capability to prevent pandemics in human, livestock, and wildlife sectors.
• Governance Mechanism: Executive Steering Committee chaired by Health & Family Welfare Minister for policy decisions; Scientific Steering Committee led by Principal Scientific Advisor to oversee R&D; Cross-Sector Coordination with representation of all stakeholders for integrated decision-making.
• R&D Initiatives: ₹386.86 crore allocated for disease control, targeted R&D, and global collaboration on pandemic preparedness.
• Strengthening Pandemic Preparedness: PM-ABHIM (PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission) initiatives include critical care hospital blocks, strengthening NCDC and regional surveillance, establishing Health Emergency Operation Centres, expanding BSL-3 lab networks, enhancing biosecurity preparedness, and upgrading public health units at international entry points.

{GS3 – Envi – Laws} Draft National Wildlife Health Policy

• Context (IE): India is reviewing the draft National Wildlife Health Policy (NWHP) under the National One Health Mission to strengthen wildlife disease monitoring, research, and diagnostics.

Challenges in Current Wildlife Health Management

• Siloed Disease Monitoring: Lack of coordination among ministries and agencies.
• Absence of a Centralized Database: No unified platform for tracking wildlife health.
• Limited Diagnostic Facilities: Shortage of specialised wildlife disease labs.
• Capacity Constraints: Insufficient training for forest officials and veterinarians.
• Unchecked Human-Wildlife Interactions: Illegal wildlife trade and livestock grazing near forests increase zoonotic risks.
• Regulatory Gaps: Existing laws prioritise conservation over disease prevention.

Need for a NWHP

• Rising Zoonotic Threats: Over 60% of emerging infectious diseases in humans originate from animals.
• Extensive Wildlife Ecosystem: India has 1,014 protected areas covering 5.32% of its land, housing terrestrial, avian, and marine species.
• Wildlife as Disease Reservoirs: Continuous monitoring of wildlife health to prevent zoonotic spillovers.
• Fragmented Disease Surveillance: Multiple agencies handle disease monitoring, leading to poor coordination and data gaps.
• Regulatory Deficit: Existing wildlife protection laws focus on conservation, not on disease prevention.

Key Features of the Draft NWHP

• It will complement India’s National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-31) & One Health policy.
• Comprehensive Surveillance System: A nationwide real-time disease monitoring system across terrestrial, marine, and avian ecosystems.
• National Wildlife Health Database: Integrates animal husbandry and human health records for real-time and historical disease tracking.
• Wildlife Health Information System: Enhances facility-level reporting and spatial-temporal data tracking for better coordination.
• National Referral Centre for Wildlife (NRC-W): Investigates wildlife mortalities, facilitates diagnostics, and acts as a nodal surveillance authority.
• Satellite Diagnostic Laboratories: Establish labs near critical wildlife habitats for faster disease detection and timely intervention.
• Community Engagement for Disease Control: Conducts awareness campaigns and improves livestock vaccination near protected areas to reduce transmission risks.
• Cross-Sectoral Collaboration: Environment, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Ministries.

{GS3 – S&T – Defence} VLSRSAM Missile *

• Context (TH): DRDO tested the Vertically Launched Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VLSRSAM).

• It is an indigenously developed, vertically launched surface-to-air missile with all-weather capability.
• Purpose: A ship-based air defence system to be used by the Navy to neutralise aerial threats, including fighter jets, helicopters, and incoming missiles at short ranges.

Key Features

• Vertical Launch System (VLS): Allows 360-degree engagement capability and quick response.
• Weight: 170 Kg
• Range: Short-range engagement (specific range usually around 40-50 km).
  • With high kill probability, the missile can identify, track and destroy targets at a range of up to 80 km.
• Maximum Speed: Mach 4.5

Significance

• Low Altitude & Boundary Capability: Successfully demonstrated ability to intercept low-flying targets near the boundary of its engagement zone.
• Quick Reaction Time: Enables defence against close-in aerial threats.
  • It is capable of neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges, including sea-skimming targets.
• Sea-based Operations: Designed to enhance the self-defence capability of naval warships.