Day-618 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | ENVIRONMENT

Answer. A
Explanation:
Statement 1 is incorrect: River Cities Alliance (RCA) has been launched by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on the year 2022, with the objective to provide the member cities with a platform to discuss and exchange information on aspects that are vital for sustainable management of urban rivers, sharing best practices and supporting innovation. The alliance has been launched initially with 30 cities namely Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Srinagar, Varanasi, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Farrukhabad, Mirzapur, Mathura, Bijnor, Ayodhya, Patna, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Munger, Sahibganj, Rajmahal, Howrah, Jangipur, Hugli-Chinsurah, Behrampore, Maheshtala, Aurangabad, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Hyderabad, Pune, Udaipur and Vijaywada.
Statement 2 is correct: RCA is envisaged as a facilitatory platform for initiating river-sensitive planning and development. It has now gone global during the UNFCCC COP28 held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on behalf of River Cities Alliance (RCA), has signed a Memorandum of Common Purpose (MoCP) with the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), representing 124 cities/towns situated along the banks of the Mississippi River, USA. The signing ceremony took place at the Rotary Hall as part of the ongoing COP28 or the United Nations Climate Change Conference, currently underway
Statement 3 is incorrect: The River City Alliance is open to all river cities of India. Any river city can join the Alliance at any time.

Answer. D
Explanation: Recognising the need to combat the menace, Tamil Nadu became the first state in the country to unveil its own comprehensive policy, the Tamil Nadu Policy on Invasive Plants and Ecological Restoration (TNPIPER), in June 2022. The state had proposed developing this policy in September 2021.
The policy will address highly invasive, habitat-degrading plant species in the forest areas of Tamil Nadu for removal and management simultaneously.
The principal focus is laid upon developing/elaborating strategies, methodologies and protocols for management of the most problematic weeds in forest areas to start with, on a priority basis which needs immediate attention to restore the habitat health in the wildlife habitat to support wildlife survival as well as to avoid straying out of wild animals.

Answer. B
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: The Amazon rainforest may be a hotspot for animal and plant diversity, but Louisiana State University scientists report that new species form there less often than previously thought. Places such as deserts and mountaintops that do not have many species provide more opportunity for rapid diversification. This paradox of diversity — that new species form at a faster pace in “cold spots” than hotspots — was reported in the journal Science.
The researchers who studied diversity in a major group of tropical birds found that although cold spots might be extreme, with dry, unstable environments, they are also relatively empty, giving new species the elbow room to evolve. In contrast, biodiversity hotspots such as the Amazon rainforest are the result of the gradual accumulation of species over time.
Statement 2 is correct but does not explain statement 1: The following criterion was given by the CI for a region to qualify as biodiversity hotspot:
o It must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants (> 0.5% of the world’s total) as endemic, implying that it must have a high percentage of plant life found nowhere else on the planet. A hotspot, in other words, is irreplaceable.
o It has to have lost at least 70% of its original habitat or it must have 30% or less of its original natural vegetation. In other words, it must be threatened.

Answer. B
Explanation: Options 1, 2, and 3 are correct.
Saline and alkaline soils are mostly found in arid and dry regions, where the rate of evaporation is high. Soluble salts from the lower layer of the soil come up and get accumulated due to the evaporation of moisture. These soils are not suitable for most crops as the crop yield is poor.
When the water table rises (e.g. following irrigation in the absence of proper drainage), the salty groundwater may reach the upper soil layers and thus, supply salts to the rootzone.
Causes of saline soil:
● Arid and dry conditions
● High water table
● Sloppy land that washes out salts in catchment areas
● Irrigation with saline water
● Poor drainage
● Sea level rise
Acidic soils are mostly found in areas receiving high rainfall, which causes leaching of bases or salts. Note that the below-mentioned are the causes of soil acidity:
● Soils developed from acidic rocks like granite are acidic in nature.
● Heavy rains or irrigation leach down bases and lime deep within the soil, thereby, increasing soil acidity.
● Application of Ammonium sulphate and Ammonium chloride as fertilisers also causes increase in soil acidity.
● The decomposition of organic matter, present in the soil, by various microorganisms results in the production of organic acids, which may also increase soil acidity.
● Sloppy land washes out salts in catchment areas.

Answer. D
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: Pyrolysis as a waste treatment process refers to destructive distillation of a solid carbonaceous material in the absence of stoichiometric oxygen and in the presence of heat. It needs a supply of heat from an external source.
Statement 2 is correct: The ideal pyrolysis reaction in case of pure cellulose is described as under:

Thus, it is seen that the product of pyrolysis of cellulose is a mixture of methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO) and moisture (H20).
This process has been applied in industrial practices to produce charcoal from wood chips, coke and coke gas from coal, fuel gas and pitch from heavy hydrocarbons. It is also used as one of the important processes to dispose of the tyres which are not usable.