Day-654 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS

Answer: D
Explanation:
• Lake Retba, also known as ‘Pink Lake’, is located in Senegal. The unprecedented levels of urbanisation of this northern part of the lake, which has no sewage system and artisanal salt mining have increased the pollution load in this lake.
• The results of chemical analyses of samples collected in May 2023 along these ponds revealed extremely high levels of nitrates in it to be as high as 12,491.71 to 15,394.75 mg/l.
• The pink colour of the lake is due to the proliferation of halophilic green algae (living in a salty environment), Dunaliella salina, which contain red pigments. The alga is associated with halophilic bacteria of the genus Halobacterium.

Answer: A
Context: Question is based on a write-up about the Darian Gap featured in Down To Earth. Darian Gap has been in news because much of the discussion over illegal immigration to the US has in recent weeks moved its focus south to the Darien Gap.
Explanation: Only Pair 1 is matched correctly
Pair 1 is matched correctly:
Darian Gap:
● The Darien Gap is a stretch of densely forested jungle across northern Colombia and southern Panama. Roughly 60 miles (97 kilometres) across, the terrain is muddy, wet and unstable.
● In news: In the decade prior to 2021, 10,000 people annually took this route on their way north to seek residence in the United States and Canada. Then, in 2021, the Panamanian government documented 133,000 crossings, a dramatic increase in human movement in such a volatile stretch of land. In 2023, more than half a million people transited through this part of the Isthmus of Panama.

Pair 2 is matched incorrectly:
Suwalki Gap:
● The Suwałki Gap, also known as the Suwałki corridor, is a sparsely populated area around the border between Lithuania and Poland.
● It is also the shortest path between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast on the Polish side of the border.
● The Suwałki Gap is the only land corridor that connects the Baltic States with other NATO members. It is a narrow stretch of land which in the event of conflict with Russia, could be hit with artillery fire from both sides.
● Named after the Polish town of Suwałki, this choke point has become of great strategic and military importance since Poland and the Baltic states joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Pair 3 is matched incorrectly:
● The Zangezur Corridor runs from Azerbaijan to its autonomous region Nakhchivan through Armenia close to the Yerevan-Tehran border.
● It is part of a strategic transportation route that extends from Azerbaijan’s Baku to Türkiye’s Kars province, passing through Armenia.

Answer: C
Context: The question is based on a write-up featured in the ‘Down to Earth’. The write-up has discussed the theme of United Nations World Water Development Report 2024 released on World Water Day (March 22, 2024) which is “Water for Peace”. The write-up also links the social instability in Africa’s Lake Chad region to drying up of the Lake itself.
Explanation: The Central African Republic (CAR) does not share its boundary with Lake Chad.
About Lake Chad:
● Lake Chad is located in the Sahel, the vast semi-arid region south of the Sahara desert.
● It is bordered by 4 countries – Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria.

● Source of the Lake: It is fed mainly by the Chari River through the Lagone tributary.
● The Lagone tributary used to provide 90 % of its water.
● Significance of the Lake: The Lake is vital for indigenous, pastoral and farming communities in these countries.
● The lake has been supporting drinking water, irrigation, fishing, livestock and economic activity for over 30 million people in the region.
● The Lake Chad basin in west and central Africa covers 8% of the African continent and is home to 42 million people.
Present condition:
● Lake Chad has shrunk by 90% in 60 years, and climate change is a significant contributor.
● A 13-year insurgency of the Boko Haram extremist group and other militant groups has destabilized the Lake Chad basin and the wider Sahel region.

Answer: C
Context: Odia scientist Dr. Swati Nayak has been named the 2023 recipient of the Norman E. Borlaug Award for field research and application for her work in the field of food and nutrition.
Explanation:
• Statement 1 is correct: The award is instituted by the World Food Prize Foundation.
• Statement 2 is correct: Award is named in honour of Nobel Laureate and Green Revolution’s chief architect Dr. Norman E Borlaug.
• Statement 3 is correct: A scientist and South Asia Lead for Seed System and Product Management at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Dr. Swati Nayak was selected for the award for her innovative approach to engaging farmers in demand-driven rice seed systems.
• Statement 4 is Incorrect: She is the third Indian and first Odia to receive the award.
More about Norman E. Borlaug Field Award:
● Established in: 2011
● Prize money: $10,000
● Award is presented annually in the month of October.
● Award recognizes exceptional, science-based achievement in international agriculture and food production by an individual under the age of 40.
Dr. Nayak is recognised for her innovative approach to engaging farmers in demand-driven rice seed systems, from testing and deployment to access and adoption of climate-resilient and nutritious rice varieties.

Answer: B
Context: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia recently said in an interview that he does not care when he is accused of ‘sportswashing‘. The middle eastern nation has been routinely accused of heavily investing in sports and using their events to clean its global reputation.
Explanation
• Statement 1 is incorrect: Sportswashing is the use of sport to redirect public attention away from unethical conduct. The intended effect is to improve the reputation of the offending entity, by using the immense popularity of sport to ‘wash’ away poor publicity. The most high-profile instances of sportswashing are carried out by authoritarian states who have committed human rights abuses.
• Statement 2 is correct: Internationally, sportswashing has been described as part of a country’s soft power as it builds international image in favourable terms for the country which engages in it.
• Statement 3 is correct: Some of the countries use sportswashing as an economic tool since it helps in creating a positive image which attracts investment in that country. Favourable image among global audience is an excellent PR exercise. This branding of the country attracts investors.