Environment

According to Air Quality Report 2023 conducted by Swiss organisation IQAir, Begusarai in Bihar has been identified as the world’s most polluted metropolitan area. New Delhi remains the world’s most polluted capital city for the fourth consecutive year since 2018.

• The Air Quality Report 2023 by Swiss organization IQAir reveals that Delhi’s PM2.5 levels increased from 89.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 to 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.
• India ranks third in terms of air quality, with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter, following Bangladesh and Pakistan.
• Over one billion people in India are exposed to PM2.5 levels surpassing the World Health Organization’s recommended annual guideline level of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.

Q: Which city has been ranked as the world’s most polluted capital city for four consecutive years since 2018?

a) Mumbai
b) New Delhi
c) Beijing
d) Tokyo

Ans : b) New Delhi

Q: Which Indian city has emerged as the world’s most polluted metropolitan area?

a) Mumbai
b) Kolkata
c) Chennai
d) Begusarai

Ans : d) Begusarai

Female cheetah Gamini, originally from South Africa, gave birth to five cubs in Kuno National Park on March 10, 2024.

1. Gamini is approximately five years old.
2. This brings the total count of Indian-born cheetah cubs to 13.
3. The current population of cheetahs in Kuno National Park, including the new cubs, is twenty-six.
4. The cheetah reintroduction project involved releasing eight Namibian cheetahs (five females and three males) into enclosures at Kuno National Park on September 17, 2022.
5. In February 2023, an additional 12 cheetahs were brought to the park from South Africa, including Gamini.

Q: Which female cheetah recently (in March 2024) gave birth to five cubs in Kuno National Park?

a) Gauri
b) Gamini
c) Chitra
d) Laila

Ans : b) Gamini

The leopard population in the country has increased by more than one thousand from 2018 to 2022.

1. The Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Ministry released a report indicating the leopard population has reached 13,874, up from 12,852 in 2018.
2. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the report in New Delhi.
3. Central India, particularly Madhya Pradesh, recorded the highest leopard population with 3,907 individuals.
4. The fifth cycle leopard population estimation was conducted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India in collaboration with State Forest Departments.
5. This exercise is crucial for conservation efforts, highlighting the importance of Protected Areas in conserving leopard populations.

Q: Which Indian state recorded the highest leopard population according to the report?

a) Rajasthan
b) Kerala
c) Madhya Pradesh
d) Uttar Pradesh

Ans : c) Madhya Pradesh