Kakhovka Dam: Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine was collapsed recently, causing extensive flooding.The dam is built on Ukraine’s Dnipro River.Dnipro River – It separates Ukraine into two parts — east and west.It flows north to south connecting the capital, Kiev, to the Black Sea.
It was built in 1956 as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.The reservoir it contains holds water of about the same volume as the Great Salt Lake in Utah.Bursting the dam could send a wall of water flooding settlements below it, including Kherson.Water from the reservoir supplies the Crimean peninsula to the south, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, as well as the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, to the north.It also helps power the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant.
The Energy Progress Report 2023: The World is still off-track from achieving universal energy access (SDG 7) to all, says UN report.Since 2018, the report envisages to track the SDG7.Aim – It aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.It is produced annually by 5 of the custodian agencies responsible for tracking global progress toward SDG7. Custodian Agencies –The International Energy Agency (IEA),The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA),The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD),The World Bank and WHO.
Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS): Ministry – Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE).The scheme for rehabilitation of manual scavengers has now been merged with the NAMASTE scheme.The FY 2023-24 Union Budget showed no allocation for the rehabilitation scheme and Rs. 100 crore allocation for the NAMASTE scheme.
Manual Scavenging:Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment report says that only 66% districts in country is free of manual scavenging.The ILO describes 3 forms of manual scavenging in India:Removal of human excrement from public streets and dry latrines (meaning simple pit latrines without a water seal, but not dry toilets in general),Cleaning septic tanks,Cleaning gutters and sewers.India banned the practice under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (PEMSR).The Act bans the use of any individual for manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of or otherwise handling in any manner, human excreta till its disposal.In 2013, the definition of manual scavengers was also broadened to include people employed to clean septic tanks, ditches, or railway tracks.
National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme: It is a central sector scheme for improving the living standards of sanitation workers in urban areas.
It is a joint initiative of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
Objectives – It envisages safety and dignity of sanitation workers in urban India by
Recognising sanitation workers as one of the key contributors in the maintenance of sanitation infrastructure.Providing them with sustainable livelihood.Enhancing their occupational safety through capacity building and improved access to safety gear and machines.It aims at provide alternative livelihoods support and entitlements to reduce their vulnerabilities.
