17 November 2023

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. A severe draught is wreaking havoc on the Amazon jungle. Discuss the different reasons and effects of the drought in the Amazon region.

GS III – Environmental Conservation related issues

Introduction:

• The largest unbroken forest in the world is the Amazon rainforest. Apart from its exceptional variety of flora and fauna, the Amazon is crucial in regulating Earth’s temperature. A severe drought is wreaking havoc on the Amazon jungle. Travel-related rivers have dried up in large numbers. One of the biggest rivers in the world in terms of discharge has reached a record low: the Rio Negro. The most recent disaster adds to the long list of factors hastening the death of the Amazon, sometimes known as the “lungs” of the planet.

Reasons behind the Amazon rainforest’s drought:

• The emphasis on this exceptional weather occurrence was largely due to the interaction of anthropogenic and natural forces.

Natural Origins:

• El Niño phenomenon: The Amazon drought is directly impacted by the El Niño phenomenon. It shows up as an anomalous warming of the Pacific Ocean’s surface waters, which has an impact on the global rainfall pattern.
• High water temperatures: The extremely high water temperatures in the northern tropical Atlantic Ocean are the other weather occurrence. Warm air rises into the atmosphere and eventually reaches the Amazon jungle as a result of warmer ocean waters. Because the warm air prevents clouds from forming, the amount of rainfall decreases significantly.

Causes Ascribed to Humans:

Forest loss:

• Agriculture: Brazil’s soy industry directly contributes to the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest by removing forests for the construction of new, typically enormous soy plantations and by uprooting small farmers who subsequently relocate into forested regions to practise subsistence farming. The development of infrastructure (such as ports and highways) to facilitate the expansion of soy puts further pressure on the crop.

Mining:

• Mining operations were responsible for almost 10% of the deforestation that occurred in the Brazilian Amazon between 2005 and 2015.
• Evapotranspiration is a critical mechanism for maintaining the water balance in the region, and deforestation leads to a decrease in this process. The Amazon is more vulnerable to drought when there are fewer trees to release water into the atmosphere.
• Consequently, the number of fires has increased due to this deforestation, exacerbating the climatic issue. Deforestation also exacerbates the phenomenon known as fallen land, which has a major impact on river draught and is already seriously jeopardising navigation and logistics. This phenomenon primarily affects villages in the interior of the Amazon, which are already experiencing shortages.

Hydroelectric dams’ effects:

• The drought situation is additionally exacerbated by hydroelectric dams, particularly those located on the Madeira River. This is mostly because methane, a strong greenhouse gas, is released into the atmosphere during the breakdown of organic materials in reservoirs made by dams.
• Furthermore, major forest clearing is frequently required for the building of hydroelectric dams in the Amazon in order to build the dams and related infrastructure.

Effects of the Amazon region’s drought:

• The natural resources and ecological services provided by forests are directly impacted by drought, which disrupts the livelihoods of the Amazonian people. To get to clean water, people have to go farther. Usually, women and children are left to do this—giving up other jobs and education to perform an extremely physically demanding duty. Many are forced to leave their houses permanently in order to survive if they do not have access to food or clean water.
• Famine risk: When crops fail due to drought, there is a shortage of food. Famine occurs when a sizable portion of the populace is unable to obtain food; this leads to widespread acute malnutrition, illness, and fatalities throughout the impacted area.
• Disease outbreak: Access to clean drinking water is hampered by drought. This may result in individuals consuming tainted water, which could cause cholera and typhoid outbreaks. Another consequence of not having access to clean water is that these illnesses can also develop in areas with inadequate sanitation.
• Pollution and wildfires: The rainforest is now more susceptible to wildfires due to the exceptionally dry weather. The state of Amazonas has seen 2,700 fires so far this month. The two million-person metropolis of Manaus is located in the heart of the Amazon, and its air quality has deteriorated to dangerous levels due to wildfire smoke.
• It may fuel conflict: Studies have shown that drought makes already-existing disputes worse. Because there will be more competition for resources when large numbers of people migrate from famine- and drought-affected areas, political tensions and war may rise.

Way ahead:

• Strict action must be taken to stop illegal mining and deforestation in the Amazon in order to counteract the severe drought and its catastrophic impacts.
• A zero deforestation strategy must also be implemented, and it should start this year rather than in 2030, when it will be too late.
• In addition to taking action against illicit logging and regulating the use of fire, a forest monitoring system is necessary to have a better understanding of the destruction of the rainforest.
• Roads like the BR-319 motorway and hydroelectric dams should be reviewed by the federal government.
• In addition, collaboration between international organisations and regional administrations is essential for lowering greenhouse gas emissions and successfully addressing climate change.
• Between 17 and 20 percent of the Amazon has been devastated in the last 50 years. In order to preserve the Amazon, it is imperative that greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation be drastically reduced. Where feasible, damaged areas should be reforested. We can only lessen the effects of the Amazon’s drought and save this special ecosystem, which is essential to controlling the planet’s temperature, by taking swift, concerted action.

Q2. The application of AI in the Indian healthcare industry is paving the way for a bright future filled with obstacles. Discuss.

GS III – Science and Technology

Introduction:

• With the introduction of previously unheard-of tools for patient care, diagnosis, and treatment, artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly changing the Indian healthcare sector. According to a World Economic Forum estimate, AI spending in India is predicted to reach $11.78 billion by 2025 and boost the country’s economy by $1 trillion by 2035. According to projections, the healthcare AI market would reach $102.7 billion by 2028, up from $14.6 billion in 2023.

Artificial Intelligence Applications in the Indian Healthcare Sector:

• Disease detection and diagnostics: AI-integrated remote patient monitoring systems allow patients with chronic illnesses to receive individualised care and proactive interventions. For instance. It is now possible to forecast cardiovascular events by analysing an individual’s eye scan thanks to Google’s AI facility. This may represent a change from traditional techniques like MRIs, CT scans, and X-rays.
• Applications involving patients: AI helps save time in daily clinical routines by automating repetitive and menial chores. Chatbots, for example, assist patients with questions about scheduling appointments, paying bills, and other issues. Virtual health aides assist with following up with patients and reminding them of clinical appointments, answering questions from patients by phone and email, and making doctor appointments.
• Accelerating drug delivery: In addition, machine learning algorithms are speeding up the search and development of new drugs, resulting in more specialised and potent therapies.
• Process optimisation: Artificial Intelligence (AI) procedures are being created to generate new efficiencies in sectors like insurance claim processing and hospital bed management.
• AI is very useful for performing surgeries, such as robotic and laparoscopic procedures, where a video screen can show instructions or data from AI throughout the procedure.

Difficulties in applying AI to the healthcare industry:

• Data accessibility: AI systems require a lot of data to be available. This presents a significant obstacle to India’s efforts to develop domestic AI interventions. India’s healthcare datasets are inconsistent, widespread, and lacking.
• Security issues: There are worries about how this may affect patient privacy and whether algorithms may be biassed. Data security must be given top priority as AI is used more and more in healthcare.
• Cost factor: Training, testing, and deploying AI systems can be costly. Compiling datasets, as well as storing and processing power, is costly.
• Infrastructure problems: Another barrier is the lack of digital infrastructure needed to develop AI systems. The majority of cloud computing infrastructure is housed on servers located outside of India.
• Misuse: There is serious worry about the potential for new discriminatory opportunities that may arise from the integration of health data with other systems. Banks, for instance, can use health insurance data to assess a borrower’s eligibility for a loan.
• It is crucial to remember that AI and all other new medical technologies will go through extensive evaluation. This guarantees that the use of AI in healthcare is carried out responsibly, in compliance with regulations, and with the safety and wellbeing of patients as the top priorities.