Background
The Haryana Government portal divides the State into five natural topographic divisions.
They are the Bagar and undulating sandy plains, the Alluvial Plain (Ghaggar-Yamuna Plain), the Aravali outliers, the Shiwaliks and the Foot Hill Zone.
The Bagar lies in parts of Sirsa, Hisar and Bhiwani districts, in sand dunes adjacent to the Thar desert on about 11 per cent of the total area of the State.
The alluvial plain forms the water divide between the Ganga and the Indus river systems.
Within it lie the flood plains known as Khadar of Yamuna, Nali of Ghaggar and Bet of Markanda.
Natural topographic divisions:
5
Share of State area under Bagar sand dunes:
About 11 per cent
Bagar districts:
Sirsa, Hisar, Bhiwani (parts)
Why it matters for exams: Physiographic divisions and local landform names (Bagar, Khadar, Nali, Bet) are asked in state geography papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Bagar Bagar (sandy plain of south-western Haryana) — The local name for the sand-dune region of south-western Haryana.
Background
Kalesar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary are situated at the foothills of the Shiwalik ranges.
Administratively the area falls in Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana.
It shares its boundary with three states: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh; the Yamuna river forms the eastern boundary with Uttar Pradesh.
The area is named after the Kaleshwar (Shiva) temple located in the section-4 area.
The 11570 acres of Kalesar Reserve Forest was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary by a Haryana Government notification dated 18.12.1992.
The whole area of that Wildlife Sanctuary was later declared a National Park by a notification dated 8.12.2003.
The forest is dense with Sal and Khair trees, with patches of grassland.
District:
Yamuna Nagar
Reserve Forest declared Wildlife Sanctuary:
11570 acres (18.12.1992)
Declared National Park:
8.12.2003
Eastern boundary:
Yamuna river, with Uttar Pradesh
Why it matters for exams: Location of protected areas by district and bordering states, and how a sanctuary becomes a national park, are common state-level questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Shiwalik Shiwalik ranges (also written Shivalik) — The outermost foothill range of the Himalaya, lying along the northern edge of Haryana.
Background
Sultanpur National Park is in Gurugram district of Haryana.
The Haryana Wildlife Department describes it as a designated Ramsar Site of International Importance.
In 1971 it was declared Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary under the Punjab Wildlife Preservation Act.
In 1991 it was upgraded to a National Park under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
In 2021 it was recognised as a Ramsar Site.
Bird enthusiasts often call it "Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary", but the park officially retains the name of its native village, Sultanpur.
District:
Gurugram
Declared Bird Sanctuary:
1971
Upgraded to National Park:
1991
Recognised as Ramsar Site:
2021
Why it matters for exams: State-wise lists of national parks, Ramsar Sites and the Acts under which they were notified are staple questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Ramsar Site Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention — A wetland listed for its international ecological value under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Background
Project Lion is being implemented in the Gir landscape in Gujarat, for landscape ecology-based conservation of the Asiatic Lion by integrating conservation and eco-development.
Its document is titled 'Lion @ 47: Vision for Amrutkal'.
As informed by the State Government of Gujarat, the estimated population was 411 in 2010, 523 in 2015 and 674 in 2020.
The Asiatic Lion is categorised as 'Endangered' on the IUCN Red List, upgraded from 'Critically Endangered' in 2008.
Estimated population (2010):
411
Estimated population (2015):
523
Estimated population (2020):
674
IUCN category:
Endangered
Why it matters for exams: Project Lion, the lion's habitat and its IUCN status are standard environment and species questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature — The body that publishes the Red List of Threatened Species.
Background
India's coastline of 7516.6 km has been re-assessed to 11098.81 km by the National Hydrographic Office in coordination with the Survey of India.
The revised length was promulgated by the Ministry of Ports Shipping and Waterways through a circular dated 29th April 2025, after the Coastal Protection and Development Advisory Committee accepted it with concurrence from all coastal States/UTs.
In the PIB table Gujarat's coastline is 1,214.70 km (old) and 2,340.62 km (revised).
The revised figures for Tamil Nadu (1,068.69 km), Andhra Pradesh (1,053.07 km) and Maharashtra (877.97 km) are lower than Gujarat's; Andaman & Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory, is 3,083.50 km.
PIB states that Andhra Pradesh's coastline has become third in position after the revision.
Gujarat coastline (old):
1,214.70 km
Gujarat coastline (revised):
2,340.62 km
India total (revised):
11,098.81 km
Why it matters for exams: Coastline lengths by State, and which body measures them, are frequent geography and current-affairs questions; the revised figures replace the old ones.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NHO National Hydrographic Office — The body that re-assessed India's coastline in coordination with the Survey of India.
Background
The Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary at Mollem covers about 240 sq km of thick forest-clad slopes of the Western Ghats and its valleys, and contains the Molem National Park.
Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary admeasures 105 sq km and lies in Canacona taluka of South Goa district.
The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is on Chorao island near Panaji, along the Mandovi river.
It is 1.78 sq km in area and fully covered with mangroves.
Bondla is also listed among the State's sanctuaries.
Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary area:
about 240 sq km
Cotigao area:
105 sq km
Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary area:
1.78 sq km
Why it matters for exams: Sanctuary names, locations and areas are frequent environment and general knowledge questions for State-wise papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Mangrove Mangrove — Salt-tolerant trees that grow along tidal coasts and estuaries.
Background
The Bastar district website gives the area of Kanger Valley National Park as 200 square kilometres.
The park got the status of a national park in 1982.
Its name is derived from the Kangar river, which flows along its length.
The forest is a mixed humid deciduous type, with sal, saugaun, teak and bamboo in abundance.
The page names the Bastar Maina, a hill maina able to imitate human voices, as the state bird.
The park has three caves, Kutumbasar, Kailash and Dandak, with stalagmites and stalactites.
Tirathgarh Waterfall is located in the park; Kenjhardhara and Bhainsadhara are known for crocodiles.
Area (as per Bastar district website):
200 sq km
National park status:
1982
Caves named:
Kutumbasar, Kailash, Dandak
Why it matters for exams: National parks of a state, the year of their status and the river or feature behind the name are staple environment and geography questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Per the PIB release of 18 November 2024, the Government of Chhattisgarh, on advice of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, notified the Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve as the 56th tiger reserve of the country.
It has a total area of 2829.38 sq km, with a core/critical tiger habitat of 2049.2 sq km and a buffer of 780.15 sq km.
The core comprises the Guru Ghasidas National Park and the Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary.
It is the third largest tiger reserve in the country, after Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh and Manas in Assam.
It is contiguous with the Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, forming a landscape complex of nearly 4500 sq km.
With this notification Chhattisgarh has 4 tiger reserves; the NTCA lists them as Achanakmar, Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla, Indravati and Udanti Sitanadi.
Total area:
2829.38 sq km
Core / critical tiger habitat:
2049.2 sq km
Buffer:
780.15 sq km
Tiger reserves in Chhattisgarh:
4
Why it matters for exams: Tiger reserve counts, rankings by area and the national park versus tiger reserve distinction are frequent environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The statutory authority that gives technical and financial assistance for tiger conservation under Project Tiger.
Background
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is a global agreement to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the chemicals that deplete it, covering both production and consumption.
It was signed in 1987 and entered into force in 1989.
The parties meet once a year; the Protocol has been adjusted or amended six times since its creation.
The most recent amendment, the Kigali Amendment, called for the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in 2016.
HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer but are powerful greenhouse gases; they were used as replacements for ozone-depleting substances eliminated by the original Protocol.
It was preceded by the Vienna Convention of 1985, a framework convention that does not require countries to take control actions; it took effect in 1988 and reached universal ratification in 2009.
Montreal Protocol signed:
1987
Entered into force:
1989
Kigali Amendment:
2016, phase-down of HFCs
Vienna Convention created:
1985
Why it matters for exams: Treaty years, the Kigali Amendment and the Vienna Convention versus Montreal Protocol distinction are standard environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
HFC Hydrofluorocarbons — Replacements for ozone-depleting substances that do not deplete ozone but are powerful greenhouse gases.
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme — The UN body whose Ozone Secretariat serves the ozone treaties.
Background
The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) was established on the 25th May 1998 as an autonomous Research and Development Institution of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (formerly Department of Ocean Development).
The Centre is designated as the nodal organization for the co-ordination and implementation of the Indian Antarctic Programme.
That includes the maintenance of India's permanent station in Antarctica.
NCPOR is located in Goa.
Year-round maintenance of the two Indian stations, Maitri and Bharati, is its primary responsibility.
Maitri was established in 1989 and Bharati in 2011.
NCPOR established:
25th May 1998
Parent ministry:
Ministry of Earth Sciences
Location:
Goa
Maitri station established:
1989
Bharati station established:
2011
Why it matters for exams: NCPOR, its nodal role and the Maitri and Bharati stations are standard questions on India's polar programme.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NCPOR National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research — The nodal organization for the Indian Antarctic Programme, located in Goa.
Background
In 1875 the Government of India established the India Meteorological Department, bringing all meteorological work in the country under a central authority.
H. F. Blanford was appointed Meteorological Reporter to the Government of India.
The page records Sir John Eliot as the first Director General of Observatories, appointed in May 1889 at the Calcutta headquarters.
The headquarters later shifted to Shimla, then to Poona (now Pune) and finally to New Delhi.
India had older weather stations: Calcutta in 1785 and Madras in 1796, set up by the British East India Company.
Captain Harry Piddington of Calcutta coined the word cyclone, meaning the coil of a snake.
A disastrous tropical cyclone struck Calcutta in 1864, followed by monsoon failures in 1866 and 1871.
Established:
1875
Meteorological Reporter appointed:
H. F. Blanford
Observatory at Calcutta (earlier station):
1785
Observatory at Madras (earlier station):
1796
Headquarters moves:
Calcutta, Shimla, Poona, New Delhi
Why it matters for exams: IMD's 1875 founding and its history of headquarters are recurring science-institution questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IMD India Meteorological Department — The central authority for meteorological work in India, established in 1875.
Background
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was established on 18.10.2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
It deals with cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources, including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property.
The Tribunal is mandated to make an endeavour for disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing.
New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting; Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai are the other four places of sitting.
It is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but is guided by principles of natural justice; it is vested with the powers of a civil court under that Code for discharging its functions.
Established:
18.10.2010
Parent Act:
National Green Tribunal Act 2010
Disposal norm:
Within 6 months of filing
Principal Place of Sitting:
New Delhi
Why it matters for exams: Establishment date, parent Act, the 6-month disposal norm and the five places of sitting are standard polity and environment-law facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CPC Code of Civil Procedure — The 1908 Code that lays down the procedure for civil cases; the NGT is not bound by its procedure.
6 October 2026
Minister for Forests, Wildlife and Skill Development Shibu Baby John inaugurated the Kollam district level launch of the 'Nirmalam Puthuyuga Shuchitwa Keralam' programme on 6 October 2026.
The function was held on the grounds of Fatima Mata National College in Kollam, and Mayor A K Hafeez took part.
The programme aims to take waste management forward, to make local self government institutions zero waste, and to build habits of cleanliness through public participation.
Segregation of waste at source is one of the stated methods of the campaign.
Programme:
Nirmalam Puthuyuga Shuchitwa Keralam
District launch:
Kollam, 6 October 2026
Goal:
Zero waste local self government institutions
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's sanitation campaigns and the zero waste target for local bodies are frequently asked in state current affairs.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Source segregation Segregation of waste at source — Separating biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste at the house or establishment where it is generated.
6 October 2026
The Kerala Forest Research Institute at Peechi in Thrissur district will hold an interview on 8 October 2026 at 10 in the morning.
The vacancy is for a Project Fellow and supporting staff on a research project of one year.
Candidates have been asked to see www.kfri.res.in for further details.
The notice was issued by the Information and Public Relations Department as release P.N.X. 4173/2026 on 6 October 2026.
Interview date:
8 October 2026, 10 am
Project duration:
One year
Release number:
P.N.X. 4173/2026
Why it matters for exams: KFRI is one of the research institutions under the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment and is asked about by name.
Kerala PSC
6 October 2026
The Government of Kerala announced that the Ashtamudi Water Gate Music Festival will be held at the Sree Narayana Guru Cultural Complex in Kollam from 7 to 11 October 2026.
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Cinema P C Vishnunath will inaugurate the festival, Minister Bindu Krishna will preside and Minister Shibu Baby John will be the chief guest.
The concept of the festival is musical ecology and water, linking water and human life with culture and music.
Performances begin at 7 pm each day and include Manganiyar Seduction from Rajasthan, Araka Vyooham - The Percussion Band, Hamsi and Band, Shanka Tribe and Indian Ocean.
The Kerala State Film Academy will screen films on musicians, musical traditions and the relation between music and society from 2 pm to 4 pm every day.
Dates:
7 to 11 October 2026
Venue:
Sree Narayana Guru Cultural Complex, Kollam
Theme:
Musical ecology and water
Film screenings:
2 pm to 4 pm daily, by the Kerala State Film Academy
Why it matters for exams: State-run cultural festivals, their venues and the ministers in charge are asked in Kerala PSC general awareness.
Kerala PSC
6 October 2026
UN News reported that water sources are drying up, crops are failing and food prices are rising across Papua New Guinea. In September the Nino 3.4 index, a measure of sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific used to track El Nino, surpassed the temperatures recorded during every previous El Nino event, including 1997 and 2015. El Nino conditions have been present since mid-2026 and are forecast to peak between October and December. The Government declared the event in June, established a dedicated task force and approved a $112 million supplementary budget. Some 1.2 million people are estimated to require direct food relief. The largest impacts on agriculture and food security are expected from November. Across the Greater Horn of Africa the same event could instead bring wetter-than-normal conditions, river and flash flooding and waterborne disease.
Supplementary budget approved:
$112 million
People needing direct food relief:
1.2 million
Forecast peak:
October to December
Why it matters for exams: El Nino, the Nino 3.4 index and its opposite effects in different regions are standard geography and environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Nino 3.4 index Nino 3.4 index — A measure of sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific used to track El Nino.
6 October 2026
The first Global Heat Forum opened in Bangkok to unlock finance and scale up solutions on extreme heat, amid record-breaking temperatures and an intensifying El Nino, the World Meteorological Organization said.
Nearly 600 scientists, business leaders, philanthropists and health experts gathered for the four-day event, which took place as the Thai capital recovered from devastating rainfall and deadly floods.
Addressing the forum, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on every city to build lasting defences against extreme heat and said heat action plans should be in place by 2030, backed by the systems and resources to make them real.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said El Nino literally turns up the heat and that prevention begins before the emergency, with forecasts giving health services, employers and communities time to act.
The WMO said scaling up heat-health warning systems could protect 1.5 billion people.
The forum launched an executive summary titled Extreme heat and health: Global evidence for action, a platform rating more than 80 heat interventions built after a review of 300,000 academic papers, a Global Call to Action on Heat and Women's Health, and a Roadmap for Investment and Action on Extreme Heat that carries the work into COP31 in Antalya.
Venue:
Bangkok, Thailand
Participants:
nearly 600
People protectable by heat-health warnings:
1.5 billion
Deadline for city heat action plans:
2030
Why it matters for exams: Heat action plans, heat-health warning systems and the venue of the next climate conference are current environment and health questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WMO World Meteorological Organization — The UN specialized agency for weather, climate and water, with its headquarters in Geneva.
Heat action plan Heat action plan — A city or state plan that sets out warnings, health measures and worker protections for heatwave periods.
COP31 Thirty-first Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change — The annual climate negotiation to be held in Antalya, Turkiye.
6 October 2026
More than 347 million children in nearly 100 countries and territories are expected to experience unusually wet or dry conditions between October and December 2026 because of El Nino, according to the latest UNICEF data reported by the UN.
The 2026-2027 El Nino is forecast to become one of the strongest on record, and Pacific Ocean temperatures have already surpassed the equivalent measurements of the 1997 and 2015 events.
Colombia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines are among the countries expected to turn drier, raising the risk of drought, water scarcity and acute malnutrition.
In the Greater Horn of Africa, wetter-than-normal conditions could trigger flash flooding, spread water-borne diseases and disrupt schooling.
The UN said every $1 invested in disaster risk reduction and prevention can save up to $15 in recovery costs, yet less than one per cent of humanitarian funding goes to anticipatory action.
The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific has recalled that in the 2015-16 El Nino more than 70 per cent of South-East Asia's land area experienced drought, exposing more than 200 million people to severe drought at its peak.
Children exposed, October-December 2026:
more than 347 million
Countries and territories:
nearly 100
Return on prevention spending:
up to $15 saved for every $1
Why it matters for exams: El Nino's teleconnections, its effect on monsoon and food security, and the economics of anticipatory action are standard geography and environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
El Nino El Nino-Southern Oscillation, warm phase — A periodic warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific that shifts rainfall and temperature patterns worldwide.
ESCAP United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific — The UN regional commission for the Asia-Pacific, with its headquarters in Bangkok.
Anticipatory action Anticipatory humanitarian action — Relief released on the strength of a forecast, before a disaster strikes, rather than after it.
6 October 2026
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav led the Indian delegation at the UNFCCC's Pre-COP31 meetings, co-hosted by Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu.
Addressing the Leaders' Plenary in Fiji, he called for equal attention to adaptation, mitigation and means of implementation as the world moves towards COP31.
He said the principles of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities must be upheld in letter and spirit, and that there cannot be a one-size-fits-all pathway to climate action.
India offered to share its coastal resilience and space-based expertise with its Pacific partners, citing the work of the Indian Space Research Organisation, the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management and the National Centre for Coastal Research.
The Minister listed Indian expertise in coastal vulnerability assessment, shoreline change mapping, marine spatial plans, integrated coastal management plans and the Blue Economy, and in shoreline monitoring, inundation assessment, cyclone early warning and climate-risk assessment using Earth-observation capabilities.
Referring to his visit to Tuvalu, he said the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project showed how the provision of means of implementation translates into resilience on the ground.
Pre-COP is a preparatory meeting held a few weeks before the annual UN Climate Change Conference, which this year will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, in November.
Pre-COP31 co-hosts:
Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu
COP31 venue:
Antalya, Türkiye
COP31 month:
November
Indian bodies named:
ISRO, NCSCM, NCCR
Why it matters for exams: The venue of COP31, the Pre-COP hosts and the CBDR-RC principle are frequently asked environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Pre-COP Pre-Conference of the Parties meeting — A preparatory ministerial meeting held a few weeks before the annual UN Climate Change Conference.
CBDR-RC Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities — The climate negotiation principle that all countries must act but their obligations differ with their historical responsibility and capacity.
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — The 1992 treaty under which the annual climate conferences are held.
Means of implementation Means of implementation — In climate talks, the finance, technology transfer and capacity building that developing countries need to deliver climate action.
NCSCM National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management — A centre under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change working on coastal zone management.
Background
The Government of India launched Project Tiger in 1973 as an ambitious, holistic conservation project.
It began with 9 reserves covering 18,278 km2 and grew to 53 reserves spread across 75,796 km2, as stated in the All India Tiger Estimation release.
The first phase focused on enacting the Wildlife Protection Act and establishing protected areas for tigers.
The detailed All India Tiger Estimation report gives the average number as 3682 tigers, an annual growth rate of 6.1% per annum.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority was involved in the release.
Launched:
1973
Initial reserves:
9 covering 18,278 km2
Reserves in the release:
53 across 75,796 km2
Average tiger number:
3682
Annual growth:
6.1% per annum
Why it matters for exams: Project Tiger's start year, its first-phase focus and the NTCA are recurring environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The authority that works on tiger conservation.