9 October 2026
The Environment Agency declared that Yorkshire has officially entered drought status because of low water levels in reservoirs and rivers.
The Agency's Yorkshire area has had the 5th driest April to September on record.
River flow and groundwater levels in certain parts of the area are very low and have reached the Agency's trigger for declaring a drought.
The declaration follows a prolonged dry weather declaration made at the end of July.
Yorkshire joins central, southern and eastern England in drought status, while the North East and North West remain in prolonged dry weather.
This is the third drought in five years, after 2022 and 2025.
The Agency said England would need 120% of long-term average rainfall over the next seven months to come out of drought.
Area declared in drought:
Yorkshire
Dry period ranking:
5th driest April to September on record
Rainfall needed to exit drought:
120% of long-term average over the next seven months
Previous droughts:
2022 and 2025
Why it matters for exams: A dated drought declaration by a named regulator, with a stated trigger and a stated rainfall requirement, is the kind of environment question that tests both the fact and the mechanism.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Environment Agency Environment Agency — The public body that regulates water resources, flood risk and pollution in England.
Prolonged dry weather Prolonged dry weather — The stage the Environment Agency declares before drought, when rainfall has been persistently below normal.
9 October 2026
Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida on 9 October 2026 as a dangerous category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (169 kph), the National Hurricane Center said. Forecasters had earlier expected Isaias to weaken from its peak as a major category 3 hurricane, and it weakened to just below major hurricane status before coming ashore. The governors of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida all declared states of emergency, and Florida's national guard deployed roughly 5,000 soldiers and airmen. The NHC warned of a life-threatening storm surge of up to 7ft (2.1 metres) along the Alabama-Florida line, with dangerous hurricane conditions and flash floods spreading inland. A wind gust up to 102 mph (164 km/h) was recorded at Pensacola city hall, and NOAA officials observed a water level 5.4 feet (1.64 metres) above average at Panama City Beach. Nearly 500,000 customers had lost power across Alabama and Florida by Friday evening, according to PowerOutage.com. Isaias was the first hurricane of the Atlantic season and one of the two latest-forming Atlantic hurricanes on record, tying a record set on 8 October 1905. After landfall Isaias was downgraded from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone and continued north across the southeastern United States; the NHC discontinued all hurricane warnings on Saturday morning, while a storm surge warning remained in effect for parts of Florida.
Category at landfall:
category 2
Maximum sustained winds:
105 mph (169 kph)
Storm surge warned:
up to 7ft (2.1 meters)
Customers without power:
nearly 500,000
Why it matters for exams: Landfall point, category, wind speed and storm surge are the standard details asked about a named cyclone, and the 1905 record is a usable fact.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
NHC National Hurricane Center — The United States agency that forecasts and classifies Atlantic tropical cyclones.
Storm surge Storm surge — The abnormal rise of sea water above the normal tide, pushed ashore by a storm's winds.
9 October 2026
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck south-central Panama just before 15:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on 9 October 2026. The US Geological Survey put the epicentre about 10km (6.2 miles) from the town of Pitaloza Arriba, and the quake was registered as occurring at a depth of just 12km. About 4.6 million people felt moderate to severe tremors, according to the USGS, which said the effects of the quake were likely to be widespread. One side of a cathedral in Penonome collapsed along with one of its spires, buildings were damaged in Penonome and Sona, and many people were evacuated from buildings in Panama City, about 200km from the epicentre. Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino said his entire government was mobilising in response to the earthquake. Tsunami warnings were initially issued for 11 countries neighbouring Panama before the US Tsunami Warning System confirmed there was no threat. The Panama Canal was unaffected, the authority that oversees marine traffic through it said. No casualties had been reported at the time of the reports.
Magnitude:
7.7
Depth:
12km
People who felt moderate to severe shaking:
about 4.6 million
Countries initially under tsunami warning:
11
Why it matters for exams: Magnitude, epicentre, depth and the link between a shallow focus and surface damage are standard geography questions, and the Panama Canal's status was part of the news.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
USGS United States Geological Survey — The US science agency that locates and measures earthquakes worldwide.
Epicentre Epicentre of an earthquake — The point on the earth's surface directly above where an earthquake begins.
9 October 2026
The India Meteorological Department held a Training Workshop on Cyclone and Marine Weather Warning Services for users on 9 October 2026, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. More than 650 participants joined, including stakeholders, disaster managers and media representatives, and the workshop was livestreamed on YouTube for the general public. Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, opened the workshop and spoke on progress in cyclone forecasting, multi-agency coordination and the role of the media in carrying warnings to the last mile. A key highlight was a demonstration of the Cyclone and Marine Weather Services Decision Support System for Public, an integrated platform to help the public, stakeholders and disaster managers take timely decisions. IMD experts presented forecast products and warning bulletins for coastal communities, fishermen, ports and maritime stakeholders.
Participants:
more than 650
Director General of Meteorology:
Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra
Ministry:
Ministry of Earth Sciences
Why it matters for exams: The IMD's warning products and the name of the Director General of Meteorology are regularly asked in disaster management questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IMD India Meteorological Department — The national weather service under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, which issues cyclone and marine warnings.
DSS Decision Support System — A platform that brings forecasts and impact data together so a user can act on them.
9 October 2026
The Ministry of Culture said on 9 October 2026 that the PM Mementos e-Auction is live and has been extended to 31 October 2026. Bids are placed on the portal pmmementos.gov.in. Proceeds from the auction go to the Namami Gange programme, which works to conserve and rejuvenate the river Ganga. Eighteen mementos from Andhra Pradesh are among the items on offer. They include a Kondapalli wooden bullock cart, a Kalamkari textile with a photoprint of the Prime Minister, a commemorative memento from Sree Shivaji Sphoorti Kendram at Srisailam, the Stree Shakti Pratibha Award-2025 commemorative memento and a 'Good Governance of India' acrylic painting.
Auction extended to:
31 October 2026
Portal:
pmmementos.gov.in
Proceeds go to:
Namami Gange programme
Mementos from Andhra Pradesh:
18
Why it matters for exams: The destination of the auction proceeds and the portal name are the kind of specific detail examiners pick from such a release.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Namami Gange Namami Gange Programme — The central programme for conservation and rejuvenation of the river Ganga.
Kalamkari Kalamkari — A hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile craft of Andhra Pradesh.
Kondapalli toys Kondapalli toys — Light wooden toys carved in Kondapalli in Andhra Pradesh, a geographical indication craft.
9 October 2026
The National Highways Authority of India is to install Retrofit Emission Control Devices on 25 Diesel Generator sets at Package-IV of the Dwarka Expressway.
Package-IV is 8.7 km long and connects Basai to the Kherki Dhaula and Delhi-Gurugram Expressway cloverleaf intersection.
The step follows directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management on diesel generator sets in the Delhi National Capital Region.
The measure is aimed at reducing air pollution, particularly in winter, when the Graded Response Action Plan is in force.
The work covers installation, testing and commissioning along with comprehensive maintenance support.
NHAI has required GPS-tagged photographs of RECD installations at each DG-set location for verification and compliance.
DG sets covered:
25
Stretch:
Package-IV of the Dwarka Expressway
Length:
8.7 km
Directing body:
Commission for Air Quality Management
Why it matters for exams: The Commission for Air Quality Management and the Graded Response Action Plan are recurring environment questions, and this links them to a named highway project.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
RECD Retrofit Emission Control Device — A device fitted to an existing diesel generator set to cut the pollutants in its exhaust.
GRAP Graded Response Action Plan — A set of anti-pollution measures for the Delhi National Capital Region that tighten as air quality worsens.
9 October 2026
A division bench of Justice G. S. Kulkarni and Justice Dr Neela Gokhale of the Bombay High Court has held that keeping Mumbai clean is a collective duty of its citizens and not solely the municipal corporation's responsibility.
The bench described citizens as equal stakeholders in a clean and hygienic city.
The proceedings arise in Kannamwar Co-Op. Hsg. Soc. Association Ltd. and others versus Union of India and others, a petition that began over a dumping ground facility and has been widened to cover health and hygiene across the city.
The Court linked city cleanliness to the fundamental duty in Article 51A(j) of the Constitution and to constitutional goals on public health and environmental protection.
It said improper waste disposal harms community health and creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rodents that can spread dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and cholera.
The Court took on record the corporation's affidavit on enforcement of the Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws, 2025, ward-wise fines, CCTV monitoring and the MyBMC Marg app.
It directed ward officers to attend immediately to instances of clogged drainage, saying the photographed drain was only the tip of the iceberg.
It also directed the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to confirm whether PM10 levels were within the safe permissible limit.
Fundamental duty invoked:
Article 51A(j)
Bye-laws being enforced:
Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws, 2025
Diseases named by the Court:
dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and cholera
Pollutant the MPCB must confirm:
PM10
Why it matters for exams: A court reading fundamental duties under Article 51A(j) into municipal sanitation, with named vector-borne diseases and a specific bye-law, links polity, environment and health in one item.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Article 51A(j) Clause (j) of Article 51A of the Constitution of India — A fundamental duty of every citizen to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity.
MPCB Maharashtra Pollution Control Board — The State board that monitors air and water quality and enforces pollution control law in Maharashtra.
9 October 2026
The Maharashtra government has declared drought in 265 of the State's 358 talukas through a Government Resolution of the Relief and Rehabilitation Department.
The declaration covers 74 per cent of the State's area and spans 32 districts, including Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Pune, Solapur, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Buldhana, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Yavatmal, Wardha, Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli.
The Resolution rests on an Agriculture Commissioner's report and activates Trigger-1 under the Drought Management Manual, 2016, the first stage of the State's drought-response framework.
From 1 June to 18 September the State recorded 755.9 mm of rain against an average of 932.3 mm, a deficit of 18.8 per cent.
The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Division recorded 424.5 mm against a normal of 613.1 mm, a deficit of 30.8 per cent, while the Konkan division was short by 6.3 per cent.
Dharashiv and Beed received no rainfall from July onwards.
Relief measures include exemption from land revenue, restructuring of crop loans and deferment of recovery, electricity bill concessions for agricultural pumps above 7.5 HP, waiver of examination fees for school and college students, relaxed norms for rural employment guarantee works, tanker supply of drinking water and arrangements for foodgrain and fodder.
District collectors were directed to begin crop damage surveys with geotagged photographs and report through the Commissioner of Agriculture, with crop-loss assistance to follow in a later Resolution.
Talukas declared drought-affected:
265 of 358
Share of State area covered:
74 per cent
State rainfall, 1 June to 18 September:
755.9 mm against an average of 932.3 mm
State rainfall deficit:
18.8 per cent
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Division deficit:
30.8 per cent
Why it matters for exams: Taluka counts, the Trigger-1 mechanism and division-wise rainfall deficits are the kind of precise State-level disaster management data that examinations use.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Trigger-1 First trigger under the Drought Management Manual, 2016 — The first stage of drought assessment, set off when prescribed rainfall deficit and dry spell conditions are met.
GR Government Resolution — The formal written order through which a State government in Maharashtra conveys an administrative decision.
9 October 2026
The India Meteorological Department's Meteorological Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, has warned of heavy rainfall of 7 to 11 cm in 24 hours at isolated places over Keralam from 7 to 10 October 2026.
It has also warned of thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 40 to 50 km per hour at one or two places over Keralam and Lakshadweep on 9 and 10 October 2026.
For 7, 8 and 11 October the warning is of thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 30 to 40 km per hour at one or two places over Keralam.
The Centre issues the Kerala and Lakshadweep outlook along with district-wise and subdivision-wise warning pages.
Heavy rainfall:
7 to 11 cm in 24 hours, isolated places, 7 to 10 October 2026
Gusty winds:
40 to 50 km/h on 9 and 10 October 2026
Area:
Keralam and Lakshadweep
Why it matters for exams: The IMD's own thresholds for heavy rainfall and gusty winds, and the Kerala-Lakshadweep subdivision, are standard geography and disaster management material.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
IMD India Meteorological Department — The national weather service, which issues rainfall warnings through state Meteorological Centres and Regional Meteorological Centres.
9 October 2026
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said pregnancy and childbirth have become a new fault line in the global climate crisis as extreme heat worsens.
He was speaking in Fiji at an event organised by the charitable foundation Wellcome on the first day of the pre-COP ministerial meeting, ahead of the COP31 climate conference in Antalya.
Stiell said extreme heat during pregnancy is increasingly linked to premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight and maternal complications.
He cited a Wellcome-commissioned survey of maternal health professionals in five countries across five continents.
Some 73 per cent of those surveyed reported that heat-linked cases or complications had increased over the past five years.
And 81 per cent were concerned or very concerned that extreme heat would increasingly put maternal, foetal and newborn health at risk without more action.
He called for maternal and newborn health to be built into countries' climate plans and for the tripling of adaptation finance agreed at COP30 to be delivered.
Speaker:
Simon Stiell, UNFCCC Executive Secretary
Survey:
Maternal health professionals in five countries across five continents
Reported more heat-linked cases:
73 per cent
Concerned about future risk:
81 per cent
Next climate summit:
COP31, Antalya
Why it matters for exams: The UNFCCC, its Executive Secretary and the COP sequence with its host cities are asked in nearly every environment paper.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — The 1992 climate treaty whose annual Conference of the Parties is called COP.
Adaptation finance Adaptation finance — Money provided to help countries cope with climate impacts rather than cut emissions.
9 October 2026
A female cheetah identified as KJP21, born in India, gave birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
With the births, India's cheetah population has risen to 60.
Of these, 41 are cheetahs born on Indian soil.
KJP21 is the third female cheetah born in India to give birth, after Mukhi and KGP12.
The father is a cheetah brought from Botswana, so the litter begins a Botswana lineage in India.
Kuno National Park is in Sheopur district.
Cubs born:
Five
India's cheetah population:
60
Born on Indian soil:
41
Mother cheetah:
KJP21
District:
Sheopur
Why it matters for exams: Project Cheetah population figures and the Kuno site are standard environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Kuno Kuno National Park — The national park in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh where cheetahs were first introduced in India.
Background
The Mississippi River is the second longest river in North America and flows from its source at Lake Itasca through the centre of the continental United States.
The Missouri River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, is about 100 miles longer than the Mississippi's own main stem.
Compared with other world rivers, the Mississippi-Missouri combination ranks fourth in length at 3,710 miles/5,970km, after the Nile at 4,160 miles/6,693km, the Amazon at 4,000 miles/6,436km and the Yangtze at 3,964 miles/6,378km.
At Lake Itasca the river is between 20 and 30 feet wide, the narrowest stretch for its entire length; the widest part is at Lake Winnibigoshish, where it is wider than 11 miles, and the widest navigable section is Lake Pepin.
The Mississippi watershed drains about 3.2 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles), including all or parts of 31 states and two Canadian provinces, about 40% of the continental United States.
That watershed is the fourth largest in the world, extending from the Allegheny Mountains in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west.
At least 260 species of fish, 25% of all fish species in North America, live in the Mississippi River, and sixty percent of all North American birds (326 species) use the Mississippi River Basin as their migratory flyway.
Barges and their tows move approximately 175 million tons of freight each year on the upper Mississippi through a system of 29 locks and dams.
Source:
Lake Itasca
Rank in North America by length:
second longest river in North America
Mississippi-Missouri combined length:
3,710 miles/5,970km (fourth in the world)
Watershed area:
about 3.2 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles)
States and provinces drained:
all or parts of 31 states and two Canadian provinces
Share of continental United States drained:
about 40%
Watershed limits:
Allegheny Mountains in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west
Fish species:
At least 260 species of fish (25% of all fish species in North America)
Why it matters for exams: The Mississippi-Missouri is the standard answer to the fourth-longest-river-system question, and its watershed figures, source lake and bounding mountain ranges make it the most asked single piece of United States physical geography.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Watershed Watershed — The whole area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.
Flyway Migratory flyway — The broad route along which birds travel between their breeding and wintering areas each year.
Background
The World Heritage Centre's State Party page for the United States of America lists 27 properties inscribed on the World Heritage List.
They are grouped as Cultural 13, Natural 13 and Mixed 1.
The one mixed property, meeting both cultural and natural criteria, is Papahānaumokuākea.
Cultural properties include Independence Hall, the Statue of Liberty, Mesa Verde National Park, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Chaco Culture, Taos Pueblo, San Antonio Missions, Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point and Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks.
Natural properties include Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Everglades National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yosemite National Park, Olympic National Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Redwood National and State Parks, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
The same page records the state party's ratification of the World Heritage Convention, 4 Mandates to the World Heritage Committee and 73 State of Conservation Reports.
The United Nations member-states list gives the United States of America a Date of Admission in the form 24-10-1945, the same date as a group of other founding members.
Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List:
27
Cultural / Natural / Mixed:
Cultural 13, Natural 13, Mixed 1
The mixed property:
Papahānaumokuākea
Ratification of the Convention:
Friday, 7 December 1973
Mandates to the World Heritage Committee:
4
State of Conservation Reports:
73
United Nations Date of Admission:
24-10-1945
World Heritage region:
Europe and North America
Why it matters for exams: Counts of World Heritage properties by country, the single mixed property and the United Nations date of admission are the three facts most often lifted straight into a question from a country profile.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Mixed property Mixed World Heritage property — A World Heritage property inscribed for both cultural and natural outstanding universal value rather than one of the two alone.
Tentative List Tentative List — A state party's own inventory of the properties it intends to consider for nomination to the World Heritage List later.
Background
The Russian Federation occupies a vast territory of 17 million km2, making it the world's largest country in terms of area.
Its ecosystems range across polar deserts, tundra, forest tundra, taiga, mixed and broad-leaved forests, forest steppe, steppe, semi-desert and subtropics.
The northern ecosystems of tundra and taiga dominate the country's territory.
Russian forests cover 776.2 million ha, accounting for about 22% of the world's forest resources and 40% of the most valuable coniferous stands.
Peatlands and marshes occupy 1.8 million km2; combined with lakes, wetlands cover 15% of the territory and are connected by 120,000 rivers.
The country is bordered by 13 marginal seas of three oceans, the Atlantic, the Arctic and the Pacific.
About a quarter of Russian territory is occupied by mountains.
Its recorded flora includes 12,500 species of vascular plants, representing 5% of the world's vascular flora.
Area:
17 million km2
Forest cover:
776.2 million ha
Share of the world's forest resources:
about 22%
Peatlands and marshes:
1.8 million km2
Rivers connecting the wetlands:
120,000
Marginal seas:
13
Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity since:
1995-07-04
Why it matters for exams: Largest country by area, the dominance of tundra and taiga, and the forest share are the three geography facts on Russia that appear most often in objective papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Taiga Taiga, the boreal coniferous forest belt — It is the broad belt of coniferous forest lying south of the tundra across northern Eurasia.
CBD Convention on Biological Diversity — It is the treaty on conserving biological diversity and using its components sustainably.
Background
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre lists 33 properties inscribed on the World Heritage List for the Russian Federation.
Of these, 22 are cultural properties and 11 are natural properties.
The country is grouped under the Europe and North America region of the Convention.
Its natural properties include Lake Baikal, Volcanoes of Kamchatka, Golden Mountains of Altai, Virgin Komi Forests, Putorana Plateau and Lena Pillars Nature Park.
Its cultural properties include Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow, the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments, and Kizhi Pogost.
A further 32 sites stand on the Tentative List, the inventory of properties a State Party intends to consider for nomination.
The Russian Federation has held three mandates on the World Heritage Committee.
Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List:
33
Cultural properties:
22
Natural properties:
11
Sites on the Tentative List:
32
Ratification of the Convention:
Wednesday, 12 October 1988
Why it matters for exams: Country Focus papers ask for the property count and for the named natural properties, and the cultural-versus-natural split is a standard one-mark distinction.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — It is the United Nations agency that administers the World Heritage Convention.
Tentative List Tentative List of a State Party — It is the inventory of properties a country intends to consider for nomination to the World Heritage List.
Background
The National Tiger Conservation Authority lists nine tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh, more than in any other state.
They are Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Madhav, Panna, Pench (MP), Ratapani, Sanjay-Dubri, Satpura and Veerangana Durgavati.
Maharashtra follows with six reserves and Chhattisgarh has four.
Kanha carries 1973-74 as its protected-area notification year on the Authority's list, with 2007 as its tiger-reserve notification year.
Kanha's core area is 917.43 sq km and its buffer 1,134.36 sq km, giving a total of 2,051.79 sq km.
Satpura has a core area of 1,339.26 sq km, and Veerangana Durgavati has a total area of 2339.12 sq km.
All the state's reserves fall in the Authority's Central Zone grouping.
Tiger reserves in the state:
9
The reserves:
Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Madhav, Panna, Pench (MP), Ratapani, Sanjay-Dubri, Satpura, Veerangana Durgavati
Kanha core area:
917.43 sq km
Kanha buffer area:
1,134.36 sq km
Kanha total area:
2,051.79 sq km
Satpura core area:
1,339.26 sq km
Why it matters for exams: Tiger reserve questions are set either as a state match or as a count, and Madhya Pradesh's position at the top of the state-wise list is the single most asked fact in this area.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The statutory body that notifies and oversees India's tiger reserves and approves their conservation plans.
Core and buffer Core area and buffer area — A tiger reserve is notified in two parts: an inner core kept largely undisturbed, and a surrounding buffer where regulated use is allowed.
Background
The National Tiger Conservation Authority lists five tiger reserves in Karnataka, grouped in its Southern Zone: Bandipur, Bhadra, Biligiri Ranganatha, Kali and Nagarhole.
Bandipur is the largest of the five, with a core area of 872.24 sq km and a buffer area of 584.06 sq km, a total area of 1456.3 sq km.
Nagarhole has a core area of 643.35 sq km and a buffer area of 562.41 sq km, a total of 1,205.76 sq km.
Kali has a core area of 814.88 sq km and a buffer area of 282.63 sq km, a total of 1,097.51 sq km.
Bhadra has a core area of 492.46 sq km and a buffer area of 571.83 sq km, a total of 1,064.29 sq km.
Biligiri Ranganatha Temple is the smallest of the five, with a core area of 359.10 sq km and a buffer area of 215.72 sq km, a total of 574.82 sq km.
Bandipur carries the earliest protected-area notification year among them, 1973-74, while Bhadra's is 1998-99.
Of the Authority's Southern Zone reserves, Mudumalai is in Tamil Nadu and Parambikulam in Kerala, while Sahyadri is a Maharashtra reserve that the Authority places in its Central Zone, so none of these three belongs to Karnataka.
Tiger reserves in Karnataka:
Bandipur, Bhadra, Biligiri Ranganatha, Kali, Nagarhole
Bandipur total area:
1456.3 sq km (core 872.24, buffer 584.06)
Nagarhole total area:
1,205.76 sq km (core 643.35, buffer 562.41)
Kali total area:
1,097.51 sq km (core 814.88, buffer 282.63)
Bhadra total area:
1,064.29 sq km (core 492.46, buffer 571.83)
Biligiri Ranganatha Temple total area:
574.82 sq km (core 359.10, buffer 215.72)
Why it matters for exams: Reserve-to-state matching and 'largest reserve in the state' are standard objective questions, and the core-buffer split is the figure most often tested alongside the name.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The statutory body that maintains the national list of tiger reserves with their core and buffer areas.
Core area Core area — The strictly protected inner zone of a tiger reserve, around which a buffer area of lesser restriction is notified.
Background
Kodagu (Coorg) lies on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats in south-western Karnataka and has a geographical area of 4,102 square kilometers (1,584 sq mi).
Madikeri is the district headquarters, and the district administration's taluk office lists five talukas: Madikeri, Somwarpet, Virajpet, Kushalnagar and Ponnampet.
It is bordered by Dakshina Kannada district to the northwest, Hassan district to the north and Mysore district to the east, and by Kannur district of Kerala to the southwest and Wayanad district of Kerala to the south.
Its lowest elevation is 900 metres (3,000 ft) above sea-level; the highest peak Tadiandamol rises to 1,750 metres (5,740 ft) and Pushpagiri, the second highest, to 1,715 meters (5,627 ft).
The main river is the Kaveri (Cauvery), which originates at Talakaveri on the eastern side of the Western Ghats and, with its tributaries, drains the greater part of Kodagu.
Paddy fields are found on the valley floors, with coffee and pepper agro-forestry in the surrounding hills; the most common plantation crop is coffee, especially the robusta variety.
The district has three wildlife sanctuaries, Brahmagiri, Talakaveri and Pushpagiri, and one national park, Nagarhole National Park, also known as the Rajiv Gandhi National Park.
Kodagu is home to the native speakers of the Kodava language.
Geographical area:
4,102 square kilometers (1,584 sq mi)
District headquarters:
Madikeri
Talukas:
Madikeri, Somwarpet, Virajpet, Kushalnagar and Ponnampet
Highest peak:
Tadiandamol, 1,750 metres (5,740 ft)
Population (as of 2001):
548,561, of which 13.74% urban
Why it matters for exams: Kodagu combines three staples of a state-focus paper in one district: the source of the Kaveri, a Kerala-border map question, and the coffee and pepper plantation belt.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Talakaveri Talakaveri — The spot on the eastern side of the Western Ghats in Kodagu at which the Kaveri river originates.
Agro-forestry Agro-forestry — A way of farming in which crops such as coffee and pepper are grown under and among trees rather than in cleared open fields.
8 October 2026
The European Space Agency released the first images and measurements from the Sentinel-3C satellite on 8 October 2026.
Sentinel-3C was launched on 15 September 2026 on a Vega-C rocket, together with the FLEX mission.
It is the third satellite in the Sentinel-3 series and part of Copernicus, the European Union's Earth observation programme.
Its ocean and land colour instrument returned natural-colour views of Italy and of the Canadian Arctic captured on 30 September, and of Cuba and the Bahamas captured on 29 September.
The synthetic aperture radar altimeter measured sea-surface height over the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and mapped the elevation of the Greenland ice sheet between 30 September and 4 October.
ESA says the sea and land surface temperature radiometer will return its first observations soon.
Commissioning is expected to take about five more months, after which ESA and Eumetsat will run the mission jointly.
ESA notes that global sea level has been rising by about 3.64 mm per year since 1999.
Launch date:
15 September 2026
Launch vehicle:
Vega-C
Position in series:
Third Sentinel-3 satellite
Sea-level rise cited:
About 3.64 mm per year since 1999
Why it matters for exams: Copernicus Sentinel satellites and their instruments are a recurring science and environment question in both Kerala PSC and UPSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ESA European Space Agency — The intergovernmental space agency of Europe, headquartered in Paris.
Copernicus European Union Earth observation programme — The EU programme whose Sentinel satellites supply free Earth observation data.
Eumetsat European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites — The Darmstadt-based body that runs Europe's operational weather satellites.
8 October 2026
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has held that the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) is entitled to set up commercial kiosks at the Queen's Walkway in Kochi.
The judgment was delivered on Wednesday, 7 October 2026 by Dr. Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Preeta A.K. in W.A.No.1423 & 1507/2026, and is reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 561.
The Bench set aside a Single Bench judgment that had barred the construction, and declared that GIDA has the authority to develop the road and the walkway on the 25 hectares of reclaimed land originally assigned to it in Sy.No.843 of Ernakulam Village for the Vypeen Bridges Project.
The writ petition by the Tritvam Apartment Owners Association had challenged 20 kiosks; the Court found no material showing that the apartment purchase agreements gave the petitioners any right over the road or the walkway.
GIDA's proposal, placed in an additional affidavit, keeps a clear and unobstructed walkway 2.5m wide, separated from the kiosk space by steel handrails.
The Court recorded that GIDA is a 'State' under Article 12 of the Constitution of India and is therefore obliged to safeguard the right of pedestrians to an obstruction-free walkway once the walkway is opened to public access.
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 561
Case numbers:
W.A.No.1423 & 1507/2026
Kiosks challenged:
20
Land assigned to GIDA:
25 hectares
Clear walkway width:
2.5m
Why it matters for exams: The order joins two standing exam themes — what counts as 'State' under Article 12 and the public's right to an unobstructed footpath — to a named Kerala statutory development authority.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
GIDA Goshree Islands Development Authority — The Kerala development authority for the Goshree islands around Kochi, which executed the Vypeen Bridges Project.
Article 12 Article 12 of the Constitution of India — It defines 'the State' for Part III, bringing other authorities within the territory of India under the fundamental rights.