FREE PREVIEW Week 4-5 3 lessons

Environment, Geography & Disasters 2026

New Ramsar wetlands and World Heritage listing, wildlife and climate steps, and the major floods and disasters of 2026.

Lessons in this module

Ramsar Sites and World Heritage 2026

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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Wildlife, Conservation and Climate Steps

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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Disasters and Extreme Weather 2026

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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Lesson notes

1. Ramsar Sites and World Heritage 2026

India added several wetlands to the Ramsar list in 2026 and got a new UNESCO World Heritage Site. These are high-scoring topics for environment and culture questions.

New Ramsar sites in 2026

Added during 2026: Patna Bird Sanctuary (Etah, Uttar Pradesh), Chhari-Dhand (Kutch, Gujarat), Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary (Uttar Pradesh) and Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary (Uttar Pradesh).
August 2026: Glaw Lake, in the Kamlang Tiger Reserve, became Arunachal Pradesh's first Ramsar site and India's 101st.
October 2026: Sukhna Wetland (Chandigarh) and Sauj Jheel (Uttar Pradesh) were added, taking India's total to 103.
Tamil Nadu has the most Ramsar sites (20).

About the Ramsar Convention

It is an international treaty for the conservation of wetlands, signed at Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.
India joined in 1982; its first sites were Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan).
World Wetlands Day is observed on 2 February.

UNESCO World Heritage

In July 2026, at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, the 'Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath' (near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sarnath is where the Buddha gave his first sermon after enlightenment.
This takes India's total to 45 World Heritage Sites. The previous addition was the Maratha Military Landscapes of India (2025).

Quick facts

Ramsar count: 101 in August 2026; 103 by mid-October 2026
State with most Ramsar sites: Tamil Nadu (20)
Ramsar Convention: Ramsar, Iran, 1971; India joined 1982
Glaw Lake: Arunachal Pradesh's first Ramsar site (Aug 2026)
Sarnath: UNESCO World Heritage Site, July 2026
India's WHS total: 45

💡 For Ramsar questions, link each new site to its state: four of the 2026 additions (Patna Bird Sanctuary, Shekha Jheel, Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary, Sauj Jheel) are in Uttar Pradesh.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

2. Wildlife, Conservation and Climate Steps

Conservation and climate action continued in 2026 through cheetah releases, big-cat diplomacy, new funds for clean technology and recognition for conservationists.

Wildlife

Project Cheetah, India's cheetah reintroduction programme, is based mainly at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA): launched by India in April 2023 with headquarters in New Delhi; it covers seven big cats (tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar, puma).
The first IBCA summit, planned in New Delhi for 1 June 2026, was postponed in May 2026.
Parveen Shaikh won a Whitley Award 2026 (often called the 'Green Oscar') for her community-led work to protect the Indian skimmer, a river bird.

Climate and clean energy in Budget 2026-27

Rs 20,000 crore over 5 years for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS).
Aim to raise the share of waterways and coastal shipping in cargo from 6% to 12% by 2047.
4,000 electric buses for the eastern states under the Purvodaya plan.
Customs duty relief on capital goods for lithium-ion cells and critical minerals.

People and protection

Ecologist Madhav Gadgil died in January 2026, aged 83. He chaired the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (Gadgil Committee), whose 2011 report suggested strong protection for the Western Ghats.
Gadgil had received the UNEP 'Champions of the Earth' award in 2024.
He had also taught for decades at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, where he founded the Centre for Ecological Sciences.

Quick facts

Project Cheetah: Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh
IBCA: Launched April 2023; HQ New Delhi; 7 big cats
Whitley Award 2026: Parveen Shaikh (Indian skimmer)
Madhav Gadgil: Died January 2026; Western Ghats panel (2011 report)
CCUS fund: Rs 20,000 crore over 5 years

💡 The Gadgil report (2011) on the Western Ghats was followed by the Kasturirangan report. Exams often ask which committee was on which subject.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

3. Disasters and Extreme Weather 2026

Floods, storms and industrial accidents caused loss of life in 2026. Exams ask about major events, the rivers involved and the agencies that respond.

Floods and storms

Assam floods (from July 2026): very heavy rain on 18–20 July in the Naga Hills of Nagaland, which border Upper Assam, set off flash floods and landslides. Sivasagar district was among the worst hit.
Rivers flowing down from the Naga Hills, such as the Dikhow (a tributary of the Brahmaputra), overflowed. More than 100 people died, and over 10 lakh people were affected.
13 May 2026: storms and heavy rain across Uttar Pradesh killed more than 100 people (later reports put the toll at about 111).

Monsoon and climate risk

In its October 2026 policy, the RBI listed a deficient monsoon and El Niño-related weather as risks to food prices.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) gives monsoon forecasts and weather warnings.
Extreme weather can push up food inflation, so it matters for the economy too.

Other disasters and response

5 January 2026: an earthquake of about magnitude 5.1 struck Assam.
19 April 2026: explosions at a firecracker factory in Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu, killed at least 23 people.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is chaired by the Prime Minister.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) carries out rescue operations.

Quick facts

Assam floods 2026: Heavy rain in the Naga Hills (Nagaland), 18–20 July; 100+ deaths
River in Assam floods: Dikhow (Sivasagar)
UP storms: 13 May 2026; more than 100 deaths
Virudhunagar blast: 19 April 2026; at least 23 deaths
NDMA chair: Prime Minister

💡 When studying a disaster, note four things: date, place, cause and the rivers or regions involved.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

Other modules in Current Affairs 2026: India & World

Polity & Governance 2026FREE PREVIEW → Economy, Budget & Banking 2026FREE PREVIEW → Schemes, Social Sector & Infrastructure 2026FREE PREVIEW → Science, Space, Technology & Defence 2026FREE PREVIEW → Sports, Awards, Persons in News & Important Days 2026FREE PREVIEW → World Politics & Leaders 2026FREE PREVIEW → India's Foreign Relations 2026FREE PREVIEW → International Organisations & Summits 2026FREE PREVIEW → Global Economy, Science & Technology 2026FREE PREVIEW → World Sports, Awards & Important Days 2026FREE PREVIEW → Final AssessmentFREE PREVIEW →

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