Current Affairs Question - 21 March 2020

Explanation :

• Coal Bed Methane (CBM), also known as Coal Seam Gas, is an unconventional form of natural gas found in coal deposits or coal seams.
• It is formed during the process of coalification, the transformation of plant material into coal.

Composition

• The composition of CBM in a sample of coal varies widely across several locations in the country.
• Generally, it consists predominantly of methane gas (CH4) although it can contain trace amounts of ethane (C2H6), carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).

Extraction

• CBM can be recovered from underground coal before, during, or after mining operations.
• It can also be extracted from “unminable” coal seams that are relatively deep, thin or of poor or inconsistent quality.
• Vertical and horizontal wells are used to develop CBM resources.
• Extraction requires drilling wells into the coal seams and removing water contained in the seam to reduce hydrostatic pressure and release absorbed (and free) gas out of the coal.

Applications

• Power Generation: CBM has become increasingly used as a source of energy .It can be used in place of natural gas in gas turbines for power generation.
• Manufacturing: CBM can also be used as a feedstock for manufacturing fertilizers and plastics.

Explanation :

• On the basis of the recommendations of the 12th Plan Working Group on Sustainable Groundwater Management of the erstwhile Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog), the ambitious National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) was launched in 2012, with CGWB as the executing body.

Aim

• To cover more than 25 million square kilometres that have been delineated hydrogeologically mappable.

Key Points

• One of the major objectives of NAQUIM is to promote participatory groundwater management. This can be achieved by empowering communities with a seamless flow of information and understanding of local aquifers.

Structurally there are four stages of activities in NAQUIM-

• Collection, compilation and analysis of existing data. Based on the data requirement protocol, data gaps are identified;
• The required data is then generated in data gap areas/domains through an array of scientific investigations;
• Integration of data, developing lithologic models and configuring aquifers. The hydraulic properties, resource behaviour, water level regime and chemical quality is established in space-time domain;
• Various supply and demand side interventions are worked out and recommended to sustainably use groundwater. Here, local issues are also addressed.