Daily Current Affairs — September 22, 2026

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has officially published the State of Global Water Resources 2025 report. The findings highlight a decade-long persistent decline in global terrestrial water storage, with 42% of global land area experiencing below-normal hydrological conditions in 2025.

The report synthesizes satellite gravimetry data (GRACE-FO) and global hydrological models. Terrestrial Water Storage (TWS)—which encompasses rivers, soil moisture, groundwater, and glacial reserves—has experienced a steady depletion since the 2014–2016 baseline. Major glacial basins in the Hindukush-Himalayas, the Andes, and the Alps recorded glacier mass loss for the fourth consecutive year, threatening downstream freshwater availability for over 1.6 billion people.

In India, the Indo-Gangetic and Peninsular aquifers continue to display acute over-extraction signatures. The report urges UN member states to accelerate the implementation of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative and integrate transboundary river basin hydrological telemetry.

India recently held high-level ministerial consultations with the Visegrád Group (V4)—comprising Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia—under the 'V4 + India' diplomatic format on the sidelines of international multilateral forums.

Formed in 1991 in Visegrád, Hungary, following the collapse of the Soviet bloc, the V4 operates as a cultural, political, and economic alliance within the European Union. It represents a combined GDP of over .2 trillion and a market of 65 million people in Central Europe. The V4 nations have emerged as industrial manufacturing, automotive, and nuclear engineering powerhouses.

India's outreach to the V4 is central to its diversification of European partnerships, facilitating supply chain resilience in defense manufacturing, critical minerals processing, clean energy technologies, and negotiations surrounding the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Global security forums debated amendments to prevent the weaponization of Earth orbits under the framework of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST), following accelerated deployment of counter-space technologies and direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) systems.

The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (Outer Space Treaty) forms the bedrock of international space law. Under Article IV, states party to the treaty explicitly prohibit placing nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in orbit, on the Moon, or on any other celestial body.

However, the OST does not prohibit conventional kinetic or cyber anti-satellite weapons. India, as a responsible space power and party to the OST since 1982, advocates for a legally binding Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) agreement within the UN Conference on Disarmament.

The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) has released the latest revisions to the National Formulary of India (NFI) and expanded clinical surveillance under the Biovigilance Programme of India (BvPI).

The NFI is an official guidance document prepared by the IPC (under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) providing medical practitioners and pharmacists with authenticated, rational prescribing recommendations for essential medicines. The Biovigilance Programme of India (BvPI), launched in 2015, tracks and analyses adverse reactions associated with blood products, human tissues, and biological medical devices.

Standardizing drug regimens through the NFI reduces out-of-pocket medical expenditure for citizens and curtails the irrational use of fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) and antibiotics, thus mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) across primary healthcare.

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Uttar Pradesh has recorded a significant rise in prey-base density and swamp deer (Barasingha) populations following habitat restoration in its alluvial grassland savanna.

PTR is located in the Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Shahjahanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh along the Indo-Nepal border, forming an integral part of the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL). It is bounded by the Sharda River on the north-east and the Ghaghara River system. It is renowned for winning the global TX2 Award for doubling its tiger population in record time.

PTR serves as a critical biological corridor connecting Dudhwa National Park with Nepal's Shuklaphanta National Park. Restoring its alluvial grasslands and managing human-wildlife interface along cane-farming buffers is vital for long-term carnivore conservation in UP.

The Indian Army and the Mongolian Armed Forces concluded the latest edition of joint military exercise Nomadic Elephant, focusing on counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in semi-mountainous terrain.

Exercise Nomadic Elephant is an annual bilateral exercise conducted alternately in India and Mongolia. Operations focus on tactical drills under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, involving heliborne operations, room-intervention drills, uncrewed aerial systems (drones) tracking, and joint sniper firing.

Mongolia is a strategic partner in India's Act East Policy and an essential component of India's 'Spiritual Neighbor' diplomacy. The defense cooperation deepens interoperability and strengthens regional stability in North-East Asia.

The Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark ruling clarifying the regulatory boundaries between the Union and States regarding industrial alcohol (methanol/denatured spirit) versus potable liquor under the Seventh Schedule.

The Constitution of India distributes legislative powers regarding alcohol under the Seventh Schedule: Entry 8 of List II (State List) grants states power over 'intoxicating liquors', while Entry 52 of List I (Union List) and Entry 33 of List III (Concurrent List) govern industries declared expedient in public interest by Parliament (Industries Development and Regulation Act, 1951 - IDRA). The apex court reiterated safeguards against spurious liquor and illegal diversion while preserving federal jurisdiction.

The judgment reinforces regulatory accountability on states to prevent toxic methanol adulteration while maintaining uniform industrial commerce across state borders for chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Renewed legislative resolutions have sought the official recognition of Tulu as an official language in Karnataka and Kerala and its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

Tulu is a prominent Dravidian language spoken natively in the coastal region known as Tulu Nadu (encompassing Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka, and Kasaragod in Kerala). It possesses a rich oral tradition, including the epic ballad of Koti and Chennayya and folk rituals like Bhuta Kola and Yaksha Gana. The Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution currently lists 22 languages, with criteria evaluated by expert committees like the Sitakant Mohapatra Committee.

Inclusion in the Eighth Schedule entitles a language to Sahitya Akademi awards, examination medium status in UPSC/SSC exams, and central funds for development and preservation.

Health authorities across several Indian states have heightened surveillance against post-monsoon surges of Scrub Typhus, a vector-borne infectious disease.

Scrub Typhus is a bacterial zoonosis caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi (formerly Rickettsia tsutsugamushi). It is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected larval trombiculid mites, commonly referred to as chiggers. Clinical markers include acute fever, lymphadenopathy, and a characteristic cigarette-burn-like skin lesion termed an eschar at the bite site.

If untreated, Scrub Typhus can progress to multi-organ failure. Early diagnostic deployment of IgM ELISA and prompt administration of doxycycline or azithromycin form the primary line of clinical defense under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).

The 800 MW Parbati-II Hydroelectric Project on the Parbati River in Himachal Pradesh achieved critical headrace tunnel daylighting, marking a milestone for national run-of-the-river renewable capacity.

Developed by NHPC Limited in the Kullu district, Parbati-II is a run-of-the-river scheme on the Parbati River, a major tributary of the Beas River. It features one of the longest headrace tunnels in the Himalayas (~31.5 km), diverting water into the Sainj Valley to generate clean peaking power.

The project adds vital grid inertia and balancing power to support India's target of 500 GW non-fossil energy capacity by 2030, while providing power to northern grid beneficiary states including Uttar Pradesh.