India’s First Water Neutral Coaching Depot | State of India’s Bats, 2024-25 Report

India’s First Water Neutral Coaching Depot

Miscellaneous

In News

• The Kankaria Coaching Depot in Ahmedabad has become India’s first water-neutral railway depot by adopting innovative wastewater treatment and reuse systems.

Kankaria Coaching Depot : India’s first water-neutral railway depot

• It saves around 60 lakh litres of water daily and about 5.84 crore litres annually, reducing dependence on freshwater.
• It uses phytoremediation, where plants help purify wastewater, followed by wetland treatment, carbon and sand filtration.
• The water is further cleaned using filtration and UV disinfection, making it safe for reuse in operations instead of being discharged.
• Importance – It reduces water consumption and operational costs while promoting environmental sustainability, serving as a model for greener and more efficient railway infrastructure in India.

Connect with the basics – Phytoremediation

• It is a process in which plants are used to clean contaminated soil, water, or groundwater by absorbing or breaking down pollutants like metals, pesticides, explosives, and oil.
• It works best in areas with low contamination, as high pollution levels can slow plant growth.

State of India’s Bats, 2024-25 Report

Environment

Context

• The first-ever national assessment titled “State of India’s Bats, 2024–25” has been released by the Nature Conservation Foundation, in collaboration with Bat Conservation International, World Wide Fund for Nature, and the Centre for Wildlife Studies, highlighting the status, diversity, and threats to bats in India.

Key Findings

• Geographical Distribution: India hosts around 135 bat species.
• West Bengal leads with 68 bat species, followed by 66 in Meghalaya, 52 in Uttarakhand 41 each in Kerala and Karnataka and 43 in Sikkim, denoting diversity.
• Among cities, Delhi had 15 bat species, despite pressures of urbanisation.

Endemism & Threat Status:

• 16 species are endemic to India
• 7 species are listed as threatened by the IUCN
• 35 species are either Data Deficient or not assessed
• Major Threats: Urbanisation, deforestation, land-use change and climate change impacts.

Key Facts about Bats

• Bats are mammals belonging to the order Chiroptera and are the only mammals capable of sustained powered flight, with wings made of stretched skin over elongated finger bones.
• There are over 1,400 species of bats worldwide.
• They inhabit almost every continent except Antarctica, thriving mainly in tropical regions.
• Bats are crucial for ecosystems as pollinators for many plants, agents of seed dispersal, and natural controllers of insect populations, including agricultural pests.
• Most bats use echolocation—high-frequency sound waves—for navigation and hunting in the dark, a unique adaptation that allows them to exploit nocturnal ecological niches effectively.
• Unlike birds, bats cannot take off from the ground easily; they hang upside down to launch into flight.
• They rest during daytime, often in caves or hollow trees, forming colonies that can range widely in size.
• The Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus) is among the largest bats in India and a critical species for pollination and ecosystem health.
• Bats are known reservoirs of numerous viruses, including coronaviruses, Nipah virus, and Ebola, yet they exhibit remarkable immunity and longevity which is a subject of scientific research.