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Places in News · October 2026 · Week 3
Places in News UPSCOctober 2026 Week 3
- 3 places from the news of 15–21 October 2026, each on the map with the UPSC angle.
- The video has Hindi and English audio.
Tap a pin to jump to that place.
Hindi audio · For English: ⚙ Settings → Audio track → English
Places in News This Week: Quick Table
The 3 places in this week’s video with chapter times.
| No. | Place | Where | Why in news | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sukhna & Sauj Jheel | Chandigarh; Uttar Pradesh | Two new Ramsar sites, India’s count 103 | |
| 2 | SIOFA | Southern Indian Ocean | India to join the high-seas fishing pact | |
| 3 | Singapore haze | Singapore; Sumatra, Borneo | Peat fires, Singapore the most polluted major city |
30.7°N 76.8°E · India's Ramsar tally reaches 103
Sukhna & Sauj Jheel, India: Ramsar Sites Reach 103
- India’s Ramsar site count reached 103 on 15 October 2026.
- The new sites are Sukhna Wetland (Chandigarh) and Sauj Jheel (Uttar Pradesh).
- Ramsar published both names that day. The listing dates are earlier, 16 March and 18 June 2026.
- Sukhna is Chandigarh’s first Ramsar site. Uttar Pradesh now has 14.
Key Facts
- Sukhna is a human-made lake. An earthen dam was built in 1958 below the Shivalik hills.
- Sauj Jheel is a natural, seasonal lake in the Ganga plains.
- Both sites were listed for birds. Sukhna has the Pallas’s fish eagle and lies on the Central Asian Flyway. Sauj holds 30,000+ waterbirds.
Map Memory
- Sukhna’s outflow goes to the Ghaggar basin.
- India is 3rd in the world by Ramsar sites, after the UK and Mexico.
India Angle: What Next
- A Ramsar site is notified under the Wetlands Rules 2017 and gets a management plan.
- Sukhna fights silt and weeds. Sauj fights grazing and fishing.
UPSC PYQ (2022)
Consider the following pairs:
Wetland/Lake : Location
1. Hokera Wetland : Punjab
2. Renuka Wetland : Himachal Pradesh
3. Rudrasagar Lake : Tripura
4. Sasthamkotta Lake : Tamil Nadu
How many pairs given above are correctly matched?
- (a)Only one pair
- (b)Only two pairs
- (c)Only three pairs
- (d)All four pairs
Show answer
(b) — Hokera is in Jammu and Kashmir, Sasthamkotta in Kerala.
Mains Link
GS-III, 2018: What is wetland? Explain the Ramsar concept of ‘wise use’ in the context of wetland conservation. Cite two examples of Ramsar sites from India.
20.9°S 55.5°E · India to join the high-seas fishing pact
SIOFA, Southern Indian Ocean: India to Join the High-Seas Fishing Pact
- On 14 October 2026 the Union Government approved India joining the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA).
- India is set to become a full member (Contracting Party, a country bound by the pact).
- SIOFA sets fishing rules for the high seas (ocean beyond any country’s waters) in the southern Indian Ocean.
- SIOFA covers squid, toothfish, alfonsino and other fish that stay in one area.
Key Facts
- The SIOFA area runs from Africa to Australia. South of India the area starts at the Equator. HQ: La Réunion (France).
- IOTC handles tuna. SIOFA handles the other fish.
- Indian boats fish mostly within 60–80 NM of the coast. A few countries, led by China, take the high-seas catch. Membership gives India a full say in SIOFA’s committees.
Map Memory
- La Réunion is a French island east of Madagascar.
- IOTC = tuna. SIOFA = other fish of the southern high seas.
India Angle: What Next
- Under SIOFA’s High Seas Boarding and Inspection scheme, India can check fishing boats at sea.
- Boarding is a tool against IUU fishing (illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing).
UPSC PYQ (2022)
With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, consider the following statements:
1. A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention.
2. Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
3. The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- (a)1 and 2 only
- (b)2 and 3 only
- (c)1 and 3 only
- (d)1, 2 and 3
Show answer
(d) — all three are UNCLOS text.
Mains Link
GS-III, 2025: Why is maritime security vital to protect India’s sea trade? Discuss maritime and coastal security challenges and the way forward.
More on UCNHigh Seas TreatyOcean currents map
1.4°N 103.8°E · Peat fires make Singapore the most polluted city
Singapore Haze, Southeast Asia: Indonesia’s Peat Fires
- On 16 October 2026 Singapore topped IQAir’s list of the world’s most polluted major cities.
- The smoke comes from forest and peatland fires in Indonesia.
- The fires burn on Sumatra and Borneo.
- Singapore is sending notices to ten companies under its 2014 haze law.
Key Facts
- June to September is the dry season. A strong El Niño made this year drier.
- People set fire to forest and peat to clear land for palm oil and timber plantations.
- The ASEAN haze agreement (2002) was the world’s first regional haze pact. The pact has no way to enforce its rules.
Map Memory
- The Strait of Malacca lies between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. The strait joins the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea.
- Borneo is the world’s 3rd largest island, shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
India Angle
- About 83% of India’s crude palm oil imports come from Indonesia and Malaysia (2023).
- India’s own cross-border smoke: stubble burning over Delhi-NCR (CAQM).
UPSC PYQ (2024)
One of the following regions has the world’s largest tropical peatland, which holds about three years’ worth of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels; and the possible destruction of which can exert detrimental effect on the global climate. Which one of the following denotes that region?
- (a)Amazon Basin
- (b)Congo Basin
- (c)Kikori Basin
- (d)Rio de la Plata Basin
Show answer
(b) — the Congo Basin; the Amazon is the biggest rainforest, not the biggest tropical peatland.
Mains Link
GS-III, 2022: Discuss in detail the photochemical smog emphasizing its formation, effects and mitigation. Explain the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol.
More on UCNPalm oilCoral Triangle
Practice Questions: October 2026 Week 3
Three practice MCQs in UPSC Prelims format, one per place.
Question 1
Consider the following pairs (Ramsar site : State):
1. Sauj Jheel : Uttar Pradesh
2. Kolleru Lake : Odisha
3. Loktak Lake : Manipur
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
- (a)Only one
- (b)Only two
- (c)All three
- (d)None
Show answer
(b) — 1 and 3 are correct. Kolleru Lake is in Andhra Pradesh.
Question 2
Consider the following statements:
1. The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) regulates tuna and tuna-like species.
2. The headquarters of SIOFA is in Mauritius.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a)1 only
- (b)2 only
- (c)Both 1 and 2
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
(a) — SIOFA’s headquarters is in La Réunion, a French island.
Question 3
Consider the following statements:
1. The ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution was the first regional arrangement of its kind in the world.
2. Borneo is shared by three countries.
3. The Strait of Malacca joins the Andaman Sea and the Java Sea.
How many of the above statements are correct?
- (a)Only one
- (b)Only two
- (c)All three
- (d)None
Show answer
(b) — 1 and 2 are correct. The Strait of Malacca joins the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea.
Download the Notes PDF
- Free English and Hindi PDF notes for Places in News, October 2026 Week 3.
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