Relevance: GS III (Environment & Disaster Management) | Source: The Indian Express

1. What is the News?

• The Incident: After airstrikes on oil facilities in Tehran on March 7, 2026, the city experienced a phenomenon called “Black Rain.”
• The Visual: Residents saw oily, soot-filled droplets falling from the sky, coating cars, clothes, and skin in a sticky black layer.

2. How does ‘Black Rain’ Form?

• Massive Fires: When oil refineries or chemical plants are bombed, they release huge clouds of thick, black smoke containing hydrocarbons and soot.
• The Mix: These toxic particles rise into the atmosphere. When it rains, the water droplets “grab” this soot as they fall, turning into a blackened, oily liquid.

3. Why is it Dangerous?

• Toxic Chemicals: This rain carries Benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer. It also contains “Forever Chemicals” (from fire-fighting foams) that never break down and can poison groundwater for decades.
• The ‘Mountain Wall’: Tehran is surrounded by mountains that trap the pollution like a lid on a pot. This prevents the toxic smoke from blowing away, forcing it to settle over the city’s population.
• Ecocide: This is the “killing of nature.” The rain poisons soil, damages plants, and enters the food chain, affecting health long after the war ends.

UPSC Value Box

With reference to environmental pollutants and international laws, consider the following statements:

1. ‘Black Rain’ is a natural meteorological phenomenon caused by the high concentration of moisture in desert areas.
2. The ENMOD Convention is an international treaty that prohibits the use of environmental modification techniques for hostile purposes.
3. Benzene, often released during the burning of fossil fuels and oil, is classified as a human carcinogen.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3