The aim of this study was to assess the environmental impact of socio-cultural practices on the water quality of River Ganga at the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand State, India. The physico-chemical parameters that contributed to the temporal variation and pollution in the river were identified in this study. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis (CA) were used in the identification of anthropogenic factors (industrial, urban sewage, agricultural, land use and mining activities) and natural factors (soil erosion, weathering). The results of this study show that total coliform, fecal coliform, nitrate, sodium, phosphate, sulphate, TDS (Total dissolved solids), temperature, BOD (Biochemical oxygen demand), calcium and chloride are parameters significantly contributing to pollution load.

The development of a surface water evaluation index is a critical factor in the assessment, restoration and protection of stream water quality. Quantifying water pollution in specific grade using dominant parameters is important, as this can explain the current state of water pollution with accuracy. As a result, an integrated multi-parameter water quality index has been developed. It is based on the 10 most prevailing parameters (pH, conductivity, nitrate ions, phosphate ions, Escherichia coli number, cadmium, chromium, lead, copper and manganese) with a scale of 1 to 4, wherein the grades are classified into 1: good; 1.1-1.5: slightly polluted; 1.6-2.0: moderately polluted; 2.1-2.9: heavily polluted and 3.0-4.0: gravely polluted. The measuring stick used was according to the 2011 background values of the World Health Organization (WHO) in which a value of 0.1 was attributed for each, so that the final grade can be calculated. Water quality data were successfully fitted in an integrated multi-parameter water quality index to measure the river water level of pollution, and effectively represented every water bodies. This innovative index is able to quantify pollution with respect to seasons, geography and geomorphology of the respective rivers. Although operative, this index still lacks scientific integrity and as such, more synoptic experiments in the rivers of developing countries are recommended to attain a pragmatic feature.

Duckweeds are of special interest, as they are naturally growing weeds that have the capacity to tolerate and remove toxic pollutants, including heavy metals from the environment. Studies have revealed that duckweed (Lemna minor) can tolerate and remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions. In the present study, the efficiency of L. minor in the removal of Ni and Cr individually from aqueous solutions was investigated at concentrations of 3.05, 3.98 and 4.9 mg/L for Ni and 1.91, 2.98, and 4.2 mg/L for Cr. Experiments were run for 22 days, after which the metal content in the plant was estimated by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The duckweed showed higher percentage of Ni removal than Cr. Specific Growth Rate (SGR) was found to be reduced at high concentrations of both Ni and Cr. Statistical analysis suggested that the growth of the plant was affected by the toxic effect of both Ni and Cr. Bioaccumulation of Ni was higher than Cr in L. minor. The mechanism of removal of both Ni and Cr followed second order kinetics. It is suggested that these duckweeds can remove Ni and Cr from aqueous solution and can also accumulate the same in considerable concentrations, at low initial metal concentrations.

Collection of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) accounts for a significant proportion of most municipal budgets, and has drawn some degree of researchers‟ interest. This study was conducted in Ota, Southwest Nigeria, to explore the use of Visual basic program as an innovative tool to select the most economic haulage system among three systems found in literature (conventional-, modified- and Stationary- hauled system) for collection and transfer of MSW to disposal sites. Factors that affect the costs of collection and transportation of waste such as: vehicle cost, total time spent on waste collection, and gross travel cost, were considered in the analysis. The result of the study shows that the stationary hauled method of waste collection is the optimal and economical method of collection. This method recorded a 56% and 43% reduction in total cost of daily travel per waste collection, as compared to the conventional and the modified systems, respectively. The application of visual basic program proffers implementable solutions to reduce the cost of MSW transportation to disposal sites. This would reduce travel time and costs of vehicle fueling, and increase the prompt collection of waste which would in turn facilitate the development of an aesthetically balanced and environmentally friendly municipality that would perhaps boost economic development.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate Vitamin C (VC) as a potent natural antioxidant to mitigate the genotoxic effects of Arsenic trioxide and sodium fluoride in Swiss albino mice in vivo. The study was divided into eight groups consisting of control treated with normal saline (Group I), Group II, III, IV, V, VI, VII and the VC group with only Vitamin C (500 mg/kgbw). Arsenic trioxide (4 mg/kgbw) and Sodium fluoride (8 mg/kgbw) were administered singly, as well as in combination to swiss albino mice, with and without VC. In this study, the genotoxic effect of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F) in mice using comet, chromosomal aberration and lipid peroxidation assay was investigated. The results revealed that VC efficiently ameliorates the genotoxic effect of As and F by increasing the frequency of chromosomal aberrations and primary DNA damage along with increased malondialdehyde (MDA) level. In conclusion, VC mitigates the genotoxic effects of the two well-known water contaminants (As and F) effectively and efficiently at the given concentration in vivo.

Municipalities in developing countries spend the highest proportion of their annual budget on unsatisfactory solid waste management service. Until recently, solid waste management services in Ethiopia were mainly the responsibilities of municipalities, which culminated in inadequate service provision. Thus, the integration of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) by the government has recently being considered as an option. Participation of MSEs in SWM started in 2003/04 in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia and expanded to other cities following the proclamation of a National Solid Waste program in 2007. This review is aimed at identifying the role of MSEs in solid waste management in selected cities, including the opportunities and challenges for future directions. Limited resources and lack of support, perception and awareness of the community, inadequate training, unorganized fee collection strategy and limited revenue were among the challenges identified. The benefits and potential opportunities include organized and quality service delivery, environmental protection and safety, job opportunity, willingness to pay and social equity. In conclusion, the findings in this review show the importance of MSEs in solving solid waste management problems. However, the challenges need due considerations and appropriate interventions such as legalization of the informal sector, clear working guidelines and regulations, close support and monitoring, and transparent system in general.

An ever-increasing drift of energy consumption, unequal geographical distribution of natural wealth and the quest for low carbon fuel for a cleaner environment are sparking the production and use of biodiesels in many countries around the globe. In this work, jatropha and karanja biodiesels were produced from the respective crude vegetable oils through transesterification, and the different physical properties of the produced biodiesels have been presented and found to be acceptable according to the ASTM biodiesel specification standard. This paper presents the experimental results of the research carried out to evaluate the BTH, BSFC exhaust emission characteristics of jatropha and karanja blends in a single-cylinder diesel engine at different engine load. Comparative measures of brake thermal efficiency, smoke opacity, HC, CO, and NOx have been presented and discussed. Engine performance, in terms of higher brake thermal efficiency and lower emissions (HC, CO, NOx) with jatropha-based biodiesel (JB50) operation, were observed compared to karanja-based biodiesel (KB50).

Groundwater quality regarding major anions and cations in the Birjand Plain located in the largest desert in Eastern Iran was monitored in this study. Fifteen boreholes were considered as sampling stations and the parameters pH, TDS, EC and major anions and cations were measured in groundwater samples. The dominant groundwater types can be introduced as sodium-chloride and magnesium-sulphate. The majority of samples were within the not-suitable category for drinking uses. Regarding agricultural use, around 80 and 50 per cent of samples indicated a very high salinity hazard and a very high sodium alkali hazard, respectively. Spatial distribution of salinity was also monitored within the study area. If the study area was considered to be a semicircle, the centre appeared to be the least polluted area, while towards the peripheral surroundings, an increasing behaviour was observed. Intrusion of salt water from eastern and western parts of the study area caused severe groundwater degradation. The relatively better quality of groundwater in southern areas may be attributed to a chain of mountains located along south of the study area. The prevention of uncontrolled groundwater withdrawal must be regarded to cease the salinization trend and to prepare the required infrastructure for implementing the artificial recharge projects.

The main objective of this study was to reveal the impact of nine climate indices on temperature changes and climate oscillations in Golestan Province along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. Climate indices data from across the Atlantic-Eurasian sector were collected from the NCEP/NCAR, the Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) and the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) over a period of 40 years (1971-2010). The climate indices are then compared and correlated with temperature observations from 47 weather stations collected from meteorological and energy organizations. The correlations are based on the 12-month moving average. The study results show a significant increasing temperature trend in most months over different regions of Golestan. For maximum temperature, a significant increasing trend was seen in 55.64, 41.8 and 40% of the land area in the province during August, June and July, respectively. In general, summer had the most significant maximum-temperature trends, with an average of 37.8% of the land area. On the other hand, increasing minimum-temperature trends were seen in 58% of the land area of the province compared to the other seasons. It was concluded that there is high correlation between climate indices and temperature components. The correlation coefficients obtained for various indices including North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), North Sea Caspian Pattern (NCP), Arctic Oscillation Index (AO), East Atlantic (EA), East Atlantic/West Russia (EATL/WRUS), Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO), North Tropical Atlantic (NTA), Polar/Eurasia (PE), and Scandinavia teleconnection index (SCAND) suggest an inverse relationship between these indices and temperature components. Therefore, the higher the values of these indices, the lower the temperature values, and vice versa.

Bedload transport is an essential component of river dynamics and estimation of its rate is important to many aspects of river management. In this study, measured bedload by Helley- Smith sampler was used to estimate the bedload transport of Kurau River in Malaysia. An artificial neural network, genetic programming and a combination of genetic programming and a neural network were used to estimate the bedload carried in Kurau River, based on bedload transport measurement data and hydraulic variables. A statistical analysis was carried out to validate methods by computing RMSE, MARE and inequality ratio (U). In general, the ability of the artificial neural network combined with genetic programming with R2 equal to 0.95, RMSE equal to 0.1 as a precipitation predictive tool for predicting the bedload transport rate was observed as being acceptable.