Deterioration of water quality of Surma river

Surma River is polluted day by day by human activities, poor structured sewerage and drainage system, discharging industrial and household wastes. The charas (natural channels) are responsible for surface runoff conveyance from its urban catchments to the receiving Surma River. Water samples have been collected from a part of Surma River along different points and analyzed for various water quality parameters during dry and monsoon periods. Effects of industrial wastes, municipal sewage, and agricultural runoff on river water quality have been investigated. The study was conducted within the Chattak to Sunamganj portion of Surma River, which is significant due to the presence of two major industries – a paper mill and a cement factory. The other significant feature is the conveyors that travel from India to Chattak. The river was found to be highly turbid in the monsoon season. But BOD and fecal coliform concentration was found higher in the dry season. The water was found slightly acidic. The mean values of parameters were Conductivity 84–805 μs; DO: dry-5.52 mg/l, monsoon-5.72 mg/l; BOD: dry-1mg/l, monsoon-0.878 mg/l; Total Solid: dry-149.4 mg/l, monsoon-145.7 mg/l. In this study, an effort has been taken to investigate the status of concentration of phosphate (PO⁻⁴) and ammonia–nitrogen (NH₄–N) at four entrance points of Malnichara to the city, Guali chara, Gaviar khal and Bolramer khal. Data has been collected from March–April and September–October of 2004. Concentrations have been measured using UV Spectrophotometer. Although the phosphate concentration has been found within the limit set by DOE for fishing, irrigation and recreational purposes, however ammonia–nitrogen has been found to exceed the limit.     

Immediate and long-term assistance following the bombing of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania

On 7 August 1998 truck bombs destroyed the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.(1) The response in both countries was characterised by an absence of incident command, limited pre-hospital care, a disorganised hospital response and a lack of transportation for those injured. In the next five years USD 50 million was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to alleviate the resulting suffering, support reconstruction and strengthen disaster preparedness capacity in the two countries. These two programmes have enhanced awareness of disaster management issues, improved training capacity, built response structures and provided material resources. Their design and implementation provide lessons for future disasters in developing countries. The assistance programmes evolved very differently. In Kenya the programme largely excluded the public sector and the potential for government coordination, while the Tanzanian programme concentrated heavily on central government and regional hospital structures-largely omitting the non-governmental or civil society sector. Excluding key stakeholders raises concerns about programme sustainability and the ability to respond effectively to future emergencies.     

Assessment of Groundwater Quality in a Structurally Deformed Granitic Terrain in Hyderabad, India

Geochemical study of groundwater from a structurally deformed granitic terrain near Hyderabad (India) was carried out to understand and evaluate the hydrogeochemical processes and quality of groundwater. Several trace elements (Fe, Mn, Be, Al, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sb, Ba, Pb, U) along with major ions and minor elements were precisely estimated in shallow and drilled wells to know the suitability of water for drinking and irrigation purposes. Analytical data shows that pH and major ion chemistry in dug wells and bore wells do not vary significantly, while some trace elements (Fe, Mn, Al, Be, Co, Pb, U and Zn) vary in dug wells and bore wells, which can be attributed to differential mineral weathering and dissolution/precipitation reactions along fractures/joints. Although the water is not potable, it was found to be suitable for irrigation with little danger in the development of harmful level of exchangeable sodium. It is inferred that the chemical composition of the groundwater in this region is likely to have its origin from silicate weathering reactions and dissolution/precipitation processes supported by rainfall and groundwater flow.     

Soil-to-plant transfer of radiocaesium for selected tropical plant species in Bangladesh

Soil-to-plant transfer factors (TF) of radiocaesium (137Cs) were determined under field condition for grassy vegetation grown in Bangladesh at contaminated land in the Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) campus. TF values for rice, grass and grassy/root vegetations grown in the same type of soil were also measured under pot condition. TF values of 137Cs for grassy vegetation (2.4 x 10(-2) -4.2 x 10(-2) with an average of 3.1 x 10(-2) +/-0.005) obtained under field condition were slightly lower than the values for grass and grassy/root vegetations (2.9 x 10(-2) -6.6 x 10(-2) with an average of 4.8 x 10(-2) +/-0.01 for grass and grassy vegetations and 2.3 x 10(-2) -5.6 x 10(-2) with an average of 4.0 x 10(-2) +/-0.009 for root vegetations, respectively) obtained under pot condition. However, TF values (9.0 x 10(-3) -2.6 x 10(-2) with an average of 1.9 x 10(-2) +/-0.004) obtained for rice were about a factor of 4 lower than the values obtained for grass and grassy/root vegetations. When the properties of the AERE soils as input parameters were used in the soil-plant transfer model of Absalom, the estimated TF values (4.5 x 10(-2) -6.7 x 10(-2) with an average of 5.3 x 10(-2) +/-0.006) were consistent with the measured values obtained for grass and grassy vegetations under pot condition, however, the model overestimates the TF values for rice.     

Fenton degradation of dialkylphthalates: products and mechanism

Contamination of wastewater by organic pollutants is a major worldwide issue. For instance plastic additives such as phthalates are found in wastewater. Efficient techniques are thus needed to clean wastewaters. The Fenton reaction involving H₂O₂ and Fe(II) salts can be used to treat polluted water. During the Fenton reaction pollutants are decomposed directly by hydroxyl radicals. In some cases toxic by-products are produced. Here dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, and dipropyl phthalate by-products formed during the Fenton reaction were studied. Fenton degradation of selected phthalates yielded numerous transformation products such as hydroxylated phthalates. The hydroxylation reaction occurred at the aromatic ring of phthalates and yielded mono- and dihydroxylated phthalates. For monohydroxylated phthalate, 3-hydroxy- and 4-hydroxydialkylphthalates are the main transformation products. In addition to hydroxylated derivatives, aliphatic chain degraded mono- and dihydroxylated phthalates were also detected.     

Stagnant surface water bodies (SSWBs) as an alternative water resource for the Chittagong metropolitan area of Bangladesh: physicochemical characterization in terms of water quality indices

The concern over ensuing freshwater scarcity has forced the developing countries to delve for alternative water resources. In this study, we examined the potential of stagnant surface water bodies (SSWBs) as alternative freshwater resources in the densely populated Chittagong metropolitan area (CMPA) of Bangladesh??where there is an acute shortage of urban freshwater supply. Water samples were collected at 1-month intervals for a period of 1 year from 12 stations distributed over the whole metropolis. Samples were analyzed for pH, water temperature (WTemp), turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids, total solids, total hardness, dissolved oxygen (DO), chloride, orthophosphates, ammonia, total coliforms (TC), and trace metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, As, and Fe) concentrations. Based on these parameters, different types of water quality indices (WQIs) were deduced. WQIs showed most of CMPA-SSWBs as good or medium quality water bodies, while none were categorized as bad. Moreover, it was observed that the minimal water quality index (WQI_m), computed using five parameters: WTemp, pH, DO, EC, and turbidity, gave a reliable estimate of water quality. The WQI_m gave similar results in 72% of the cases compared with other WQIs that were based on larger set of parameters. Based on our finding, we suggest the wider use WQI_m in developing countries for assessing health of SSWBs, as it will minimize the analytical cost to overcome the budget constraints involved in this kind of evaluations. It was observed that except turbidity and TC content, all other quality parameters fluctuated within the limit of the World Health Organization suggested standards for drinking water. From our findings, we concluded that if the turbidity and TC content of water from SSWBs in CMPA are taken care of, they will become good candidates as alternative water resources all round the year.