DDT and HCH residue load in mother's breast milk: a survey of lactating mother's from remote villages in Agra region

Breast milk is the natural and optimal food for the infants. In addition to meeting the nutritional needs, breast milk provides numerous immunological, developmental, psychological, ecological and practical advantages. The levels of the DDT and HCH residues in human milk collected from remote rural part of Agra were analysed. Beta and gamma isomers of HCH accounts for the major residue of total HCH excreted in breast milk. Delta-HCH was not detected in the samples. 95% of the samples were found to be contaminated with DDT and its metabolites. DDD was found in 88% of the samples analyzed. The total concentration of DDT and HCH were found lower than the previous studies carried out in India. The study shows the decreasing levels of these organochlorine pesticides from the environment. Total concentration of total DDT is higher than total HCH.     

From climate change impacts to adaptation: A development perspective for India

India has good reasons to be concerned about climate change as it could adversely affect the achievement of vital national development goals related to socio‐economic development, human welfare, health, energy availability and use, and infrastructure. The paper attempts to develop a framework for integrated impact assessment and adaptation responses, using a recently built railroad coastal infrastructure asset in India as an example. The framework links climate change variables — temperature, rainfall, sea level rise, extreme events, and other secondary variables — and sustainable development variables — technology, institutions, economic, and other policies. The study indicates that sustainable development variables generally reduce the adverse impacts on the system due to climate change alone, except when they are inadequately applied. The paper concludes that development is a vital variable for integrated impact assessment. Well crafted developmental policies could result in a less‐GHG intensive future, enhanced adaptive capacities of communities and systems, and lower impacts due to climate change.     

Involving indigenous peoples in protected area management: comparative perspectives from Nepal,Thailand, and China

Despite over two decades of efforts towards involving indigenous and traditional peoples in protected area management, there are few successful examples. Several international principles and guidelines on indigenous peoples' involvement in protected areas exist. However, because of the lack of evaluation of whether or not these principles and guidelines have been put into practice, there is hardly any information that indicates the actual involvement of indigenous peoples in protected areas. This paper attempts to compare efforts in partnership between indigenous peoples and protected area authority in three Asian countries: Nepal, Thailand, and China. It shows that the involvement of indigenous peoples is more successful where park planning is participatory and where political and socioeconomic reforms are underway. Indigenous peoples are in conflict with park authorities where park management is centralized and nonparticipatory. Unless concrete efforts are made to address livelihood issues of indigenous peoples living in and around protected areas, park management aimed to protect wildlife will rarely succeed. Participatory park management that involves indigenous peoples and that addresses livelihood issues of indigenous communities will ultimately succeed in its efforts toward wildlife conservation.     

Spatial distribution of different stages of mango stone weevil, Sternochetus mangiferae (fabricius) (coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Studies were conducted on the spatial distribution of different stages of the mango stone weevil, Sternochetus mangiferae (Fabr.) at Hessaraghatta farm of the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, during 1983. The values of various parameters of distribution showed that the eggs are distributed as a negative binomial (contagious) distribution, whereas larvae and adults follow a positive binomial (random) distribution. It is suggested that the change in distribution may be due to the lower population densities in larval and adult stages.     

Contaminants in drinking water and its mitigation using suitable adsorbents: an overview

Various options are applicable for the removal of water pollutants included reverse osmosis, ion exchange, coagulation, co-precipitation, catalytic reduction, herbal filtration, electrodialysis and adsorption. This paper deals with the sorption phenomena for the removal of pollutants from drinking water. Attempts have been made to use low cost sorbents developed by pretreatment/activation/impregnation with alkalis, acids, iron oxide, manganese dioxide, ferric chloride, alum, lime, aluminum salts with natural products/indigenous minerals viz. activated alumina, activated carbon, groundnut husk, saw dust, chemically coated sand, fly ash, zeolites, clay minerals and other plant products. Application of Freundich and Langmuir isotherms were used to assess the adsorption capacity. Equilibrium isotherms were determined at optimum temperature and pH to characterize the sorption process. Statistical parameters such as mass transfer coefficients, multiple regression analysis were applied to establish the mechanism. It is suggested that the characterization of suitable, and exhausted sorbent through the application of fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is essential to establish its surface bonding. Scope for safety evaluation and risk assessment to human and biosphere may provide the guideline and predication to the regulatory agencies for its sustainable use and safe disposal The ecotoxicological assessment of the leachates and low cost removal technology are discussed in this paper.     

Use of Central Stonerollers (Cyprinidae: Campostoma anomalum) from Tennessee as a Bioindicator of Metal Contamination

We compared the levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury and selenium in a small species of fish (Central stonerollers, Campostoma anomalum) collected from East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) and a reference site in eastern Tennessee. Stonerollers are minnows in the Cyprinidae family that serve as prey for many carnivores in aquatic systems. Fish were collected from East Fork Poplar Creek within the U.S. Department of Energy's Y-12 National Security Complex, part of the Oak Ridge Reservation, and from a reference stretch of the Little River in East Tennessee. Whole fish were homogenized for analysis. Concentrations of all metals (except arsenic) were significantly higher in stonerollers from EFPC compared to the reference site. Mercury levels in minnows from EFPC averaged 0.4 ppm (μg/g), four times higher than the average for fish in the U.S. in general. This was higher than levels in fish from the nearby Clinch River and higher than fillets of white bass (Morone chrysops) from the same creek. Most metal levels were inversely related to size and weight of the stonerollers, perhaps due to growth dilution.     

Riverine pollution in some northern and north eastern states of india

Water samples from 30 rivers in northern and north-eastern hilly states of India were analysed for bacteriological and physicochemical parameters along with metals and pesticide residues. It was found that 34% of samples had >50 coliforms/100 ml, while 24% of samples demonstrated >50 thermotolerant (faecal) coliforms/100 ml. Among the metals, iron was found to be above maximum permissible limits in the rivers of all the states, while manganese was found to be above the maximum permissible limit in the rivers of Tripura and some northern states. Zinc, lead, nickel, chromium, copper, cobalt and cadmium plus physicochemical parameters and residual pesticides, however, were within their maximum permissible limits.     

Future Greenhouse Gas and Local Pollutant Emissions for India: Policy Links and Disjoints

This paper estimates the future greenhousegas (GHG) and local pollutant emissions forIndia under various scenarios. Thereference scenario assumes continuation ofthe current official policies of the Indiangovernment and forecasts of macro-economic,demographic and energy sector indicators.Other scenarios analyzed are the economicgrowth scenarios (high and low), carbonmitigation scenario, sulfur mitigationscenario and frozen (development) scenario.The main insight is that GHG and localpollutant emissions from India, althoughconnected, do not move in synchronizationin future and have a disjoint under variousscenarios. GHG emissions continue to risewhile local pollutant emissions decreaseafter some years. GHG emission mitigationtherefore would have to be pursued for itsown sake in India. National energy securityconcerns also favor this conclusion sincecoal is the abundant national resource whilemost of the natural gas has to be imported.The analysis of contributing factors tothis disjoint indicates that sulfurreduction in petroleum oil products andpenetration of flue gas desulfurisationtechnologies are the two main contributorsfor sulfur dioxide (SO₂) mitigation.The reduction in particulate emissions ismainly due to enforcing electro-staticprecipitator efficiency norms in industrialunits, with cleaner fuels and vehicles alsocontributing substantially. These policytrends are already visible in India.Another insight is that high economicgrowth is better than lower growth tomitigate local pollution as lack ofinvestible resources limits investments incleaner environmental measures. Ouranalysis also validates the environmentalKuznets' curve for India as SO₂emissions peak around per capita GDP ofUS$ 5,300–5,400 (PPP basis) under variouseconomic growth scenarios.