Explaining the status and scope of ecotourism development for livelihood security: Andaman and Nicobar Islands,India

In the past few decades, the tourism sector has emerged as a significant economic activity in island nations, particularly in tropical regions. However, most of the tropical islands face similar constraints, viz., threat to natural resources, chances of biopiracy, impact of climate change, population pressure and unsystematic tourist management. Ecotourism, as a concept, envisages promoting tourism with due regard to natural environment and ecological sanctity of the destination. Archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands is one of picturesque geographical creation in the Bay of Bengal, India, in tropical region and is an emerging tourist destination. It was observed that around 2.2 lakhs national and international tourists visit the A&N Islands annually. With tourism sector as an integral component, the service sector with share of 56% in gross state domestic product dominates the island economy. An analysis based on primary survey from various stakeholders associated with the sector revealed that factors such as economy in travel and boarding, availability of tourist facilities and comfort, safety, etc. were major factors that determined the choice of the tourists that visited the islands. The weights given by the tourists to the natural sites in A&N Islands revealed that the landscape topped list with 91.6% score by the visitors followed by beaches (91.3%), scenery (86.5%), reserved forests (84.6%), limestone caves (66.3%) and coral sights (65.8%). Coral sites were given weight of 65.8% of tourists, cultural and historical tourism products 85.4% for the natural history. Similarly, historical sites (83.7%), museums (78.6%) and heritage sites (72.8%) were also among top cites attraction. Recent initiatives by the Andaman administration gives due to care to sustainably develop the tourism infrastructure of the islands to harness the potential of eco-friendly tourism in this picturesque tourist haven.     

Temporal and spatial variations of PM2.5 organic and elemental carbon in Central India

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - This study describes spatiotemporal patterns from October 2015 to September 2016 for PM2.5 mass and carbon measurements in rural (Kosmarra), urban (Raipur),...     

Calibration and Validation of Far Field Dilution Models for Outfall at Worli, Mumbai

The city of Mumbai, India with a population of 15 million discharges about 2225 MLD of domestic wastewater after partial treatment to adjoining marine water body. Under the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project Scheme, sewage is being disposed to the west coast at Worli and Bandra through 3.4 kms long submarine outfalls. A field study was conducted at recently commissioned outfall diffuser location at Worli, at the onset of neap flood tide to study the dispersion patterns and measure the far field dilutions using radio and dye tracers. Estimated dilutions using different tracers were compared with outputs from an empirical model (Brooks) and a 2D numerical model (DIVAST). Validation using parameters such as BOD and FC, indicated a good match for BOD in near field compared to FC. The radiotracer ⁸²Br and Rhodamine WT generally gave good correlation with Brooks' and DIVAST models for nearfield, however at further distances predictions were not accurate.     

Short-term leaching study of heavy metals from LD slag of important steel industries in Eastern India

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Considering Linz-Donawitz (LD) slag as a waste material for its bulk utilisation, there is a possibility that heavy metals will leach to...     

Statistical evaluation of hydrobiological parameters of Narmada River water at Hoshangabad City, India

Narmada is considered to be the lifeline of the state of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. The Narmada water is used for bathing, drinking, irrigation and industrial purposes. The city sewage and industrial effluent from Security paper mill at Hoshangabad drains in the Narmada River and pollutes the water quality. Urban sewage enters into Narmada through main nallas. River water quality at Hoshangabad has become a matter of concern due to continuous changing environment and increasing social and industrial activity that influence the water quality directly or indirectly. The present investigation is undertaken to study the effect of domestic sewage and effluent from Security paper Mill on the water quality and ecology of river Narmada at Hoshangabad. The study is carried on at four sites along with the bank of river Narmada. Water samples from four stations were collected, out of which three main sewage mixing points of the city and one fresh water site are taken into account. The samples collected were analyzed, as per standard methods parameters such as Temperature, pH, were measured in-situ. The statistical evaluations were also made. The result showed increase in BOD, Nitrates, Phosphates and Total Coliforms, No. of phytoplanktons. The results revealed that most of the water samples were below or out of limited; according to the WHO, BIS standards.     

Indicator based approach for monitoring natural resources of village ecosystems: findings from select ecosystems of southern India

Indian village ecosystems are diverse with respect to population pressures, agricultural activities and production, livestock composition, energy sources, economics and infrastructural capabilities. Natural resource degradation is a major global concern and the factors and processes leading to degradation are regional and scale up from the micro levels such as village ecosystems. There is need for integrated multidisciplinary approaches for monitoring the resource status and environmental issues at the decentralized level. This paper presents an approach to assess village ecosystems using a set of key indicators developed and tested across fourteen diverse village ecosystems of the Southern India. The concept of ecosystem services associated with village ecosystems of India has been described and adopted to identify indicators and assess issues and trends. Comparison across villages has been demonstrated and the indicators successfully reflected the key environmental issues at each village level as well as differences across villages. We also report unique cases of stabilized land use and ‘desakota-like’ trends from village ecosystem studied.     

Response of sugar maple to calcium addition to northern hardwood forest

Watershed budget studies at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), New Hampshire, USA, have demonstrated high calcium depletion of soil during the 20th century due, in part, to acid deposition. Over the past 25 years, tree growth (especially for sugar maple) has declined on the experimental watersheds at the HBEF. In October 1999, 0.85 Mg Ca/ha was added to Watershed 1 (W1) at the HBEF in the form of wollastonite (CaSiO3), a treatment that, by summer 2002, had raised the pH in the Oie horizon from 3.8 to 5.0 and, in the Oa horizon, from 3.9 to 4.2. We measured the response of sugar maple to the calcium fertilization treatment on W1. Foliar calcium concentration of canopy sugar maples in W1 increased markedly beginning the second year after treatment, and foliar manganese declined in years four and five. By 2005, the crown condition of sugar maple was much healthier in the treated watershed as compared with the untreated reference watershed (W6). Following high seed production in 2000 and 2002, the density of sugar maple seedlings increased significantly on W1 in comparison with W6 in 2001 and 2003. Survivorship of the 2003 cohort through July 2005 was much higher on W1 (36.6%) than W6 (10.2%). In 2003, sugar maple germinants on W1 were approximately 50% larger than those in reference plots, and foliar chlorophyll concentrations were significantly greater (0.27 g/m2 vs. 0.23 g/m2 leaf area). Foliage and fine-root calcium concentrations were roughly twice as high, and manganese concentrations twice as low in the treated than the reference seedlings in 2003 and 2004. Mycorrhizal colonization of seedlings was also much greater in the treated (22.4% of root length) than the reference sites (4.4%). A similar, though less dramatic, difference was observed for mycorrhizal colonization of mature sugar maples (56% vs. 35%). These results reinforce and extend other regional observations that sugar maple decline in the northeastern United States and southern Canada is caused in part by anthropogenic effects on soil calcium status, but the causal interactions among inorganic nutrition, physiological stress, mycorrhizal colonization, and seedling growth and health remain to be established.     

Application of a microscale emission factor model for particulate matter to calculate vehicle-generated contributions to fine particulate emissions

This paper discusses the evaluation and application of a new generation of particulate matter (PM) emission factor model (MicroFacPM). MicroFacPM that was evaluated in Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel, Pennsylvania Turnpike, PA shows good agreement between measured and modeled emissions. MicroFacPM application is presented to the vehicle traffic on the main approach road to the Ambassador Bridge, which is one of the most important international border entry points in North America, connecting Detroit, MI, with Windsor, Ontario, Canada. An increase in border security has forced heavy-duty diesel vehicles to line up for several kilometers through the city of Windsor causing concern about elevated concentrations of ambient PM. MicroFacPM has been developed to model vehicle-generated PM (fine [PM2.5] and coarse < or = 10 microm [PM10]) from the on-road vehicle fleet, which in this case includes traffic at very low speeds (10 km/h). The Windsor case study gives vehicle generated PM2.5 sources and their breakdown by vehicle age and class. It shows that the primary sources of vehicle-generated PM2.5 emissions are the late-model heavy-duty diesel vehicles. We also applied CALINE4 and AERMOD in conjunction with MicroFacPM, using Canadian traffic and climate conditions, to describe the vehicle-generated PM2.5 dispersion near this roadway during the month of May in 2003.     

Marine water quality assessment at Mumbai West Coast

In recent past, Mumbai Municipal corporation was not able to keep pace with required infrastructural facilities due to unprecedented population growth. Sewage disposal is one of the major issues, which needed immediate attention because huge quantity of sewage with only preliminary treatment is disposed into the nearby coastal areas and has deteriorated the water quality of the near coastal region. World Bank assisted Bombay Sewage Disposal Project (BSDP) undertaken by the Municipal Corporation of Bruhan Mumbai (MCBM) envisaged sewage discharges through marine outfalls at Worli and Bandra and treatment by aerated lagoons for other areas before disposal in creeks. During BSDP programme, studies were undertaken on water quality assessment along the west coast of Mumbai before and after commissioning of the Worli outfall. A pre- and post-commissioning water quality database for selected parameters was generated for near shore as well as west coast region up to 5 km seaward distance to assess the efficacy of the Worli outfall and delineate the areas affected around diffuser location of the outfall due to sewage disposal. This paper presents observations of the coastal studies at Mumbai and the impact zone of Worli outfall.