Institutions, Forest Management, and Sustainable Human Development – Experiences from India

New institutional economists have argued that there are many categories of institutions, including market and non-market institutions, which may prove economically efficient, specifically for public goods and common pool goods. The Government of India introduced a non-market community-based institution, known as Joint Forest Management (JFM), for forest management and protection in 1990. JFM is a sharing mechanism for forest planning and management based on sharing of rights and duties, control and decision-making authority over forestlands, between forest departments and local user groups. By 2001, 42 000 Village Forest Committees established under JFM were managing over 11.5 million ha forestland. These institutions have proved very useful, and have contributed to forest management as well as four aspects of sustainable human development (SHD) – ecological output, income generation, village infrastructure development, and community empowerment. In the long-term, community-based institutions will prove to be a foundation of SHD and participatory democracy.     

Determination of endosulfan residues in eggplant (Solanum melongena) by ELISA

Eggplant samples were analyzed for endosulfan residues using ELISA, a technique recognized as a promising tool for screening environmental contaminants. Calibration curve for endosulfan was standardized using kits developed by CFTRI Mysore. Farm gate samples of eggplant from 12 different locations were analyzed. The matrix effect was removed by charcoal clean-up. The results were compared with gas chromatographic (GC) analysis. The residues in different samples were in the range of 5-226 ppb. Correlation coefficient between the two methods was found to be 0.98.     

Monitoring of Pesticidal Contamination of Farmgate Vegetables from Hisar

Analysis of 84 farm gate samples of seasonal vegetables carried out on GC-ECD and GC-NPD systems equipped with capillary columns by using a multi residue analytical technique revealed that 26% samples contained residues above MRL values. The contamination was mainly with organophosphates followed by synthetic pyrethroids and organochlorines. Among organophosphates, residues of monocrotophos, quinalphos and chlorpyriphos exceeded the MRL value in 23% samples. Residues of monocrotophos were higher than MRL value in 3 samples of brinjal and one sample each of okra, cauliflower and smooth gourd, of chlorpyriphos in 3 samples of cauliflower and 8 of cabbage and of quinalphos in one sample each of okra and cauliflower. Among synthetic pyrethroids, cypermethrin was the major contaminant and its residue exceeded the MRL value in one sample each of brinjal, okra and cucumber. Only aldicarb among the carbamates was detected in potato. The residues of some organochlorines, i.e. HCH, DDT and endosulfan were found in all the samples but did not exceed the tolerence limit.     

Hematological and biochemical alterations in sprayers occupationally exposed to mixture of pesticides at a mango plantation in Lucknow,India

The aim of this study was to examine the hematological and cholinesterase (ChE) activity levels of pesticide sprayers employed in mango plantations at Lucknow. Fifty-two sprayers from mango plantations who regularly spray mixtures of pesticides including organochlorines (OC), organophosphates (OP), and carbamates were included as exposed group. Twenty residents living close to mango plantations, but not involved in pesticide spraying were taken as controls. Pesticide residues for OC were analyzed in blood by gas chromatography with electron capture detector. There was a significant decrease in acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase activities in pesticide sprayers (n?=?52) relative to the control group (n?=?20). A significant difference in the frequency distribution of hematological variations in red blood cell, white blood cell, monocytes, neutrophils, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and platelet count was observed. Residues of OC pesticides including α-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and total HCH were found to be significantly higher in the blood of sprayers compared to controls. Hematological variations were quantitatively more frequent among the sprayers with 5 years of pesticide exposure compared to the controls and to subjects with less than 5 years of exposure group. Hematological abnormalities in sprayers were correlated with pesticide exposure as evidenced by lower ChE activity as well as the presence of OC pesticides in blood. The poorly controlled use of pesticides in the plantation appeared to have produced sub-clinical intoxication in the sprayers and indicated the need for training and implementation of proper, safer hygiene practices.     

Mercury pollution in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh,India, and its health impacts

The Sonbhadra district in the Singrauli area of Uttar Pradesh, India, has many coal mines and thermal power plants and is a critically polluted area. Many residents of this area reported adverse health conditions which may be linked to metal pollution, especially of mercury investigated here.

In May 2012, samples of water (23), soil (7), blood, hair, and nails from persons showing adverse health conditions selected at random were collected and analyzed for total mercury by atomic absorption spectrometry.

Twenty percent drinking water samples contained mercury from 3 to 26 μg L^?1 (3–26 times the permissible limit). Soil samples had 0.5–10.1 mg kg^?1 Hg.

The average concentrations of mercury in human blood, hair, and nails were found to be 34 μg L^?1, 7.4 mg kg^?1, and 0.8 mg kg^?1, respectively. Mercury concentrations in the blood of these persons were 45 and 28 μg L^?1 on average in the case of men and women. This is much higher than the safe level of 5.8 μg L^?1 set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

It was concluded that all residents of Sonbhadra sampled could be suffering from mercury toxicity as the area is polluted by Hg released from the coal-fired thermal power plants.     

Using plants for health: Indigenous knowledge in health care in a tribal region of Bihar,India

While the potential of indigenous knowledge for health care is fully recognised in the literature and by many health professionals, the practices of so many indigenous peoples go unrecorded and untested. Indigenous knowledge remains essentially untapped, an unwritten resource involving information, language and skills in many groups, languages, cultures and environments. An attempt is made in this paper to identify selected indigenous health technologies in a tribal area of Bihar State, India; to describe the treatments, their application and preparation; and to link the traditional practice with the relevant scientific information to test or determine the validity of the practices. These practices were found to be effective in the treatment of a variety of health problems, and most were also scientifically confirmed. The paper argues, however, that other plant uses practised by tribal people still need to be explored: in order to popularise more widely the authenticated practices; to preserve indigenous knowledge; to integrate or blend it with scientific knowledge so that health professionals and healthcare users may benefit from a wider range of healthcare strategies which are environmentally unthreatening.     

Bioremediation of industrial waste through mushroom cultivation

Handmade paper and cardboard industries are involved in processing of cellulosic and ligno-cellulosic substances for making paper by hand or simple machinery. In the present study solid sludge and effluent of both cardboard and handmade paper industries was collected for developing a mushroom cultivation technique to achieve zero waste discharges. Findings of present research work reveals that when 50% paper industries waste is used by mixing with 50% (w/w) wheat straw, significant increase (96.38%) in biological efficiency over control of wheat straw was observed. Further, cultivated basidiocarps showed normal morphology of stipe and pileus. Cross section of lamellae did not show any abnormality in the attachment of basidiospores, hymenal trama and basidium. No toxicity was found when fruiting bodies were tested chemically.     

Studies on oxidative stress induced nerve conduction deficits in cigarette smokers

An important role of oxidative stress for the development of vascular and neurological complications has encouraged us to undertake a study to assess the oxidative stress induced nerve conduction deficits among cigarette smokers. Eighteen regular male cigarette smokers and twenty nine male non-smokers were diagnosed for clinical neuro-physiological tests viz., motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity (MNCV and SNCV) and redox status. Significant depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) level (p < 0.05) and significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level (p < 0.01) was found in smokers compared to non-smokers. Motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity showed no significant difference among smokers compared to non-smokers. The present study shows that smoking can induce oxidative stress among smokers but could not exacerbate to nerve conduction deficits.     

Electronic waste pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic

Environmental Chemistry Letters -     

A systematic review on iron-based nanoparticle-mediated clean-up of textile dyes: challenges and prospects of scale-up technologies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The projected increase of the global textile industry to USD1002.84 billion in 2027 indicates a simultaneous increase in water pollution due to...