Adaptation to coastal hazards: the livelihood struggles of a fishing community in Kerala,India

This case study examines the coastal hazard adaptation strategies of a fishing community in a village in Kerala, India. It shows that formal adaptation strategies are highly techno‐centric, costly, and do not take into account the vulnerabilities of the fishing community. Instead, they have contributed to ecological, livelihood, and knowledge uncertainties. The adaptation strategies of the fishing community are a response to these uncertainties. However, they may not lead to the fishing community's recovery from its vulnerability contexts. This case study is primarily qualitative in nature. Data were collected through in‐depth interviews. Insights reveal that when actors with diverse values, interests, knowledge, and power evolve or design their respective adaptation strategies, the resulting interface often aggravates existing uncertainties associated with hazards. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that local discourses on coastal hazards are livelihood‐centric and socially constructed within the struggle of the fishing community to access resources and to acquire the right to development.     

Can millennials’ disposal intention be influenced through institutional motivation: A study of green disposal conduct in Perak,Malaysia

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Waste output have risen sharply in Malaysia due to economic growth, population growth, and urbanization, which threatens to exhaust existing...     

Studies on thermo-chemical treatment of recycled concrete fine aggregates for use in concrete

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The presence of cement paste is the most important factor affecting the quality of recycled concrete fine aggregates. This study aims to develop...     

Exploring risk,resistance and the power of myths among coastal fishing communities in Kerala,India

This paper attempts to capture the socially constructed nature of risk by analyzing the discourses embedded in community beliefs, myths and experiential narratives regarding coastal hazards and fishworkers' livelihoods. This paper draws insights from the works of James Scott on power and resistance in the everyday life of marginalized populations. Qualitative data for the study was collected using semi‐structured interview schedules, in‐depth group interviews, oral histories and storytelling across twenty marine fishing villages in Kerala. A significant finding of the study is that the communal discourse of coastal hazards or kolu is an integral part of fishworkers' resistance against formal authority and scientific knowledge systems in coastal management. The myths and beliefs of fishworkers are expressions of their concerns about present forms of development and coastal resource management.     

Computer-aided assessment of occupationally healthier processes during research and development stage

Each year more people die from occupational related diseases than are killed in industrial accidents. Therefore it is critical to start considering health aspect early when developing a new chemical process. In this paper, a computer-aided tool for assessing inherent occupational health is proposed for chemical process research and development stage. The method was developed based on the reaction chemistry data, which is the only data available at this stage. Three types of approaches were formulated to calculate the route index value using additive type, average type and worst case type calculations. The tool can be used to rank the alternative chemical synthesis routes by their health properties as well as characterize the hazard level of single process. Finally the tool was applied to six process routes for methyl methacrylate production for demonstration. The case study revealed hazards of the processes from different perspectives, e.g. the results from the additive-type calculation were mainly affected by the total number of steps in the route, which indicates the impact of process complexity on the level of hazard. The introduction of such tool provides a swift yet reliable means that will encourage health criteria to be considered earlier in process development besides economic, safety and environment.     

State interventions and natural resource management: A study on social interfaces in a riverine fisheries setting in Kerala, India

This article attempts to analyse the social interface between formal institutions and local fishing communities along the Pamba‐Achankovil River Basin in Kerala, India. It examines primarily the nature of the relationship between state agencies and traditional fishing communities in the context of (i) enforcing certain formal regulations of resource use and (ii) implementing resource enhancement programmes. The article also analyses the nature of social interfaces that emerge when local level formal organizations, such as cooperatives and gram panchayats, take up resource management or community welfare schemes on behalf of the traditional fisherfolk in the study region. Social interfaces can be understood in terms of social processes, such as cooperation, accommodation and conflicts between various actors involved in fisheries management. The article is based on ethnographic fieldwork. Interview guides and focus group discussions were the primary tools of data collection. The findings show that the relationships between formal institutions and traditional riverine fishing communities lack mutual trust. Conflicts between fishing communities and state agencies emerge when the formal institutions threaten or contradict those elements of local culture that sustain livelihood needs. Conflicts and discontent with a particular formal institution can also lead to the modification or violation of coexisting institutional arrangements.     

Performance evaluation of a 'sequential-batch' temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) scheme for producing Class A biosolids.

Laboratory studies were conducted to evaluate the performance and operational stability of a Temperature-Phased Anaerobic Digestion (TPAD) system modified to operate in the sequential-batch mode. The system fed with a 40:60 mixture (dry weight) of primary sludge (PS) and waste activated sludge (WAS) at 5.5% solids showed stable performance with minimum variation in operational parameters such as biogas production, VFA to alkalinity ratio, pH, and foam accumulation at system retention times as short as 12 days. The maximum volatile solids removal (VSR) of 52.5% was achieved at a system retention time of 16 days. The system did not show any effects of "shock loading" at the retention times studied and outperformed a "conventional" mesophilic system operated at a longer retention time. The system was effective in reducing the densities of pathogenic indicator organisms in the biosolids to levels lower than those specified by U.S. EPA for Class A designation.