Traditional water bodies and ecosystem services: Empirical evidence from West Bengal,India

Traditional water harvesting systems are multi-functional in nature and provide a variety of ecosystem services that contribute to the overall wellbeing of local people. This study aims to identify and analyze the factors influencing the variations in the level of awareness across households residing around three selected traditional water bodies in the Indian state of West Bengal. Ordinary least square (OLS) regression models have been used to identify and analyze the determinants of household perception on ecosystem services from tank water bodies. Results show that while a majority of households have strong perceptions on the provisioning and cultural ecosystem services of the tanks, the household perceptions on regulating and supporting services of the tank is found to be relatively weak. Households belonging to lower caste and poor are likely to be more dependent on ecosystem services from tanks than upper caste and rich households, and hence they have better perceptions of provisioning ecosystem services. Households’ awareness about provisioning ecosystem services is negatively related to their level of education and wealth. It is observed that household awareness about regulating and supporting ecosystem services is positively associated with the level of education of the households, ownership of tube well and private tanks. While it is essential to consider household perception on all the ecosystem services for sustainable use and management of traditional water harvesting systems, incorporating the local norms, customs and preferences in policy design are critical for achieving effective conservation outcomes.     

Isolation of a novel Pseudomonas sp from soil that can efficiently degrade polyethylene succinate

Purpose

Polyethylene succinate (PES) is a biodegradable synthetic polymer and therefore widely used as a base material in plastic industry to circumvent the environmental problems related with the non-biodegradability of other polymers like polyethylene. Till date only few organisms have been reported to have the ability to degrade PES. Therefore for better management of PES-related environmental waste, the present study is targeted towards isolating mesophilic organism(s) capable of more efficient degradation of PES.

Results

Strain AKS2 was isolated from soil based on survival on a selection plate wherein PES was used as sole carbon source. Ribotyping and biochemical tests revealed that AKS2 is a new strain of Pseudomonas. Scanning electron and atomic force microscopic analysis of the PES films obtained after incubation with AKS2 confirmed PES-degradation ability of AKS2, wherein an alteration in surface topology was observed. The kinetics of PES weight loss showed that AKS2 degrades PES maximally during its logarithmic growth phase at a rate of 1.65?mg/day. This degradation is mediated by esterase activity and may also involve cell-surface hydrophobicity. It has also been observed that AKS2 is able to degrade PES considerably even in the presence of glucose, which is likely to increase the bioremediation potential of this isolate.

Conclusion

A new strain of Pseudomonas has been isolated from soil that is able to adhere to PES and degrade this polymer efficiently. This organism has the potential to be implemented as a useful tool for bioremediation of PES-derived materials.     

Kinetics of IO radicals with C1, C2 aliphatic alcohols in tropospherically relevant conditions

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Kinetics of the reaction of IO radicals with methanol (MeOH) and ethanol (EtOH) were experimentally studied in the gas phase using pulsed laser...     

A comprehensive study on landfill site selection for Kolkata City,India

Kolkata is one of the four major metropolitan cities in India and the capital city of the state of West Bengal. With an area of 187.33 km² and a population of about 10 million (including a floating population of about 6 million), the city generates about 3500 Metric Ton (MT) of solid waste per day. Currently, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) disposes its waste at Dhapa (21.47 ha), where the disposal rate exceeds 3000 MT/day, and at Garden Reach (3.52 ha), where the disposal rate is 100 MT/day. Considering the exhaustion of Dhapa land space, city planners are urgently searching for an alternate disposal ground. National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), under the sponsorship of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), has brought out literature developing the site selection criteria for municipal solid waste disposal ground to suit Indian conditions. The developed criteria encompass environmental conditions, accessibility, geological and hydrogeological conditions, and ecological and societal effects. This paper attempts to locate the most suitable site for disposal of KMC area solid waste using the multicriterion decision analysis as stipulated in CPCB 2003 guidelines and the overlay analysis of geographic information system (GIS).

Implications:The paper is based on landfill site selection for dumping of solid waste generated within Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area. The methodology uses GIS/remote sensing, Site Sensitivity Index (an offshoot of pairwise comparison technique developed in CPCB 2003 guidelines, Government of India), and the Delphi technique. Dhapa landfill site, where solid waste of KMC area is currently being disposed, is exhausted; the authors of this article thus found it relevant to carry out a research on the selection of an alternative landfill site. The study undertaken was comprehensive, yet presented in a lucid way so that policymakers will find easy to comprehend.     

Effects of anthropogenic disturbances on vegetation diversity and structure: a case study in the remnant forests surrounding the village ecosystems of Tripura,Northeast India

The types, frequency, and intensity of human interference with forests markedly affect the vegetation dynamics. Assessment of the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on forest diversity and structure is one of the central issues related to human behaviour and forest ecosystems and management. Both species diversity and density are very sensitive to local anthropogenic disturbance, which can be reduced depending on land-use systems. We used 10 line transects of 500 × 10 m to record and measure all plants ≥10 cm girth in some of the remaining forests surrounding villages in Tripura, Northeast India. To predict the effects of anthropogenic pressure on species richness and forest structure, we recorded and scored all ongoing disturbances in all transects of the forests. Although our study did not show any significant effects on the mean number of species, all diversity indices were significantly affected by disturbance. Total stem density (F = 128.60, p < 0.0001) and basal area (F = 65.30, p < 0.0001) of the forest stands were significantly affected by disturbance. Disturbance significantly (F = 84.81, p < 0.0001) impacts the abundance of mature voluminous trees removed by extensive illegal logging. Further, stem density at the middle (F = 10.01, p < 0.05) and upper (F = 131.70, p < 0.0001) canopy stories was also reduced by high disturbance intensity. The present analysis will be useful to policy-makers and planners for implementation of sustainable forest management at both the local and regional scale.