Meandering-river geomorphology, forming abandoned channels/lakes with organic carbon-burial and microbial reductive dissolution, play many crucial roles in controlling arsenic (As) fluxes in sinks ...such as contaminated aquifers of riverine alluvial plains across the world. Suhiya oxbow-lake in the middle alluvial plain of the River Ganga, was selected as the natural laboratory. A top-down multidisciplinary approach was chosen employing satellite imagery to analyse the annual oxbow-lake surface vegetation dynamics (Eichhornia and Hydrilla). Side-scan sonar profiles across two oxbow lakes along with River Ganga core data and vintage topographical maps, estimated the lake-sedimentation rate of 9.6 cm/yr. Organic carbon amino acids, aromatics, lingo-phenols and lipids hydrocarbons infiltration-based on hydrophobicity and molecular-mass was detected at different depths along the water and sedimentary column. Elemental analysis showed lake surface to groundwater the As conc. varied from (0.37 to 185 μg/l). A microbial diversity based study showed that large sized photoautotrophs Nostoc, Anabaena are replaced by Fe-oxido-reducing As-metabolizing bacteria e.g. Acidovorax, Dechloromonas and enteric organisms e.g. Enterobacter, Salmonella at bottom of water column. Based on these inferences, a conceptual organic carbon transport model was constructed to understand the preferential preservation and microbial diagenesis resulting in mobilization of As and other geogenic elements.
Summarizes the manuscript, where characterization Metadata: Remote sensing, Chemical and Biological and possible role of OC from terrestrial, anthropogenic and hydrophytes in Green has been studied in details. Further investigation suggests these OC-burials in lake clay beds in Grey, sustains the microbes in light Green, which are responsible for reduction of Fe(III) in Orange and As(V) in Red and mobilization of As(III), which is transported to the villages located on point bars during groundwater abstraction (dotted lines). Display omitted
•Top-down multidisciplinary analyses to study abandoned river channels•Remote sensing based analysis revealing vegetation annual dynamics•Organic carbon compound classes: distribution and preservation•Microbiological metabolism of OC from different sources•Microbial reductive dissolution of Fe(oxy)hydroxides associated As
Pollution of groundwater with natural (geogenic) arsenic occurs on an enormous, world-wide scale, and causes wide-spread, serious health risks for an estimated more than hundred million people who ...depend on the use of shallow aquifers for drinking and irrigation water. A literature review of key studies on arsenic concentration levels yields that Holocene fluvial and deltaic flood basins are the hotspots of arsenic pollution, and that the dominant geomorphological setting of the arsenic-polluted areas consists of shallow-depth meandering-river deposits with sand-prone fluvial point-bar deposits surrounded by clay-filled (clay plug) abandoned meander bends (oxbow lakes). Analysis of the lithofacies distribution and related permeability contrasts of the geomorphological elements in two cored wells in a point bar and adjacent clay plug along the Ganges River, in combination with data of arsenic concentrations and organic matter content reveals that the low-permeable clay-plug deposits have a high organic matter content and the adjacent permeable point-bar sands show high but spatially very variable arsenic concentrations. On the basis of the geomorphological juxtaposition, the analysis of fluvial depositional processes and lithofacies characteristics, inherent permeability distribution and the omnipresence of the two geomorphological elements in Holocene flood basins around the world, a generic model is presented for the wide-spread arsenic occurrence. The anoxic deeper part (hypolimnion) of the oxbow lake, and the clay plugs are identified as the loci of reactive organic carbon and microbial respiration in an anoxic environment that triggers the reductive dissolution of iron oxy-hydroxides and the release of arsenic on the scale of entire fluvial floodplains and deltaic basins. The adjacent permeable point-bar sands are identified as the effective trap for the dissolved arsenic, and the internal permeability heterogeneity is the cause for aquifer compartmentalization, with large arsenic concentration differences between neighboring compartments.
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•Point-bar and oxbow-lake/clay-plug geomorphological elements are proposed as the coupled source/sink of dissolved arsenic.•A generic geomorphological model explains the migration and accumulation of dissolved arsenic on entire flood-basin scale.•Anoxic hypolimnion oxbow-lake water and clay-plug sediments are the loci of reactive organic carbon.•Released arsenic is trapped in permeable point-bar sands surrounded by low-permeable clay plugs.•Permeability contrasts in the point-bar geomorphological element cause spatial arsenic concentration differences.
Purpose
Vemifiltration units are sludge-free, noise-free and low- or no-electricity-requiring systems of operation. The aim of this study was to emphasize wastewater treatment by vermifiltration ...technology using waste-eater earthworms to highlight the benefits of clean and nutritive vermifiltered water (vermiaqua) uses in agriculture to the farmers.
Methods
Wastewater sample was filtered through fabricated vermifiltration unit to study physio-chemical and biological properties of vermiaqua and uniform-sized
Allium cepa
(Onion) bulbs were kept for root germination at different concentrations (10
−1
, 10
−3
, 10
−5
, 10
−7
, 10
−9
) of wastewater and vermiaqua at room temperature for 5 days to study impacts of vermiaqua on morphological and cytological characteristics of onion.
Results
Vermiaqua was odorless, pale yellow in appearance, lower in turbidity and highly nutritive as ammonia and nitrate contents were highly increased. In
E. coli
-free vermiaqua, BOD
5
loads were also reduced by 91%. Almost all vermiaqua-treated root germinations were ‘accelerated’, whereas all wastewater-treated root germinations were ‘retarded’. The highest number of germinated roots was counted at 10
−5
concentration of vermiaqua, whereas at the same concentration of wastewater no germination was observed. Many types of chromosomal abnormalities were observed at metaphase and anaphase stages of wastewater-treated roots, whereas the single type of chromosomal abnormality was observed at anaphase stage of vermiaqua-treated roots.
Conclusions
Earthworms upgraded the performance of fabricated systems having integrated methods (biological, chemical and physical) of wastewater purification. Morphological and cytological studies revealed vermiaqua highly promoted the root germination without any chromosomal abnormalities.
Health risk assessment due to groundwater As contamination was conducted in two As-prone panchayats, Rampur Diara (RD) and Haldichapra (HC) of the Maner block of the Patna district, Bihar (India). ...All 100% of the water samples surveyed were found to be contaminated with As with a mean value of 52 μg/L (n = 10) in RD and 231 μg/L (n = 10) in HC, both exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 10 μg/L and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) standard of 50 μg/L, respectively. The average calculated per capita consumption of As through drinking water in RD ranged from 120 μg/day for 5–10-year-old children to 320 μg/day for adults older than 41 years, while in HC the average calculated As through consumption ranged from 580 μg/day for 5–10-year-old children to 1470 μg/day for adults older than 41 years. Hazard quotients were calculated to be between 12.1 to 41.6 for the RD population and 58.3 to 192.5 for the HC population, both exceeding the typical toxic risk index 1. In addition, cancer risk of 19 per 1000 was found for RD children and 87 per 1000 for HC children. Visible symptoms of Arsenicosis were also observed in the area.
This article systematically reviews research on noise pollution monitoring conducted over the past 23 years at various bus transit terminals located worldwide. About 18 articles were identified using ...PRISMA method and were evaluated to provide summary of prior research work to examine accuracy, authenticity, and reliability of noise monitoring results with respect to chosen methodology and extent of noise pollution at bus transit terminals. It examines important indicators of noise pollution and the analysis parameters such as noise sampling, noise descriptors, processing of acquired data, noise mapping,
, and compares it with the regulations and standard guidelines notably ISO 1996-2:2017 and American National Standards Institute/ASA S12.18-1994 (R2009) and their prior versions aiming to identify research gaps. The studies have primarily focused on noise monitoring, revealing widespread excessive noise pollution exceeding permissible levels at bus terminals globally. This article underscores significant research deficiencies in noise pollution monitoring at bus terminals, emphasizing the challenge of conducting quantitative meta-analyses and statistical comparisons due to variations in parameters and qualities. Noise pollution standards are breached in all terminals covered in the identified literature; hence, noise mitigation measures must be implemented at these bus terminals. The study suggests that noise monitoring must be carefully devised with respect to individual site operations and noise sources and in compliance with standard guidelines to improve the accuracy of the results. There is a need for uniform guidelines that can be followed globally for environmental noise monitoring as there are only a few countries that have guidelines for noise monitoring. The outcomes of this research will be helpful in guiding noise monitoring, mapping, and mitigation strategies as well as designing transit terminals to improve overall acoustical ambiance for more passenger footfall for sustainable transportation.
Noise pollution, a man-made disaster in the present times, is becoming more severe and pervasive than ever before due to rapid urbanization, affecting quality of life in urban areas in India. Transit ...areas generate excessive noise which proves disastrous to human health. However, very few studies have mapped noise levels of transit terminals in India. The objectives of this study are (i) assessment of noise levels in Ganeshpeth Bus Terminus, the major interstate bus terminus in Nagpur and generation of noise contour map in ArcGIS and (ii) a qualitative assessment of the impact of traffic-related noise on the health of the people working in the terminus with prolonged exposure to noisy environment, by conducting a health perception survey based on a questionnaire comprising indicators of health parameters. This is a first-of-its-kind study on noise mapping at an interstate bus terminus in India. The results indicate that the noise levels all over the bus terminus site are much higher than the prescribed standards and the source of noise is not only the plying of vehicles but also the misuse of the public address system. Solutions have been suggested to achieve a drastic reduction in noise levels through simple planning-oriented measures.
Reportedly, 300 million people worldwide are affected by the consumption of arsenic contaminated groundwater. India prominently figures amongst them and the state of Bihar has shown an upsurge in ...cases affected by arsenic poisoning. Escalated arsenic content in blood, leaves 1 in every 100 human being highly vulnerable to being affected by the disease. Uncontrolled intake may lead to skin, kidney, liver, bladder, or lung related cancer but even indirect forms of cancer are showing up on a regular basis with abnormal arsenic levels as the probable cause. But despite the apparent relation, the etiology has not been understood clearly. Blood samples of 2000 confirmed cancer patients were collected from pathology department of our institute. For cross-sectional design, 200 blood samples of subjects free from cancer from arsenic free pockets of Patna urban agglomeration, were collected. Blood arsenic levels in carcinoma patients as compared to sarcomas, lymphomas and leukemia were found to be higher. The geospatial map correlates the blood arsenic with cancer types and the demographic area of Gangetic plains. Most of the cancer patients with high blood arsenic concentration were from the districts near the river Ganges. The raised blood arsenic concentration in the 2000 cancer patients strongly correlates the relationship of arsenic with cancer especially the carcinoma type which is more vulnerable. The average arsenic concentration in blood of the cancer patients in the Gangetic plains denotes the significant role of arsenic which is present in endemic proportions. Thus, the study significantly correlates and advocates a strong relation of the deleterious element with the disease. It also underlines the need to address the problem by deciphering the root cause of the elevated cancer incidences in the Gangetic basin of Bihar and its association with arsenic poisoning.
Epidemiological studies have associated chronic exposure to arsenic (As) from drinking water with increased risk of hypertension. However, evidence of an association between As exposure from food and ...hypertension risks is sparse. To quantify the association between daily As intake from both food (rice, wheat and potatoes) and drinking water (Aswater) along with total exposure (Astotal) and hypertension risks in a study population in Bihar, India, we conducted an individual level cross-sectional analysis between 2017 and 2019 involving 150 participants. Arsenic intake variables and three indicators of hypertension risks (general hypertension, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)) were derived, and any relationship was quantified using a series of crude and multivariable log-linear or logistic regression models. The prevalence of general hypertension was 40% for the studied population. The median level of HDL was 45 mg/dL while median value of LDL was 114 mg/dL. Apart from a marginally significant positive relationship between As intake from rice and the changes of LDL (p-value = 0.032), no significant positive association between As intake and hypertension risks could be ascertained. In fact, Astotal was found to be associated with lower risks of general hypertension and higher levels of HDL (p-value = 0.020 and 0.010 respectively) whilst general hypertension was marginally associated with lower Aswater (p-value = 0.043). Due to limitations regarding study design and residual confounding, all observed marginal associations should be treated with caution.
•Cross-sectional study of hypertension risks associated with arsenic exposure from food and drinking water.•Total median arsenic intake of 36 µg/day for the study population in Bihar, India.•Total arsenic intake marginally associated with lower risks of general hypertension and higher levels of HDL.•Marginal positive relationship between arsenic intake from rice and level of LDL.•Limitations regarding study design and residual confounding problems should not be neglected.
In the entire world, about 200 million populations are exposed to arsenic poisoning in groundwater. In Bihar, India about 50 million people are drinking arsenic contaminated water. This has caused ...various health related problems in the population like skin diseases, anemia, bronchitis, gastrointestinal problems, hormonal imbalance and cancer.
In the present study, a total of 323 water samples were analyzed for the arsenic levels from the entire Simri village of Buxar district of Bihar and a total of 170 blood samples from the same household's subjects were collected for blood arsenic estimation through Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Pinnacle 900T, Perkin Elmer, Singapore). Apart from this the correlation coefficient study between blood arsenic levels, age of the subjects, groundwater arsenic levels and depth of the handpumps were carried out.
Data were analyzed with statistical software (GraphPad Prism 5) and while scattered graphs were plotted through statistical software SPSS- 16.0.
The maximum arsenic concentration in the groundwater sample found during the study was 1929μg/L and in blood sample was 664.7μg/L. The study denotes high arsenic concentration in the drinking water of the village Simri with the highest concentration ever reported in this part of India. Furthermore, the blood samples have also been observed with high arsenic concentration in the village population which is also the highest reporting ever done in this area. The ill health of the village population also correlates our study.
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