Multi‑sectoral impact assessment during the 1st wave of COVID‑19 pandemic in West Bengal (India) for sustainable planning and management

With the advancement of globalisation, urbanisation and environmental change, the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as an infectious disease, has become a global threat. The entire world is continuously trying to adapt to the pandemic situation due to the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 and the lockdown phase, which has not been faced before. The fear of infection by such an unknown virus and the epidemic transformed the built-up environment and impacted various sectors of lives and livelihoods, which must be assessed in spatial perspectives. The objective of this research is to assess the multi-sectoral impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, it is designed to inspect seven essential sectors, namely, the economy, employment, education, transport, travel and tourism, health and environment sector-wise impact assessment of the West Bengal state of India. Taking the required COVID-19 data from the government website of India (http://www.covid19india.org; https://www.mygov.in/corona-data/covid19-statewise-status) and West Bengal (https://covidindia.org/west-bengal), a methodology is proposed on an integrated framework for the multi-sectoral impact assessment. The study concentrates on West Bengal, as no study exists on the multi-sectoral impact assessment due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 1st wave, especially using the geospatial platform. The economy, employment, education, transport, health, tourism and environment multi sectors of West Bengal are selected in this research, as these sectors have built the economic, sociocultural and environmental pillars of the state. All these sectors have been seriously affected, and the nature of the impact is diverse and large. Before the vaccine comes into the hands of the common people of West Bengal and in a broad sense in India, the awareness should be increased at the grass-root level to fight against the pandemic situation and even after the post-COVID era. The application of geospatial technology used for the mapping and analysis of COVID-19 affects the related database to tease out the multidimensional study, which aims to plan future road maps, search for answers and learn to add further security to overcome the future virus attack

Spatial exploration of the literacy intensity of Sundarban

The spatial variations of the literacy intensity of any regions reflect its educational standard and its diverse dimensions of development and Sundarban region of West Bengal is no exception. Education is probably the most important amongst the three elements of human development to quantify the Human Development Index (HDI) for any region. Thus education holds the prime priority for development of all the region and Sundarban is no exception. The literacy level of Sundarban is not far ahead than other backward areas of West Bengal. In the present era of globalization, ‘Education for all’ has become the matter of human rights. Various developmental schemes of the Central and State Government, like Mid Day Meal (MDM), Sarva Sikhsha Aviyan (SSA) etc. are able to make some positive loop and make a paradigm shift in the educational sector after crossing the first decades of the 21st century. The Sundarban region might be more developed than the present if its literacy echelon and educational sector improves much more. Proper education can make the inhabitants of the region more conscious and aware to do their betterment themselves as well as to save the biodiversity of the mangrove forest area of Sundarban. Thus an attempt has been made to portrait the spatial explorations and developmental scenario along with the regional disparities of the literacy status of Sundarban in the present paper

Destruction of urban greenary of Indian cities: A study of the two wards of Kolkata through GIS and remote sensing

At present the rampant construction and poor compensatory plantation are taking a heavy toll on Kolkata’s environment. Now, Kolkata’s green cover stands at a dismal 5%, which is below the requirement of 15% for the Indian Metros. Last year Kolkata and its adjoining area have lost more than 5,000 trees to development projects, unauthorized chapping and natural causes. This has pushed up the carbon count by an alarming 5,500,000 kg. per year. The environmentalists feel that, the impact of this loss would be felt in the coming years. Thus, the rapid destruction of the urban greenery from the Indian city’s environs affects the urban ecology and causes environmental degradation. Therefore, an attempt has been made here to analyze the urban greenery or vegetation profile of Kolkata at micro level. Vegetation covers of ward 19 and 20 of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Area along with the search of its low existence (KMCA) has been worked for the study. To speed up mapping and decision making, remotely sensed satellite data have been advocated and GIS technology has been used to represent the research work more advanced

Ensemble Three-Dimensional Habitat Modeling of Indian Ocean Immature Albacore Tuna (<i>Thunnus alalunga</i>) Using Remote Sensing Data

This study evaluated the vertical distribution of immature albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) in the Indian Ocean as a function of various environmental parameters. Albacore tuna fishing data were gathered from the logbooks of large-sized Taiwanese longline vessels. Fishery and environmental data for the period from 1998 to 2016 were collected. In addition to the surface variable, the most influential vertical temperature, dissolved oxygen (OXY), chlorophyll, and salinity layers were found at various depths (i.e., 5, 26, and 53 m for SST; 200, 244, and 147 m for OXY; 508, 628, and 411 for SSCI; and 411, 508, and 773 m for SSS) among 20 vertical layers based on Akaike criterion information value of generalized linear model. Relative to the 20 vertical layers base models, these layers had the lowest Akaike information criteria. For the correlation between the standardized and predicted catch per unit effort (CPUE), the correlation values for the generalized linear model (GLM), generalized additive model (GAM), boosted regression tree (BRT), and random forest (RF) model were 0.798, 0.832, 0.841, and 0.856, respectively. The GAM-, BRT-, and RF-derived full models were selected, whereas the GLM-derived full model was excluded because its correlation value was the lowest among the four models. From March to September, a higher immature albacore standardized CPUE was mainly observed from 30°S to 40°S. A northward shift was observed after September, and the standardized CPUE was mainly concentrated at the south coast of Madagascar from November to January

Application of Hexagonal Fuzzy MCDM Methodology for Site Selection of Electric Vehicle Charging Station

In this paper, the application of hexagonal fuzzy multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology for the site selection of electric vehicle charging stations is considered. In this regard, four factors and thirteen sub-factors have been taken into consideration for E-vehicle charging site selection. In this research, the geographic information system (GIS) has been incorporated with MCDM techniques. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is used to obtain a fuzzy weight of factors and sub-factors. MCDM tools fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS) and fuzzy complex proportional assessment (FCOPRAS) have been used to rank the selected sites. A centroid-based method for defuzzification and distance measure between two hexagonal fuzzy numbers (HFN) has been developed for this paper. A practical example in Howrah, India, is considered to show the applicability and usefulness of the model. The results depict the suitability of the proposed research. Comparative and sensitivity analyses have been demonstrated to check the reliability, robustness and effectiveness of the proposed method

Fishery-based adaption to climate change: the case of migratory species flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus L.) in Taiwan Strait, Northwestern Pacific

The flathead gray mullet (Mugil cephalus L.) is a cosmopolitan fish that lives in warm and temperate zones over 42°N–42°S. It is a key fish species for industrial fishing off coastal Taiwan. Gray mullets enter the coastal waters of the southeastern Taiwan Strait (22°N–25°N) to spawn in winter and feed in the coastal and tidal waters of China (25°N–30°N). From 1986 to 2010, the annual catch of gray mullet decreased substantially and remained low. Although the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and El Niño–Southern Oscillation are recognized to affect gray mullet migration, the increase in sea surface temperature may be the main cause of the aforementioned decrease. We explored how weather changes affect fishing conditions and patterns at the gray mullet fishing grounds in Taiwan’s coastal areas. Because of the decrease in gray mullet catches, the most common method for catching gray mullet in Taiwan’s coastal areas between 1990 and 2010 was the use of drift or trawl nets instead of two-boat purse-seiner fleets. Since 2012, purse-seiner fleets have become the most common method for catching gray mullet. This trend indicates that the local fishing industry is adapting to changing environmental conditions

Geospatial Analysis of Geo-Ecotourism Site Suitability Using AHP and GIS for Sustainable and Resilient Tourism Planning in West Bengal, India

The current study intended to geospatially analyze the potentiality and site suitability of geo-ecotourism in West Bengal, India. The state of West Bengal is a great platform for diverse tourism and has enormous potential to cultivate geo-ecotourism, as has come up in recent years. The current effort throws some valuable light on the possibility of turning the many geologically, geomorphologically and ecologically significant tourist spots of West Bengal into geo-ecotourism sites, aided with geospatial techniques. The study deals with the qualitative and quantitative investigation of the potentiality of the whole state by dividing it into several geo-ecotourism zones, based on its physiographic setting and Land Use Land Cover (LULC) features, using satellite image data. The application of geospatial technology combined with Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) was employed for this geospatial analysis to portray the potential zones using cartographic and statistical techniques. Furthermore, nine criteria were selected to run the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to determine the site suitability for geo-ecotourism. The present submission attempts to record the mapping and analysis of geo-ecotourism of West Bengal employing a secondary database, an expert’s opinions and primary observations, with the application of the AHP method and GIS. The outcomes of the study were found to be very significant, as they indicate a proviso for geo-ecotourism development in the state and will contribute to the formation of location-specific planning and the sustainable management of geo-ecotourism

Analysis of the shoreline changes using geoinformatics in Ghoramara Island of Hugli Estuary, West Bengal in India

Conceptual Framework: Coastal decrepitude is the loss of topographical resources along the coast as a result of silt, temperature fluctuations, tidal shifts, and wave breaking. Hydraulic activity, scraping, abrasion, and erosion are the major causes of erosion; other factors that affect it include the condition of the shore, rocks, joints, fissures, marine chemical reactions, and wave force. Objectives: The primary objectives of this study are to analyze the coastline changes between 1972 and 2022 utilizing remote sensing and GIS data and forecast the changes in the shoreline in 2032. Methods: The study examined coastal areas from 1972 to 2022 using multi-temporal satellite data from Landsat TM and Landsat OLI/TIRS. Shoreline change and the calculations related to it were examined using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System using near-infrared bands and tasseled cap transformation, to determine the rate of change in the shoreline, the study also employed Shoreline Change Envelope and End Point Rate techniques. Results: Coastal erosion caused substantial damage to the island between 1972 and 2022. The northern, southeastern, and western regions of the coast are seeing the highest levels of coastal erosion. The south coast experiences considerable erosion, whereas the west and southeast coasts experience the least. The EPR of Ghoramara Island has mean, minimum, and maximum changes of −10.59, −4.13, and −35.93, respectively. A notable inshore shift has occurred in the northern portion of Ghoramara, extending from 676 m to 855 m. The study also uses tidal gauge records and Revised Local Reference data from the Haldia Gauge Station to track long-term sea level variations. According to the study, Ghoramara Island's shoreline will change by 2032, with the greatest negative changes expected to occur around the island's western and southern borders. Conclusion: The study shows a significant decrease in Ghoramara's shoreline regions between 1972 and 2022, with a 3,000-population shifted from the place in 2016 due to Lohachara's submergence. Changes in the island's morphology and human activities have reduced cultivation. The study suggests increasing mangrove vegetation to combat coastal erosion and prevent further displacement of people to neighboring islands

Assessing Groundwater Dynamics and Potentiality in the Lower Ganga Plain, India

The present study intended to assess groundwater storage dynamics (GWS) and identify potential zones using the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method and geospatial technology in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, India. The study district is located in the Ganga&ndash;Padma&ndash;Bhagirathi rivers&rsquo; floodplain and covers approximately a 5324 km2 area, comprising 26 blocks in five sub-divisions. The study portrayed a quantitative investigation of the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season&rsquo;s variability of GWS from 2000 to 2020, taking Landsat TM/Landsat 8 OLI/SRTM satellite data. The geo-spatio-temporal analysis of groundwater storage variability for 20 years was carried out by such remotely sensed data with the geospatial method to portray the dynamics and uncover the potential zones of GWS using various cartographic and statistical techniques. We determined nine parameters for the study, and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method was employed for the computation. The present estimation and assessment include the MCDM method, covering assorted parameters and the variations and aspects of GWS in the pre- and post-monsoon seasons from 2000 to 2020. The outcome illustrates that a decline in water storage has taken place in most of the blocks of Murshidabad district on average during the study period, which indicates a water stress provison in the near future. However, the micro (block)-level scenario of the spatiotemporal dynamics of GWS and the potential zonation in the Murshidabad District were investigated to form a location-specific micro-level arrangement for the sustainable management of water

Bio-molecule functionalized rapid one-pot green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their efficacy toward the multidrug resistant (MDR) gut bacteria of silkworms (Bombyx mori)

The present study aimed to synthesise bio-molecule functionalized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using leaf extract from mulberry variety S-1635 (Morus albaL.) and to explore its antibacterial efficacy against multidrug resistant (MDR) gut bacteria isolated from natural infection observed from silkworm larvae in rearing conditions. AgNPs formation was established by surface plasmon resonance at 480 nm. The crystallinity of the synthesised AgNPs was checked by HR-TEM and XRD analysis. SEM and TEM characterisation further exhibited the spherical, monodispersed, well scattered nature of the AgNPs with an average particle size of 11.8 nm +/- 2.8. The presence of (111), (200), (220) and (311) planes in Bragg's reflections confirmed the face-cantered-cubic crystalline silver. EDX analysis confirmed the presence of elemental silver. FT-IR spectra revealed functional groups were responsible for the reduction of silver ions. The zeta potential value of -17.3 mV and -25.6 mV was recorded in MH and DMEM/F-12 media, respectively. The LC-QTOF/MS and HRMS spectra disclosed the presence of bioactive compounds like flavonoid, gallic acid, and stigmasterol, which are probably involved in the reduction and functionalization of AgNPs. The antibacterial efficacy of bio-molecule functionalized AgNPs and the naked AgNPs was tested on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria isolated from silkworms and characterized by using 16S rDNA andgyrBgenes. The cytotoxicity of AgNPs was tested on WRL-68, HEK-293, ACHN, and HUH-7 cell lines using MTT assay. This study provides an insight into the application of bio-molecule functionalized AgNPs for combating various silkworm pathogens which severely affect the agro-rural economy of developing countries