Drinking water contamination in Calcutta

The following paper summarizes the results of a study on drinking water contamination in Calcutta undertaken since November 1999 which is still going on at the time of writing and which mainly deals with • the bacteriological and chemical quality of Calcutta’s drinking water and • public awareness with regard to related issues

Severe historical floods on the river Roda, Thuringia: from reconstruction to implications for flood management

Using the Roda river (Thuringia) as an example, we present methods for and results of historical flood research in Germany. The Roda river is one of the tributaries of the Saale river with a length of approximately 33 km. Although the watershed only covers around 262 km², the Roda is very vulnerable to flooding. The river caused damages of catastrophic dimensions within the urban area of Stadtroda (until 1925 “Roda”). These damages were especially devastating after heavy rainfall events during the late spring and early summer seasons of June 1582, April 1654, June 1827, June 1871 and June 1876. This article discusses how the flood history of the Roda river and human response to the associated natural hazards can be analysed by a combination of archive and field work. By means of the available material (e.g. printed, handwritten and physical sources as well as maps, engravings and historical photos), the history of severe floods was reconstructed for several centuries. This specifically refers to 1) the genesis, magnitude, frequency and length of floods, 2) the extent of damages and losses, 3) the risk perception and evaluation by municipal and national administrations and 4) the planning and implementation of protective measures and their impacts. Interestingly, the analysis of the disastrous floods of 1871 and 1876 shows striking similarities to the current discussion (e.g. regarding the influence of land use changes). Furthermore, the combined historical accounts are an important basis for the derivation of future flood risk assessments for the Roda river. Going beyond the specific basin of the Roda, the findings also reveal important insights regarding the impacts of increases in heavy regionalized rainfall for small watersheds, which is predicted to occur more frequently in such watersheds in the state of Thuringia

Environmental Education through Fieldwork

In a project jointly organized by a German high school and the local university’s Department of Geography, students together with their teachers and scientists investigated the usage and state of water bodies in their home town (Göttingen, Germany). The environmental education impact of the project was evaluated by conducting written learner interviews prior to the project, immediately following the project work and 6 months after its completion. These were complemented by oral interviews of both the organizing scientists and teachers. Results of the evaluation revealed an increase in environmental knowledge and a sensibilization of the students for water-related environmental issues. The substantial raise in environmental awareness was only partly reflected by a modification of attitudes and willingness to act more eco-friendly. Nevertheless, it was demonstrated that a project involving scientific fieldwork can have an influence on students’ environmental science literacy and attitude.Peer Reviewe

Challenges for transboundary river management in Eastern Europe – three case studies

The transboundary river basins shared between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union pose unique challenges for management because of differences regarding not only the legal framework but also related to monitoring practices and water utilization. Using the example of three river basins – the Desna (shared by Russia and Ukraine), the Western Dvina (shared by Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia) and the Western Bug (shared by Ukraine, Belarus and Poland) – this paper provides an analysis of current challenges with respect to transboundary water resources management in Eastern Europe. This assessment is based on a comparison of similarities and disparities concerning the physical and human geography of the basins (and their national sub-basins) as well as specific problems related to water pollution caused by urban, agricultural and industrial water usage both in the recent past and today. All three catchments have a similar size, climate and hydrological characteristics. However, there are different challenges regarding up- and downstream sections of the respective basins: pollution input in the Western Bug originates primarily from upstream sources in Ukraine and Belarus, whereas ecological problems in the Desna and Western Dvina persist principally downstream, i.e. in Ukraine respectively Belarus and Latvia. Despite some differences between the basins, it is concluded that interstate cooperation is an important prerequisite for integrated water resources management (IWRM) in all of the studied basins. This analysis identified several key challenges related to start or continue with IWRM, including pollution mitigation, improved monitoring, appropriate governance, climate change and its effect on water balances in the catchments, capacity development and thorough system understanding

Geographische Determinanten der Malaria-Übertragung

Trotz massiver Anstrengungen zur Malariabekämpfung zählt die Krankheit weiterhin zu den wichtigsten Gesundheitsrisiken in großen Teilen der Tropen und Subtropen. Von besonderer Bedeutung ist Malaria für den afrikanischen Kontinent, wobei ein Großteil der Infektionen auf die Staaten West-, Zentral- und Ostafrikas entfällt. In Burkina Faso stellt Malaria ein erhebliches Problem für die öffentliche Gesundheit dar und ist u.a. die wichtigste Todesursache bei Kindern. Die hier vorgestellte Fallstudie hatte zum Ziel, am Beispiel der Provinz Kossi (Burkina Faso) die geographischen Muster der Malariaverteilung auf regionaler Ebene zu untersuchen. Während die Übertragungsmuster saisonal dem Jahresgang der Klimafaktoren folgen, wurden erhebliche räumliche Unterschiede in Hinblick auf Saisonalität und Malariainzidenz festgestellt und die Zusammenhänge mit Natur- und Sozialraum untersucht