On Water Quality Aspects of Manchanabele Reservoir Catchment and Command Area (karnataka)

Reservoirs and lakes occupy a prominent place in the history of irrigation in South India. Tanks are considered to be useful life saving mechanism in the water scarcity areas which are categorized as Arid and Semi-arid zones. The lakes and reservoirs, all over the country without exception, are in varying degrees of environmental degradation. The degradation is due to encroachments, eutrophication (due to the inflow of domestic and industrial effluents) and siltation. There has been a quantum jump in population during the last century without corresponding expansion of civic facilities resulting in deterioration of lakes and reservoirs, especially in urban and semi urban areas becoming sinks for the contaminants. The degradation of reservoir and lake catchments due to deforestation, stone quarrying, sand mining, extensive agricultural use, consequent erosion and increased silt flows have vitiated the quality of water stored in reservoirs and lakes. Infrastructure development, housing projects, and inflow of untreated wastewater into the water bodies have resulted in deterioration of urban and rural lakes and reservoirs. The paper discusses the physico-chemical and bacteriological studies carried out on surface and ground water in the reservoir catchment and the command areas .The results of analyses of water samples reveal that water is polluted at certain locations. The presence of total –Coliform and Faecal-Coliform in ground water and reservoir and lake water at certain locations indicates that water is polluted with waste water. The nitrate level varies between 0.6ppm to 135.8ppm, and exceeds the drinking water standards at 10 locations in the catchment and command area. The suitability of water for irrigation is evaluated based on SAR, %Na, RSC and Salinity hazards. Most of the samples fall in the suitable range for irrigation purpose. The inflow of urban runoff into the surface water bodies has resulted in pollution of reservoir and ground water at certain locations. The paper also discusses the measures proposed to reduce pollution levels in the reservoir, its catchment and command area

Surface Water Quality Assessment of the Arkavathi Reservoir Catchment and Command Area, India, through Multivariate Analysis: A Study in Seasonal and Sub-Watershed Variations

open access articleThe Arkavathi River, one of the major tributaries of the Cauvery River in southern India, is a major source of drinking water and agricultural irrigation to villages and townships in the region. Surface water quality distribution and characteristics of the Arkavathi Reservoir catchment and command area were evaluated using multivariate statistical analysis on 29 water quality parameters collected across 30 monitoring stations over a two-year, three-season period. Factor analysis (FA), agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC), analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-tests were used to reveal strong links between parameters and to reveal significant variations in their concentration levels with respect to monsoon seasons and sampling locations across the sub-watersheds. Results from factor analysis showed strong groupings of specific parameters across seasons, while results from clustering revealed distinct clusters of sampling points around the river, upstream from the reservoir (where human activity is high), in the command area downstream from the reservoir (where irrigation activity is similar), in hilly regions towards the northeast of the study area and in the scrubland regions. Based on multivariate analysis findings, specific recommendations are made for water quality improvement in the reservoir catchment and command area

Preferences and barriers for continuing professional development among dental practitioners in the twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad, India

Introduction: Advances in the field of dentistry is occurring at an exponential rate, and there is an immense pressure and challenge for the dentist to keep up with it to remain competent across the full spectrum of dental profession. Aim: To assess the frequency of attending the continuing professional development (CPD) courses as well as to assess the preferences and barriers for CPD among dental practitioners in Hubli-Dharwad, India. Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire inquired on the frequency of attending CPD courses, and three questions on preferences and barriers for the same among 112 practitioners. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to find any association with gender and qualification with dependent variables. Results: Consent for the study was given by 92.9% practicing dentists. The mean age was 32.3 years. A majority of practitioners (45.2%) said that they attended CDE courses at least once in 6 months, 32.7% attended at least once in a year, and 22.1% attended rarely or never. A majority of dentists preferred esthetic dentistry. Most preferred methods for CPD courses were hands-on treatment on live patients and hands-on in clinically simulated situations. Lack of time was perceived as the most important barrier. Conclusions: A little less than half of the practitioners attended CPD courses once in 6 months with a substantial number attending very rarely or never. Most of them preferred esthetic dentistry and hands-on courses and lack of time was the most important barrier for attending CPD courses by Hubli-Dharwad dentists