Development of CCME WQI model for the groundwater appraisal for drinking in Basaltic terrain of Kadava River basin, Nashik, India

1933-1940In this study, Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, Water Quality Index (CCMEWQI) model has been used to ascertain the groundwater suitability for drinking in Kadava River basin located in Nashik district, Maharashtra. Therefore, forty (40) representative groundwater samples were collected from different dug/bore well during Pre (PRM) and Post (POM) monsoon seasons of 2011 and analyzed by standard procedures of APHA. The parameters like pH, EC, TDS, TH, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, F, SO4 and NO3 were considered to compute the CCME WQI model. The results of CCME WQI values inferred that 7.5 % in PRM and 17.5 % samples in POM seasons fall in poor category. Moreover, 77.5 % and 60 % samples fall in marginal category in PRM and POM seasons. While, 15 % and 22.5 % samples came under fair category in PRM and POM seasons. Spatial distribution maps illustrated that North, Central and South regions are identified as vulnerable for drinking; hence, unfit for drinking. In a nutshell, groundwater quality is significantly deteriorated because of agricultural practices and anthropogenic activities, therefore appropriate monitoring along with proper remedial measures is essential to sustain the groundwater quality in the river basin

The land-river interface: a conceptual framework of environmental process interactions to support sustainable development

Rivers and their surrounding lands are focal points of human development in the landscape. However, activities associated with development can greatly affect river processes, causing significant and often unintended environmental and human impacts. Despite the profound and varied environmental impacts that development-related alterations cause through hydrological, geomorphic, and ecological processes, they are not widely acknowledged outside of river management and affect resource availability and hazard exposure to people. In this paper, we propose a novel, interdisciplinary conceptual framework of river–land process interactions to support sustainable management and development. We introduce the term ‘land–river interface’ (LRI) to describe areas of the landscape in which river processes affect land, vegetation, and/or fauna, including humans, directly or indirectly. The multiple links between LRI processes and factors at the river basin, valley, and river channel (i.e. reach) scale are synthesized and a conceptual zonation of the LRI based on the process is proposed to serve as a framework to understand the impacts of human activity. Three examples of development-related activities (urbanization, dams and aggregate mining) illustrate how alteration to the form and functioning of river basins, valleys, and channels cause a range of impacts to be propagated throughout the landscape, often spatially or temporally distant from the activity. The diversity and severity of these impacts on the environment and people underscore the need to incorporate river processes, as represented in the LRI concept, into broader environmental management to better anticipate and mitigate negative impacts and maximize positive outcomes to deliver the benefits of sustainable development across society

Placed-based interpretation of the sustainable development goals for the land-river interface

The land–river interface (LRI) is important for sustainable development. The environmental processes that define the LRI support the natural capital and ecosystem services that are linked directly to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, existing approaches to scale up or down SDG targets and link them to natural capital are insufficient for the two-way human–environment interactions that exist in the LRI. Therefore, this study proposes a place-based approach to interpret the SDG framework to support sustainable land/water management, by (i) identifying key priorities for sustainable development through a normative content analysis of the SDG targets, and (ii) illustrating these priorities and associated challenges within the LRI, based on a literature review and case-studies on human–environment interactions. The content analysis identifies three overarching sustainable development priorities: (i) ensuring improved access to resources and services provided by the LRI, (ii) strengthening the resilience of the LRI to deal with social and natural shocks, and (iii) increasing resource efficiency. The review of the current state of LRIs across the world confirms that these are indeed priority areas for sustainable development. Yet, the challenges of attaining the sustainable development priorities in the LRI are also illustrated with three examples of development-related processes. Urbanisation, dam construction, and aggregate mining occur within specific zones of the LRI (land, land–river, river, respectively), but their impacts can compromise sustainable development across the entire LRI and beyond. The existence of these unintended impacts highlights the need to consider the geomorphic, hydrological, and ecological processes within the LRI and how they interact with human activity. Identifying the place-based priorities and challenges for sustainable development will help achieve the SDGs without compromising the functions and services of the LRI.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC): NE/S01232X/1. National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41911530080). Indian Department of Biotechology (BT/IN/TaSE/69/AA/2018-19