Paddy Stubble Management: A Study on Farmers’ Opinions

The purpose of the study is to examine the paddy straw management practices by farmers amidst the various difficulties faced by them in terms of machinery, resources, etc. The study was conducted in Rohtak district of Haryana (India). A well-structured interview schedule was formulated and one hundred farmers were interviewed accordingly. Simple random sampling technique was adopted for the selection of twenty paddy growing farmers from each of the blocks viz. Rohtak, Sampla, Meham, Lakhan Majra and Kalanaur of the selected district. The data was analysed, tabulated and the results were drawn using the statistical tools of SPSS and MS Excel. The Chi-square test was used to establish the relation between the paddy straw management technologies and the reasons for non-adoption of these technologies. It is found that maximum number of farmers are marginal land holders. Many farmers are unaware of the conservation techniques to manage paddy stubble viz. use of decomposers, etc. The high cost and low availability of paddy stubble management machinery also plague the farmers. The results of the study help in understanding the behaviours of farmers towards tackling the paddy stubble. Also, useful inputs can be drawn to design, manufacture and adopt the agricultural implements for stubble management. The study is based on a sample of just hundred farmers and is limited to Rohtak district only. Nevertheless, the study is valuable for it comprehensively interrelates the myriad aspects of paddy stubble management in the stubble burning prone area of Rohtak

Effect of paddy residue management techniques on yield of wheat crop and its attributes

The research study deals with the results of the yield and yield attributing characters of the wheat crop corresponding to the nine different treatments (T-1 to T-9) of paddy residue management. The wheat yield accounts for the grain yield and straw yield while the wheat yield attributing characters include the spike length, grains per spike, grain test weight, etc. The results of these pertains to the data collected and analysed from the two consecutive years of field experimentation employing various treatments and replications of paddy stubble management. The resultant data of different parameters (yield and its attributing characters) from various treatments carried out through the two years of field experiments is tabulated in the Table 1 and Table 2 for effective discussion of results. The results suggested that the combined use of SMS (straw management system) mounted combine harvester, happy seeder and decomposer provides the best way to manage paddy residue, thereby yielding good yields of succeeding wheat crop to the farmers

Water Quality Assessment of Brahma Sarovar: A Sacred Lake at Kurukshetra (India)

Brahama Sarovar, in Kurukshetra city (India), is an ancient sacred lake where devotees perform various religious activities/offerings on daily basis, and on special occasions of solar and lunar eclipses, millions of pilgrims all over the country have mass bathing (holy-dip) for internal and external purity. Along with religious importance, this artificial lake also acts as a sacred grove/wetland that serves as an important wintering and stopover site for migratory birds from the Palearctic region. The study was carried out with the objective to analyze the improvement in water quality status after the provision of a closed conduit for the supply of fresh water to the lake and additional measures required for public health safety. For this, the water quality of this sacred lake has been spatially analyzed and compared with Indian standards prescribed for ‘Designated Best Use Class-B: Outdoor Bathing (Organised)’ in the present study. Though the parameters – pH (7.94 within the limits of 6.5-8.5), turbidity (3.63 < 5 NTU), TDS (222.33 < 500 mg/L), TSS (100.25 mg/L) and MPN (239.25 ≤ 500 per 100 ml) were observed to be within the permissible limits, but DO (4.7 ≤ 5.0 mg/L) and BOD (3.54 ≥ 3.0 mg/L) of the lake water were found beyond the permissible limits. Thus, making the lake water unfit for human use for bathing. The comparison with the previous two studies revealed that the lake’s water quality has improved in the last couple of years through the provision of a closed conduit, in place of an open channel, for the supply of fresh canal water to the lake. A couple of additional measures have also been suggested to maintain the water quality standards in the lake so as to protect the human health of the devotees and pilgrims

A Comprehensive Review of Noise Measurement, Standards, Assessment, Geospatial Mapping and Public Health

Noise pollution is an emerging issue in cities around the world. Noise is a pernicious pollutant in urban landscapes mainly due to the increasing number of city inhabitants, road and aviation traffic, industrial and construction activities, and appliances or machinery used in daily life. The objective of this paper is to present a comprehensive review of noise measurement, guidelines/standards, and parameters used in noise monitoring; noise assessment associated with the area characteristics and the violations of guidelines/standards; noise geospatial mapping in urban planning; and physiological and psychological effects of noise exposure on public health. The review results revealed that standard methodology was lacking in many of the reviewed studies for noise measurement in various land-use patterns, especially the duration of noise monitoring; noise levels exceeded the prescribed noise standards in almost every noise assessment study across the globe irrespective of land-use or designated zone, and are exhibiting rising trends particularly due to traffic-induced noise; the majority of the urban population has been exposed to the noisy environment and affected with significant physiological and psychological health impacts; noise geospatial mapping has demonstrated high potential in noise abatement and management; and marked drop in noise levels in an urban environment during COVID-19 lockdown period. Based on the review results, the present study has suggested some future research perspectives of noise abatement and management that include a focus on – methodical noise assessment with prescribed guidelines of noise measurement and standards; geospatial noise mapping of urban areas, and real-time information system; universal database management software (DBMS) such as SQL and Improvado to compile data in single storage that will allow multiple users to access data despite different geographical locations; awareness programs using multi-media approaches in urban areas; and strict implementation of noise laws and regulations, that leads to the development of advanced technologies, integrated strategies, and sustainable environmental planning to mitigate the menace of noise pollution.

Air Quality Mapping and Urban Planning for Sustainable Urban Ecology: A Case Study of Chandigarh, India

In the fast urbanizing world, it has become vital to study urban ecology so as to understand where and how anthropogenic activities impair the urban environment, including air quality; and how living conditions can be improved by urban planning without mortifying urban ecology. This may require innovative technological ideas to efficiently and judiciously utilize the limited urban space. Air quality mapping using Geographic Information System (GIS) provides one such effective tool to urban planners to identify and target specific areas for air quality management in urban setting. In the present study, the air quality mapping of a well-planned city of Chandigarh (India) with proper environmental management zoning has revealed that the air quality index (AQI) of the city falls under “Moderately Polluted (101-200)” category primarily due to annual average concentrations of  (range: 44.17-68.87; overall: 56.64) and  (range: 99.32-129.39; overall: 111.92) being higher than the permissible levels of  40   and 60  respectively as per Indian standards at all locations as well as for overall city. The study has identified vehicular traffic as the primary reason responsible for the moderately polluted air quality of the city that has the highest vehicle density (878 per 1,000 population) in India. The paper has also suggested measures that may be incorporated during designing and developing the physical and social infrastructures in the city so as to judiciously and efficiently utilize the limited urban space

Potential of Moringa oleifera and Okra as Coagulants in Sustainable Treatment of Water and Wastewater

Chemical/synthetic coagulants are widely used to remove suspended solids and organic loads from water, but they pose several environmental and public health issues due to their chronic toxicity. The study evaluated the performance of these natural coagulants individually and in blended combinations with a synthetic coagulant, Alum, in terms of the percentage removal of turbidity, TSS, BOD, and COD after water treatment at optimum dosages. The blended use of all three coagulants in equal proportion showed the best performance (turbidity removal = 91.91%; TSS removal = 51.18%; BOD removal = 41.67%; and COD removal = 55.56%), but increased the pH of treated water from 7.10 to 7.95. The treatment cost analysis showed that Alum had the lowest treatment cost (Rs. 0.78 per 1,000 L); while the blended use of Moringa oleifera and Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) at the optimum dosage of 120 mg/L had the lowest cost (Rs. 31.20 per 1,000 L) among the natural coagulants. Despite higher cost of treatment, the use of natural coagulants in water and wastewater treatment provide sustainable solutions while reducing the negative impact of synthetic coagulants on the environment and public health