013439   Wang W;Liu W;Wang L;Yang T;Li R (College of Energy and Environment, Shenyang Aerospace Univ, The Key Laboratory of Clean Energy of Liaoning Province, Shenyang-110136, China, Email: cathywwy@sau.edu.cn) : Characteristics and distribution research on extracellular polymer substance extracted from seqage sludge. J envir Biol 2016, 37(2), 305-12.

Extracellular polymer substance (EPS) is an important substance in sludge dewatering process and can be divided into slime, loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) and tightly bound EPS(TB-EPS). The major components in different EPS layers in mechanical dewatered sludge (sample D) and sludge from thickening tank (sample U) were analyzed in the study. Results showed that, for all sludge samples, protein content in slime was much higher than that in LB-EPS and TB-EPS. In addition, from the results of total EPS content in four sludge samples (U: 98.68 mg gvss^-1, US (sample U+SDS): 135.27 mg gvss^-1, D:138.16 mg gvss^-1, DS:211.21 mg gvss^-1), it was found that sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) extracted more EPS content from sludge, which proved that SDS might cause substantial release of EPS, especially PN from sludge. Increase PS content in LB-EPS, and TB-EPS as addition of SDS, implied sensibility of cells in sludge to SDS. Differential Scanning Calorimetry found that bound water proportion in four different sludge samples ranged as follows : as D <62> DS <62> US <62> U. Results from other analytical techniques, such as FTIR and NMR, were also given the supported proof for the distribution changes of EPS and bound water.

7 illus, 2 tables, 46 ref

013438   Vidya Vijay M;Sudarsan J S;Nithiyanantham S (Civil and Environmental Engineering Dep, SRM University, SRM Nagar, Kattankulathur, Kancheepuram District, Tamilnadu-603 203, Email: sudarsanjss@yahoo.com) : Sustainability of constructed wetlands in using biochar for treating wastewater. Rasayan J Chem 2017, 10(3), 1056-61.

Constructed wetland (CW) is a reliable, cost effective and sustainable technology for the treatment of different sorts of wastewater via different treatment processes including biological, chemical and physical processes. Coconut Shell (CS) as Biochar was obtained through decomposition of organic material without oxygen. It offers simple, cost effective strategies to treat wastewater and decrease carbon footprint. Consolidation of both (Constructed wetland and Biochar) technologies was adopted to increase the productivity in the treatment of domestic wastewater. Reduction of parameters like nitrogen, pH, turbidity other physicochemical parameters from wastewater using biochar from coconut shell was investigated by mixing the biochar with the wetland soil. Further, in this study analyzed the effect of biochar on the growth of the plants in the wetland (Typha latifolia). The biochar amended wetlands showed greater removal efficiencies of 99.9% and 77.7% in removing turbidity and TDS, respectively.

3 illus, 1 table, 18 ref

013437   Tripathi S P M;Tiwari J P;Tiwari G L (Botany Dep, M.L.K. P.G. College, Balrampur-271 201) : Ecological survey on chaetophorales of two ponds at Gorakhpur (U.P.), India. Pl Archs 2016, 16(2), 556-8.

Physico chemical studies of two fresh water ponds at Gorakhpur showed that Chaetophorales were almost absent in polluted water. Stigeoclonium nanum flourished well only in polluted water and appeared as biological indicator of water pollution. Stigeoclonium farctum and Pseudulvella americana var. indica were found in both - 15 - polluted and less polluted ponds indicating that they were pollution tolerant. Their number declined in the polluted pond.

2 tables, 16 ref

013436   Soni D K;Ansari F (NO, Central Pollution Control Board (Zonal Office), PICUP Bhawan, Vinhiti Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow-226 010, Email: checkfarid@gmail.com) : Climate change and biodiversity; impacts, vulnerability and mitigation in Indian perspective. J appl nat Sci 2017, 9(1), 632-8.

As per the nature of law, changes are bound to be happening in the system if any component of the system gets altered by any means. Change of climate and subsequently loss of biodiversity threatens the existence of human being. The loss of biodiversity, which has been happening worldwide, poses a serious threat to the anthro-pological system. An investigation of the current trend and future scenario shows that this loss is likely to continue in the foreseeable times. India has a huge variety of biodiversity and in the last few decades, its biodiversity has come under threat from climate change which accelerated by the anthropogenic activities of various sources of pollution. The review shows that climate change is a serious environmental challenge that undermines the determination for sustainable development. Climate change has become the most crucial environmental concern of the decade. Much attention is rightly focused on reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases from industrial, energy and transport sector through reduction in fuel consumption and use of renewable/green energy. However, as countries are looking for mitigation and adaptation processes, protection of natural habitats is a key factor of climate change strategies. Strengthened support for protected areas and more sustainable resource management can contribute to strategies as well as for protection of the biological resources and ecosystem. Climate change is developing as one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, increasing pressures on genetic resources, species and populations. Biodiver-sity conservation and sustainable development are the possible ways to curtail the impact of climate change. Although, adequate efforts have been made worldwide to tackle the environmental challenges, the adverse effects of climate change are still accelerating and the rate of loss of biodiversity is continuing globally.

^iia2 tables, 30 ref

013435   Singh P;Seema (Soil Science and Agri. Chemistry Dep, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu Univ, Varanasi, Email: singh.preeti8888@gmail.com) : Eco-restoration of coal mine overburden dump. Envir Conserv J 2017, 18(1-2), 117-9.

Energy is needed for economic growth and more than 70% of the energy generation capacity in India is by using coal. The production of coal was 430.83 Mt out of which opencast contributed to around 373 Mt in 2006 with an estimated overburden removal of 600 million m³. In India, opencast mining is most prominent method of coal excavation. However, each year hundreds of acres of pristine forest and productive agricultural land are brought in the gambit of open cast coal mining. Moreover, open cast mining leaves behind a lot of over burden which is an environmental problem. Faced with a burgeoning population, agriculture in India must bring - 14 - under its gambit the non-conventional or non-traditional area, to feed the teeming millions. Reclaimed coal mine areas could be the non-traditional areas. Among the two methods of restoration, physical methods are costly and not viable. Biological methods are of low cost hence most appropriate. Among biological technique using tree species to restore coal mine spoil holds great promise because it accelerate the soil-forming processes, control erosion, build up organic matter, develop microbial communities, initiate nutrient cycling, decreases air and water pollution, reduces geo-environmental disasters, maintain biodiversity and enhance overall aesthetics of the area.

11 ref

013434   Sharma S;Pant H (NO, G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable, Kosi-Katarmal, Almoar-263 643, Email: subrats@rediffmail.com) : Vulnerability of Indian Central Himalayan forests to fire in a warming climate and a participatory preparedness approach based on modern tools. Curr Sci 2017, 112(10), 2100-5.

Wildfires have been considered as part of the natural cycle, but the globe is witnessing them more often outside the natural cycle. In recent years, incidence of wild fire/forest fire are increasing globally, and also in India. The Himalayan region is not an exception, where wide inter-annual fluctuation occur in fire events, and a few of them lead to disasters resulting in immediate and cascading social and economic impacts and thus to vulnerability and exposure of Himalayan forests to current climate variability. Mountainous topography and insufficient state resources are a bottleneck to respond to fire disaster. This study analyses the role of climate as a precursor to large-scale forest fires, and the perception of village forest councils on the impact of forest fire and climate change. A framework has been proposed for integration of ground-based observation network and prevailing modern technologies as a mechanism to develop a fire poptential index to reduce disturbances and for resource optimization in case of disastrous fires.

4 illus, 2 tables, 19 ref

013433   Sharma J;Raina A K (Environmental Science Dep, Jammu Univ, Jammu, Email: anilkraina@yahoo.com) : Lifeform classification and biological spectrum of Nandini wildlife sanctuary, Jammu, J&K, India. Envir Conserv J 2017, 18(1-2), 231-7.

The present study gives an account of different life form categories and biological spectrum of Nandini Wildlife Sanctuary. A total of 335 species belonging to 86 families and 251 genera has been recorded from the area and has been grouped into different life forms classes according to Raunkiaer's lifeform classification. The result indicates Therophytes (40%), and Macrophanerophytes (20.59%) to be the dominant lifeforms followed by Nanophanerophytes (9.85%), Chamaephytes (9.25%) and Hemicryptophytes (9.25%). Biological spectrum on life form have also been prepared and compared with Raunkiaer's normal biological spectrum as well as the spectra of the adjoining areas prepared by other workers. On comparison with Raunkiaer's normal spectrum, the present study area depicts Thero-phanerophytic type of phytoclimate.

1 illus, 3 tables, 54 ref

013432   Sati B K;Thapliyal M;Thapliyal A (Biotechnology Dep, GEU, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, Email: madhuthapliyal@gmail.com) : Impact of anthropogenic activity on habitat of Zebra fish (Danio devario) in river Nimmi of western Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. Envir Conserv J 2017, 18(1-2), 197-205.

Uttarakhand is on fast growth path. Several hydro-electric power projects, etc., are being constructed leading to increase in demand of raw material for construction which is obtained by mining of river beds. River Minimi is one tributary of river Yamuna, where river bed mining is rampant. This study investigated the impact of anthropogenic activity on the habitat of zebra fish that is known to survive in small pools of water for a long period of time. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index of all the study sites ranged from 1.361 to 1.566, Simpson index of dominance ranged from 0.6444 to 0.6805 and Simpson index of diversity (1-d) range was between 0.3422 to 0.42. Various physicochemical parameters of water from different sites did not show significant variation. Population of Daniodevario is falling rapidly which was recorded 129 in August 2012 to only in lower 40s in 2013 at site 2. This decline of population at site 2, that has maximum diversity, is mostly due to vanishing side pool due to anthropogenic activity. Our study shows that there is an urgent need to pay attention to the problem of habitat loss due to anthopogenicacitivty in river beds of Uttarakhand.

6 illus, 3 tables, 21 ref

013431   Satashiya K F;Patel K G;Patel A M (Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry Dep, N. M. College of AgricultureNavsari Agricultural Univ, Navsari, Gujarat, Email: ketansatashiya@yahoo.co.in) : Estimation of micronutrients contamination in mango leaves sample surrounding different industrial area of Gujarat, Western India. Envir Conserv J 2017, 18(1-2), 71-4.

The anthropogenic pollution caused by heavy industries enters plants then goes through food chain and ultimately endangers human health. A preliminary survey work was taken up during the year 2014-2015. The aim of study were to estimation of micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) contamination in mango leaves sample surrounding different industrial area of Gujarat like, Ankleshwar, Sachin and Vapi. The concentrations of micronutrient level were determined using Perkin-Elmer Induction Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy, (ICP-MS). the result revealed that the concentrations of analyzed micronutrient range from Fe content 491 to 990 mg/kg with mean value of 798 mg/kg. Mn content 31.5 to 97.9 mg/kg with mean value of 70.1, Zn content 12.6 to 46.5 with mean value of 31.2 mg/kg and Cu content 3.9 to 14.7 mg/kg with mean value of 8.5 mg/kg in fields situated within the 2 km area of Ankleshwar, Sachin and Vapi GIDC. While, Fe content in fields situated in outside Fe content 503 to 985 mg/kg with mean value of 752 mg/kg. Mn content 32.2 to 99.7 mg/kg with mean value of 62.7 mg/kg, respectively. Zn content 20.0 to 43.0 mg/kg with mean value of 29.9 and Cu content 4.3 to 10.7 mg/kg mean value of 7.8 mg/kg. Thus the mango leaves samples value situated within 2 km and out-side 2 km area of Ankleshwar, Sachin and Vapi GIDC industrial area of Gujarat, indicated that among the micronutrient content Fe content in mango leaves nearby different industrial area were found above maximum permissible limit. While the values of other micronutrients (Mn, Zn and Cu) were found below maximum permissible limit in different industrial areas of Gujarat.

1 table, 10 ref

013430   Sarma S D;Hussain A;Sarma J D (Biological Sciences Dep, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research-Kolkata, Mohanpur-741 246, Email: dassarmaj@iiserkol.ac.in) : Advances made in understanding the effects of arsenic exposure on humans. Curr Sci 2017, 112(10), 2008-15.

Arsenic contamination of drinking water is a great concern for public health throughout the world. This alarming situation led to many independent research studies but there are only a few studies till date which collectively articulated all studies together with a multidisciplinary approach for better understanding. The present article is an effort towards collating the advances made in understanding the impacts of arsenic toxicity on human beings. It discusses the sourcs, mobility, sensing and metabolism patterns of arsenic. It also deals with understanding the impact of arsenic toxicity over clinical health, nutritional status, carcinogenicity, genomics, and social and economic status of human beings. Though many evaluative studies have been conducted, there are no easy and effective measures of sensing and remediation available till date. Hence, authors conclude that more collective, multidisciplinary, advanced and target-specific studies are essential, the outcome of which can contribute in developing better prevention strategies and technological mitigation programmes for the betterment of human kind.

3 illus, 1 table, 71 ref

013429   Samson S;Elangovan K (Civil Engineering Dep, VelTechDr RR&Dr SR Univ, Chennai-600 062, Email: samsonduke66@gmail.com ) : Multivariate statistical analysis to assess groundwater quality in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu, India. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(4), 830-6.

Seventy three groundwater samples were collected covering all the blocks of the district except structural hills during premonsoon season of the year 2007. Samples were tested for the parameters "EC, Turbidity, pH, Total Hardness, Iron, Chlorides, Total Dissolved Solids, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium Manganese, Sulphate, Nitrate, Nitrite and Total Alkalinity. Hydrochemical facies were studied using Piper's trilinear diagram and the groundwater type was found to be mixed type. Hydrochemical parameters are further studied using statistical tools such as descriptive, correlation and cluster analyses. Parameter TDS had shown its dominance in all the analyses. The concentration of TDS, its correlations with major cations and anions and grouping of other parameters have shown that the concentration TDS has influenced the categorization of groundwater of the study area as mixed type.

4 illus, 3 tables, 21 ref

013428   Sahoo B P;Karman Kaur (SGTB Khalsa College, Delhi Univ, Delhi, Email: karmanbright@gmail.com) : Analyzing economic viability of implementing Redd+ in India: cost benefit approach. Envir Conserv J 0000, 18(1-2), 189-95.

The paper seeks to find the economic viability of implementing REDD+, a voluntary market mechanism which involves incentivizing developing countries to stop deforestation and forest degradation in exchange of payment by the developed countries, to achieve their greenhouse gas concentration targets. The net revenues to the farmers from undertaking the REDD+ program and from the next best uses of forest land i.e. using the land for Rice plantation is calculated. It was found that REDD+ comes out to be the most profitable option for the farmers of Andhra Pradesh. The effect of uncertainty was also taken into account by doing a sensitivity analysis of the results. The fact that REDD+ still came out to be highly profitable ensures that the model is efficient and robust even in case of uncertainty.

2 illus, 8 tables, 15 ref

013427   Ritesh Kumar;Sharma S;Singh K (NO, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad-826 015, Email: ritesh13@rediffmail.com) : Composition and morphology study of acid-digested pond ash. Curr Sci 2017, 112(10), 2089-95.

Present study examines the chemical composition and morphology of raw and acid-digested pond ash samples that were collecgted from four ash ponds of the Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited, Sindri unit, Jharkhand, India. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to analyse the four pond ash samples. The aim of the study was to characterize the pond ash samples in order to assess their utilization based on morphological characteristics. Besides, loss-on-ignition and leaching studies (both with distilled water and under acidic medium conditions) were also conducted to understand the mobility of various elements in the leachates. The information provided herein would be useful to clearly understand the difference in the chemical composition and morphology of the raw and acid-digested pond ash samples.

2 illus, 5 tables, 18 ref

013426   Rai S;Sunil Kumar;Palsaniya D R;Pandey S; Chaudhary M (NO, ICAR- Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi-284 003, Email: suchitra67@yahoo.co.in) : Variability and long term in pan evaporation in semi-arid regionof Bundelkhand. J Agrometeorol 2017, 19(3), 290-1.

^ssc1 table, 6 ref

013425   Pradeep Kumar;Ghose M K (Forests, Environment and Wildlife Management Dep, Government of Sikkim, Sikkim-737 102, Email: pradeepifs@gmail.com) : Remote sensing-derived spectral vegetation indices and forest carbon: testing the validity of models in mountainous terrain covered with high biodiversity. Curr Sci 2017, 112(10), 2043-50.

Sequestration of carbon through forests is an important aspect in global climate change mitigation. Assessment of carbon in forests using remote sensing and GIS tools is one of the most important aspects of rapid and verifiable methodologies. A number of studies have shown the utility of spectral (vegetation) indices like NDVI in the assessment of forest carbon. However, there are limitations to this approach. The mountainous topography and high biodiversity affect the spectral values in pixels in multiple ways. The present article aims to test the validity of use of vegetation indices in high-biodiversity forests carbon measurement with vegetation indices of NDVI, EVI, SAVI and MSAVI in a multi-sensor, multi-season data environment with multiple regression methods like linear, power, logarithmic, polynomial and expotential. It is found that all the regressions have a poor coefficient of determination not even exceeding 0.2. It is concluded that the remote sensing-based spectral vegetation indices alone cannot be a proxy for forest carbon calculators in high biodiversity mountain forests.

6 illus, 1 table, 22 ref

013424   Pitchaikani J S;Sarma K S;Bhattacharyya S (ICZM Project, State Project Management Unit, Institute of Environmental Studies & We, Sector-I, Salt Lake City, Kolkata-700 064, Email: selvinocean@gmail.com) : First time report on the weather patterns over the Sundarban mangrove forest, east coast of India. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(4), 766-70.

In order to understand the current weather pattern of the Sundarban, a comprehensive data base of meteorological parameters were collected from Satjelia Island of Sundarban and - 10 - analyzed for a one year period and a long term set up has been commissioned to understand the climate change patterns of the region.

4 illus, 22 ref

013423   Pitchaikani J S;Mukherjee S (ICZM Project, State Project Management Unit, Institute of Environmental Studies & W, DD-24, Sector-I, Salt Lake City, Kolkata-700 064, Email: selvinocean@gmail.com) : Wake up call for protecting digha coast, West Bengal, Northerast coast of India. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(4), 771-3.

6 illus, 6 ref

013422   Panda S S;Basu A;Patnaik N;Dhal N K (Environment and Sustainability Dep, CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, Email: nkd.radha@gmail.com) : Screening, biosorption and identification of indigenous fungal strains of iron mining area, Odisha, India. Envir Conserv J 2017, 18(1-2), 211-8.

Heavy metal pollution of soil, water bodies and air is one of the alarming issues in all over the world. The present investigation mainly deals with the isolation, identification and screening of the metal sorption capacity of indigenous fungal strains isolated from iron mining area, Barbil, Odisha, India. Major fungal genera observed were Aspergillus sp., Rhizopus sp., Fusarium sp., Penicillium sp., Trichoderma sp., etc. Iron tolerance studies were carried out on Potato dextrose agar and Czapekdox agar using disc diffusion method with FeCl₃ concentrations ranging from 200 to 1000 mg/1. Out of 14 isolates, 6 showed maximum tolerance at 1000 mg/1. The percentage of iron removal was maximum i.e. 96.62% by Aspergillus japonicus strain VIT-SB1 at 36 hrs at pH 6 and ambient temperature without any pre-treatment of fungal biomass. Hence, the isolated fungi exhibits great tolerance to iron and can be used successfully for bioremediation purpose.

4 illus, 3 tables, 34 ref

013421   Pai M L;Pramod K V;Balchand A N;Ramesh Kumar M R (Computer Science and IT Dep, School of Arts and Sciences, Amrita Univ, Cochin-682 024, Email: balchand@rediffmail.com) : Can to drought/food monsoon conditions over the Indian subcontinent be forecasted using artificial neural networks?. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(4), 669-77.

The Indian - 9 - summer monsoon rainfall during the months June, July, August and September (JJAS) has been classified into seven climatic zones, according to standard precipitation index. Prediction of rainfall within the six hydrological zones of India was attempted with the oceanic predictors, which highly influence the terrestrial precipitation, such as Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Sea Level Pressure (SLP), Humidity and zonal and meridional components of Surface Wind (u and v) to quantify the rainfall amounts by clustering based artificial neural networks for the distinguishable dry and wet years. In the present analysis, we have used data for the period 1960 - 2012, which incidentally had several extreme events (of drought and flood conditions) over the Indian subcontinent. Next, the results indicate that the predicted values are well comparable with the actual measured values proving the usefulness of this approach. In addition, this approach has improved upon the past and recent attempts to model rainfall (including extreme cases) which in turn will have a significant impact on farmers and agriculturists.

7 illus, 7 tables, 26 ref

013420   Madan S;Chanchal;Kaushik N (Environmental Sciences Dep, Gurukul Kangri Univ, Haridwar-249 407, Email: n.madan79@yahoo.com) : Uptake of chromium in water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and its impact on biochemical structure. Envir Conserv J 2017, 18(1-2), 143-8.

The present study was conducted to assess the accumulation of chromium in water hyacinth plant (Eichhornia crassipes) through its growing medium. The water hyacinth plant was collected from pond and treated with different concentration of K₂Cr₂O₇. The effect of chromium accumulation on growth and biochemical parameters of plant was observed. The results revealed that the heavy metal uptake by plant root was increased with increase in concentration of Cr in test solution while the translocation of absorbed Cr was very low to other part of plant in comparison to root. Relative growth rate, biomass productivity, total chlorophyll and carotenoid content were reduced with increased concentration of Cr in test solution. However, ascorbic acid concentration showed negative correlation with other parameters. It was found to be increased with increasing concentration of Cr in test solution. Proline content in plant showed a different trend. It initially increased with increase in Cr concentration in test solution and time and then followed a decreasing order.

2 tables, 25 ref

013419   Kour K;Sharma S (Environmental Sciences Dep, Jammu Univ, Jammu, Email: sansharman@rediffmail.com) : Biosequestration potential of trees outside forest in the plains of district Samba, J & K, India. Envir Conserv J 2017, 18(1-2), 127-35.

There is a growing awareness all over the world about the various adverse impacts of green house gas emission and the consequent climate change. Trees absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere and store the carbon in their trunk, branches and roots. Generally, extensive tree wealth exists outside continuous forested areas in every country termed as 'Trees Outside Forests' (TOF) which also serve as the world's most important carbon sink. The present study was conducted in the plains of district Samba, J&K. On the basis of classification, the classes of TOF selected for the study in the area were agriculture fields, strips along the link roads, distributaries/canals, defence ditches as well as sample plots in sacred groves. Out of the total growing stock, biomass and carbon sequestered in the study area, sacred groves accounted for the highest values for growing stock (497.95 m³/ha), biomass (257.13 t/ha) and carbon (123.43 t/ha) followed by agricultural fields i.e. growing stock (17.61 m³/ha ) biomass (9.19 t/ha) and carbon (4.5 t/ha) whereas least in case, along defence ditches i.e. growing stock (0.73 m³/ha) biomass (0.41 t/ha) and carbon (0.19 t/ha). Among all the tree species in the study area Ficus benghalensis showed highest value of average growing stock, biomass and carbon followed by Ficus religiosa.

3 illus, 6 tables, 28 ref

013418   Karthikeyan P;Venkatachalapathy R;Vennila G (Civil Engineering Dep, K.S. Rangasamy College of Technology, Tiruchengode-637 215, Email: pkarthikeyangold@gmail.com) : Multivariate analysis for river water quality assessment of the Cauvery river, Tamil Nadu, India. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(4), 785-90.

Spearman's rank correlations indicates that correlated strongly positive and negative corrected pH, EC, Ca, HCO3, Mg, SO4, Na, K and Cl. It was observed that the main cause of deterioration in water quality is due to the lack of proper sanitation, unprotected river sites and high anthropogenic activities. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that Cl had very close relation with K, Mg, Cl and dissolved solid. It was concluded that the Spearman's rank correlations, principal component analysis were very useful for an assessment of hydrochemical characteristics of the Cauvery River, Tamil Nadu and India.

5 illus, 3 tables, 20 ref

013417   Kaler N S;Bhardwaj S K;Gupta R K (Environmental Science Dep, Dr. Y.S. Parmar UHF, Nauni, Solan-173 230, Email: kalernavjot8888@gmail.com) : Evaluation of air pollution tolerance index of certain plant species grown alongside parwanoo to solan national highway- 22 in Himachal Pradesh India. J appl nat Sci 2017, 9(1), 196-200.

The study examined the Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) of selected plant species growing along national highway-22 from Parwanoo to Solan, falling in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Four species namely Grewiaoptiva, Toonaciliata, Melia azedarach and Woodfordia floribunda of uniform size, age, spread and common in occurrence on both sides of the highway are selected. Leaf samples were collected from selected spe-cies and used to estimate four physiological and biochemical parameters, namely; leaf relative water content (RWC), ascorbic acid content (AA), total leaf chlorophyll (TChl) and leaf extract pH were used to compute the APTI values. The trend of APTI recorded for various species was Melia azedarach (18.37) <62> Grewiaoptiva(8.77) <62> Woodfordia floribunda (7.43) <62> Toonaciliata (6.82). The APTI also varied with seasons of the year. The highest APTI was noticed in rainy followed by winter and summer season. The study indicated Melia azedarach as most tolerant and Toonaciliataas most sensitive species to air pollution.

1 illus, 6 tables, 16 ref

013416   Jena B K;Patra S K;Joseph K J;Sivakholundu K M (Coastal and Environmental Engineering Div, National Institute of Ocean Technology, Pallikaranai, Chennai-600 100, Email: bkjena@niot.res.in ) : Seasonal variation in nearshore wave characteristics off Cuddalore, Southeast coast of Tamil Nadu, India. Curr Sci 2017, 112(10), 2115-21.

Wave data collected using wave rider buoy between January 2010 and January 2011 off Cuddalore coast, Tamil Nadu, India, have been analysed - 7 - season-wise in this study. Wate steepness method was used for the separation of sea and swell wave parameters. Also parameters such as significant wave highest of total wave, sea and swell (H_S, H_SW and H_SS), zero crossing periods (T_Z, T_SW and T_SS) and mean wave directions (θ_SW and θ_SS) have been studied. The study shows a distinct shift in sea wave direction of about 90°C between June and October as well as November and February. Throughout the year, the predominant swell direction remained around 135°. The contribution in total H_S by H_SW was 76% and the remaining 24% by H_SS in the yearly cycle. The sea wave height was dominant by more than 90% during November to May. Regression analysis showed good positive Pearson's correlation of 0.94 between H_S and H_SW; however, it was 0.65 between H_S and H_SS. The maximum and significant wave heights of 5.7 and 2.7 m were recorded during cyclone Jal on 7 November 2010.

6 illus, 2 tables, 19 ref

013415   Ghennou S;Stambouli-Meziane H (Environment and Ecology Dep, Ecology and Management of Natural Exosyst, University of Tlemcen, PO Box Number 296, Tlemcen 13000, Algeria, Email: houda.2003@yahoo.fr) : Floristic diversity of vegetation in Stipa tenacissima in the southern slope of the region of Tlemcen, Algeria. Pl Archs 2016, 16(2), 770-6.

Our study focuses on the diversity of the floristic cortege Stipa tenacissima related in the southern slopes of the region of Tlemcen. The area study is characterized by a great floristic diversity, which is related to the combination of ecological factors that are also very varied (bioclimatic change, action anthropozoogenic). To better understand the current state and the distribution of vegetal assemblages of Stipa tenacissima-related, the study is essentially based on the enumeration of species with identification of their floristic characters and their biological, morphological types phytogeographic distributions. The results obtained from the floristic identified made according to the method of Braun Blanquet, show the dominance of the therophytes. This therophytisation remains related to the conjugate of man and the evolution of climate action.

6 illus, 3 tables, 14 ref

013414   Geethalakshmi V;Bhuvaneswari K;Lakshmanan A; Sekhar N U (NO, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore-641 003, Email: bhuviagm@gmail.com) : Assessment of climate change impact on rice using controlled environment chamber in Tamil Nadu, India. Curr Sci 2017, 112(10), 2066-72.

Impacts of elevated temperature and carbon dioxide (CO₂) enrichment on rice were assessed by carrying out an experiment with four dates of planting (1 June and 15 June, 1 and 15 July) during 2014 under two different environmental conditions, viz. ambient and modified (climate control chamber) with +4°C compared to the ambient temperature and CO₂ enrichment of 650 ppm. Crops grown under modified environment recorded reduced growth characters (leaf area index, dry matter production, number of tillers m^-2), lesser dry matter partitioning towards grain, yield attributes (number of productive tillers m^-2, number of filled grains panicle^-1) and lower grain yields compared to those grown under ambient condition. Crops subjected to elevated temperature and enriched CO₂ attained panicle initiation, flowering and maturity earlier than those under open ambient condition.

4 illus, 1 table, 22 ref

013413   Gautam I;Kavidayal P C (NO, Modern Institute of Technology and Management, Ghaziabad, Email: aditya23@gmail.com) : Green economy: a challenge to inclusive and equitable growth. Envir Conserv J 2017, 18(1-2), 137-42.

Economy has been the cause of and the solution for our present day problems. It has brought material prosperity to some, but at the expense of others both within and across national boundaries. The traditional trickle-down economic growth theory is increasingly being questioned and renounced. This is witnessed by the growing level of dissent observed not only in developing countries, but also in the developed world. An urgent need for a new economic model exists and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has addressed this urgent need by proposing a 'Green Economy'. This has been defined as an economy that results "in improved human well-being and social equity, whilst significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities".Countries around the globe are trying to figure out how to grow green i.e, how to generate economic activity that preserves and enhances environmental quality while using natural resources more efficiently. The focus is on linking the three Es for of development, i.e., Environment-Economy-Equity, and achieve economic growth while reducing the human impact on the environment and benefiting the society's least advantaged members.At the most basic level, the green economy is the clean energy economy, consisting primarily of four sections: renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geothermal); green building and energy efficiency technology; energy efficient infrastructure and transportation; and recycling and waste to energy. The green economy is not just about the ability to produce clean energy, but also technologies that allow cleaner production processes, as well as the growing market for products which consume less energy, from fluorescent lightbulbs to organic and locally produced food. Thus it might include products, processes and services that reduce environmental impact or improve natural resource - 6 - use. This paper surveys the various reports and studies in the area of green economy with a purpose to provide a comprehensive overview of the concept of Green Economy. The various policy approaches being proposed and adopted around the world to move towards Green Economy has also been discussed with special reference to India.

17 ref

013412   Davamani V;Arulmani S;Parameswari E; Thangaselvabai T;Balamohan T N (Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural, , Periyakulam-625 601, Email: vsdavamani@gmail.com) : Utilization of flower waste for the removal of chromium from tannery effluent. J appl nat Sci 2016, 8(3), 1198-1204.

In this work we used flower waste biomass as a biosorbent to remove Cr from tannery effluent through column experiments. The sorption capacities of biosorbent (Fine, coarse and rough grades) were also evaluated by employing chemical pretreatments viz., sodium hydroxide, acetic acid, glutaraldehyde and hydrogen peroxide. The order of percentage removal of Cr using the above pretreatments was: 10% hydrogen peroxide <60> Raw powdered- FWB <60> 2% Gluteraldehyde <60> 10% Acetic acid <60> 0.1N sodium hydroxide. Among the different grades of biosorbents used, fine grade adsorbed more Cr (70%) than that of coarse (64%) and rough (62%) sorbents. The removal per-centage of Cr from tannery was analyzed by using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, the functional groups which are responsible for adsorption was examined by Fourier Transform- Infrared Spectroscopy and the amorphous behav-iour of FWB facilitating metal biosorption was indicated by the X-ray diffractogram. This study showed that pre-treated flower waste biomass is a potential sorbent of Cr, which could be successfully used to reduce the Cr content in tannery effluent.

8 illus, 1 table, 26 ref

013411   Bisht A K;Singh R;Bhutiani R;Bhatt A;Krishan Kumar (CS & IT Dep, MJP Rohilkhand Univ, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, Email: anilbisht_20@yahoo.com) : Water quality modelling of the river Ganga using artificial neural network with reference to the various training functions. Envir Conserv J 2017, 18(1-2), 41-8.

The River Ganga (2,525 km long) is the largest River basin in India, covering 26.2 percent of India's total geographical area and recently granted living entity status by the court. It is the holiest River and also among the dirtiest in the world. That's why it is mandatory to maintain its water quality (WQ). Though, monitoring and assessment of WQ of a River is a very challenging task. In this research work, Soft Computing (SC) based popular and commononly used Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technique has been used for modelling the WQ of the Ganga River by developing a prediction model based on six different training functions. Five sampling stations along this River stretch were selected from DEVPRAYAG to ROORKEE in the Uttarakhand state of India. The monthly data sets of five water quality parameters temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total coliform (TC) for the time period from 2001 to 2015 have been taken. The feed forward error back propagation neural network method has been used to develop the WQ-prediction model by conducting various experiments following a neural network structure of 5-10-1, 0.1 as a training goal and various training functions. Using the Mean square error (MSE) statistical method the prediction performance of the developed model was evaluated. The model developed with traincgp (Conjugate Gradient with Polak-Ribiere Restarts) conies out to be the worst one (MSE=0.786) while the other model with trainlm (Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation) rule proved to be the best one (MSE=0.163) among others. Consequently, it is found that ANNs are capable of predicting WQ of the River Ganga with acceptable results.

4 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

013410   Bhutiani R;Ruhela M;Ahamad F (Limnology and Ecological Modeling Lab, Zoology and Environmental Scien, Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar, Email: mruhela@gmail.com) : Limnological characterisation of Hindon river at NCR (Uttar Pradesh), India. Envir Conserv J 2017, 18(1-2), 219-29.

The Hindon River is an important River of western Uttar Pradesh. The river is highly polluted due to industrial, municipal and agricultural activities. Regular monitoring of the quality of water is essential because clean water is obligatory for human health and the integrity of aquatic ecosystems. Therefore an attempt has been made in this study to assess the Hindon river water quality by analysing various Physico- chemical parameters. The various Physico- chemical parameters analysed are temperature, pH, TDS, Turbidity, DO, BOD, COD, Free COi, Electrical Conductivity, Acidity, Total Hardness (TH), Chloride (Cl) and Alkalinity. During the study DO ranged from 0.5 mg/l to 1.8 mg/l, BOD ranged from 44.3 mg/1 to 105.4 mg/1, TDS ranged from 320 mg/1 to 690 mg/1, EC ranged from 788 μS/cm to 1625 μS/cm and the pH ranged from 6.4 to 8.2. Temperature was fund strongly negatively correlated (-0.906) with DO while a strong positive correlation was found between pH and DO (0.909) and between TDS and COD (0.914).

4 illus, 5 tables, 32 ref

013409   Bhutiani R;Pratap H;Ahamad F;Paritosh Kumar; Kaushik P D (Zoology and Environmental Sciences Dep, Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar, Email: kaushik.pankajhwr@gmail.com) : Efficiency assessment of effluent treatment plant (ETP) treating an automobile industry effluent (Sidcul) Haridwar. Envir Conserv J 2017, 18(1-2), 95-102.

Water is an integral part of life on this planet but nowadays this precious thing is continuously getting polluted due to different activities. Industrial sector is one and most polluting agent among all of them. The effluents generated from the automobile industries, creates an environmental hazard near the disposal site and in its vicinity. Workers are exposed to occupational and other health hazards when they are exposed to the air and drinking water, which may get polluted due to spraying of the paints. Mostly alkyd paint is used for painting process. A large amount of water is used and polluted during such industrial processes. Wastewater of the automobile industries not only contains high levels of suspended and total solids such as oil and grease and colouring, at various stages of manufacturing but also, a significant amount of dissolved organics, resulting in high BOD or COD loads. The study reveals the performance evaluation of effluent treatment plant and its treatability. During the present study the samples were collected from each site at an interval of 10 days from an automobile industry located in HE, SIDCUL Haridwar. The collected samples were analysed for Temperature, Total solid. Total dissolved solids, Total suspended solids, pH, Dissolved oxygen. Biological oxygen demand, Chemical oxygen demand and oil & grease. During the present study oil & grease in untreated effluent ranged from 19 mg/l to 28 mg/l and in treated effluent from 1.9 mg/l to 4.1 mg/l. Chemical oxygen demand in untreated effluent ranged from 2300 mg/l to 2700 mg/l and in treated effluent from 38 mg/l to 57 mg/l. pH in untreated effluent ranged from 7.1 to 8.3 and in treated effluent from 6.7 to 8.3. The results revealed that the performance of effluent treatment plant of automobile industrv is satisfactory.

2 illus, 3 tables, 23 ref

013408   Amara M;Bouazza M (Natural Sciences and Life Dep, Bouchaib Helhadj University Centre, Ain Temouchent, Algeria, Email: amara_alg@yahoo.fr) : Synergistic action of aridity and human impacts on plant biodiversity in the Algerian extreme northwest (Tellian plain of Maghnia). Pl Archs 2016, 16(2), 907-17.

Question of the biodiversity of natural ecosystems of our country, like the tellian plain, arises with more and more importance by the continued deterioration of the biological capital. The aim was to analyze in the first place, the data of the physical environment (Bio-climate and human environment) and afterwards the index of evolution of plant biodiversity resulting of the action of the factors of this environment. Our own perception of vegetation is based on the phyto-ecological approach by comparison at the scale of the ecological station. The plant biodiversity was valued by the analysis of the floristic richness, the biological, systematic and chorological characteristics. To cite only the essential, the calculation of the perturbation index showed the wealth in Therophytes and chamaephytes, reflecting the large imbalance of plant diversity in the study area and as result the release of process of therophytisation, the Final stage of degradation. Finally, despite the strong resilience of the mediterranean arid ecosystems, it seems to exist a threshold at not to exceed insofar as the continued degradation leads without a doubt at aridification of environment and consequently a reduction of the biodiversity.

6 illus, 4 tables, 57 ref

012466   Singh P K;Tiwari S S (Environmental Engineering Dep, Projects & Development India Limited, Sindri, Dhanbad-828 122, Email: tiwarishashi1907@gmail.com) : Physico-chemical properties and heavy metals estimation in drinking water from different sources in and around Sindri (Dhanbad), Jharkhand, India. J envir Sci Engng 2015, 57(3), 239-45.

Water resource shortage and pollution have seriously - 31 - threatened the survival and development of developing countries. Because of India's specific economical and social circumstances, complete adoption of developed countries experience is unrealistic. At present, India needs to develop strategies and technologies in source water pollution control and industrial and municipal environmental remediation that embrace the country's specific need to battle the water resource problem. This study was aimed to estimate physico-chemical properties and heavy metals in drinking water samples collected from different sources in and around Sindri (Dhanbad), Jharkhand, India. A total number of 30 water samples were collected from different sources like hand pumps, wells and taps. The gross appearance, pH, EC, total hardness, Ca, Mg, total alkalinity, Na, K, Cl, SO₄ NO₃, F, TDS and heavy metals like Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, Cr, Mn and Fe were analyzed. The results of physico-chemical parameters and heavy metal estimation of all water samples were found to be within permissible limit and safe for drinking purpose.

2 illus, 2 tables, 23 ref

012465   Shylesh Chandran M S;Jayasooryan K K;Jose S K;Mohan M;Ramasamy E V (School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi Univ, Kottayam-686 560, Email: evramasamy@rediffmail.com) : Anthropogenic mercury contamination of vembanand backwater, western coast, India - evidence from sediments. J envir Sci Engng 2015, 57(3), 214-24.

Mercury concentration and its pollution profile in the sediments of polluted (Mulavukadu) and less polluted (Kumarakom) regions of Vembanad Backwater, a Ramsar site were studied. Sediment core samples and surface sediment samples were collected seasonally from these sites and analyzed for total mercury (THg), organic carbon and pH. Mean THg concentrations in the surface sediments ranged from 61.1 to 2054.3 ng/g. High THg content was observed in the sediments collected from the Mulavukadu region with an average value of 1238 ng/g. The high concentration of THg was observed during pre-monsoon season. Kumarakom (less polluted) region showed comparatively lower values (20.9ng/g - 370 ng/ g). THg in surface sediments showed significant correlation with pH and organic carbon. The high concentration observed in the Mulavukadu region was a clear indication of anthropogenic contamination. The core samples collected from Mulavukadu region exhibited higher values than the core taken from the Kumarakom region. The core sediment samples showed that THg values were much higher in the subsurface sediment than that of surface sediments. These low concentrations in the upper few centimeters of the sediment suggest that recent mercury inputs were substantially low in these areas. High mercury content in the subsurface sedimentary region might be due to the historic discharges from a chloralkali plant which had stopped the use of mercury cell process few years ago.

6 illus, 3 tables, 54 ref

012464   Sharma S;Walia Y K (NO, Career Point University Kota, Rajasthan-325 003, Email: sumanavinasharma@gmail.com) : Analysis of metal content in water of river beas in Himachal Pradesh, India. Oriental J Chem 2017, 33(1), 514-18.

In present investigation analysis of water was done during monsoon, winter and summer seasons for metal content of river Beas in Himachal Pradesh during the year 2014-15. Metals such as Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Potassium (K), Sodium (Na), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe) and Lead (Pb) were analyzed from six sampling stations i.e. Beaskund, Shamshi, Pandohdam, Dharampur, Nadaum and Pongdam in the study area. The analysis of data reveals that Ca, Mg, K, Na, Cu were found to be within acceptable limit prescribed b WHO, 2011 and BIS, 2012. However, Cd Pb were found to be higher than acceptable limit prescribed by WHO, 2011 and BIS 2012. The presence of higher concentration of heavy metals such as Cd and Pb due to their toxicity and bioaccumulation has adverse effect on the health of living beings including humans. The study indicates that water of river Beas needs constant bio monitoring.

4 tables, 21 ref

012463   Sharma N;Walia Y K (Chemistry Dep, Career point univ, Kota (Rajasthan), Email: yogesh.che@cpuh.in) : Assess the water quality of Satluj river at Wajipur Kalan, Ludhiana, Punjab. Asian J Adv Basic Sci 2017, 5(1), 8-13.

Satluj river is a tributary of Indus River and is one of the longest river that flows through Punjab. Domestic wastes, municipal sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural run-off etc. influences the water quality of river directly or indirectly. This study was carried out at Wajipur Kalan, Ludhiana, a Point of confluence of Buddha Nala which drains into Satluj river after passing through highly populated Ludhiana of state Punjab during May, 2015 to April, 2016. For this study important water quality parameters such as pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Turbidity, Total Alkalinity, Chlorides, Phosphate, Nitrate, Total Hardness, Calcium & Magnesium Hardness, Sodium, Potassium, Iron, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD),Dissolved Carbon Dioxide and Heavy metals such as Copper, Cadmium, Chromium, Manganese, Nickel, Zinc and Mercury were analyzed. The analyses were carried out according to APHA, 2012 procedures. The results of the analysis shows that some of the parameters under investigation such as Turbidity, Phosphate, Sodium, COD, BOD, Cadmium and Chromium were beyond the permissible limits prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), 2012 and World Health Organization (WHO), 2011.

2 illus, 2 table, 17 ref

012462   Shailaja S M (PG-Studies in Commerce Dep, S.S.A. Government First Grade College, Ballari, Karnataka) : Water mismanagement. Int J latest Technol Engng Mgmt appl Sci 2017, 6(3), 29-30.

The present water crisis has many components of an environmental, economic and social origin; over uses of water, pollution, changes in availability, and water mismanagement are some of the current problems. To cope with these problems and enhance strategies for long term management, the following programmes and approaches are presented: (a) A watershed approach, integrating research, monitoring, database and management; (b) An improved water governance system based on participation of stakeholders and the public and private sectors; (c) Strategic studies considering water and the economy, water and metropolitan region, water and energy; (d) A framework for international cooperation on shared watersheds; (e) An economic evaluation of water resources services (surface and underground lakes, rivers and reservoirs); (f) A capacity building program for managers, with an integrated, predictive and hydrographic basin approach.

6 ref

012461   Sen S;Vipin Kumar (Environmental Science and Engineering Dep, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, Email: vipinmicro1@gmail.com) : Effectiveness of various soil amendments on soil properties, growth pattern of Cajanus cajan L. in mine degraded soils. J envir Sci Engng 2016, 58(2), 123-30.

Surface mining has caused critical damages to the environment with respect to soil degradation. The present study was - 29 - undertaken to examine the influence of the application of various soil amendments on soil properties and the growth and yield for Cajanus cajan L. cultivation in mine degraded soils. An experiment was conducted on C. cajan L., a widely cultivating legume in India for its highly nutritious seeds. Plant growth in terms of different parameters (% seed germination, shoot length, root length, total dry weight, number of leaves and number of root nodules) was measured. The experimental results indicated that all the combinations significantly increased plant growth and soil fertility. Mine spoil analysis at harvest revealed that all the physical and chemical properties were improved significantly (p <126> 0.05) in all the combinations after plantation over the untreated control. The percentage increase in crop growth, grain yield as well as soil nutrients over control was also observed.

4 illus, 2 tables, 20 ref

012460   Seethal Lal S;Jaya D S;Williams E S (Environmental Sciences Dep, Kariavattom Campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala-695 581, Email: 456seethal@gmail.com) : Assessment of pollution status of Vattakkayal, a part of Ashtamudi lake - Ramsar site in Kerala (India) using multivariate statistical analysis. J envir Sci Engng 2016, 58(2), 109-16.

The study presents a comprehensive evaluation of the water quality of Vattakkayal, a part of Ashtamudi lake-Ramsar site in Kerala, India. Water samples from 5 sampling sites in the Lake were analysed for various water quality parameters. The measured water quality parameters were compared with the guidelines proposed by the WHO for drinking water and natural background levels. The results show that the values of major water quality parameters were higher than the maximum permissible limit of natural background concentrations and recommended values by WHO. Multivariate statistical techniques like ANOVA and factor analysis were conducted on the water quality parameters to establish the relationship between the parameters and their possible sources. The major water pollution threats in the lake were identified as urban and agricultural land uses. This technique is believed to assist decision makers in identifying priorities to improve water quality that has deteriorated due to various land uses.

2 illus, 2 tables, 29 ref

012459   Sapkal V R;Chandel M K;Pradeepkumar;Vaidya A N (Civil Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Email: vrsapkal@gmail.com) : Treatment of municipal solid waste leachate. J envir Sci Engng 2016, 58(2), 167-74.

In India, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is generally dumped in open dumps. The heavily toxic leachates from these sites present significant variations in both volumetric flow and chemical composition. This paper reviews MSW leachate scenario in India and treatment options that can be applied. The impact of MSW leachate on ground water of the area nearby dump site is also discussed. Advantages and disadvantages of the various treatments are discussed in this paper. Year after year, the recognition of landfill leachate impact on environment has forced authorities to fix more and more stringent regulations for pollution control. In India open dump sites are used to dispose MSW and no treatment system is available for MSW leachate.

^iia8 tales, 43 ref

012458   Sankar Cheela V R;Swaminathan G (Civil Engineering Dep, MVGR College of Engineering, Chinthalavals, Vizianagaram-535 005, Email: vrsankarcheela@gmail.com) : Solar induced photo degradation of phenol using titanium dioxide as catalyst. J envir Sci Engng 2015, 57(3), 190-6.

The present study investigates the photo degradation of phenol using titanium dioxide as catalyst. The key focus is on the utilization of solar radiation in treating phenolic waste for degradation after - 28 - discounting for evaporation due to solar heat. Titanium dioxide was observed to be good catalyst in solar radiation induced degradation of phenol. The optimum time for initial adsorption by TiO₂ was observed to be 30 minutes. The optimum contact time and dosage were found to be 8h arid 3 g/L for initial concentrations of 25 ppm and 100 ppm with a removal efficiency of 98% and 70%. The study reveals that the thermal degradation of phenol does not take place under the conditions of experiment and maximum degradation of phenol is due to the photocatalytic process only.

7 illus, 26 ref

012457   Salau T A O;Tella O I;Bodija Y;Quadri O O (NO, , ) : Simulation and analysis of uncontrolled propagating forest fire on square lattice. Int J appl Sci Engng Res 2016, 5(3), 257-70.

Forest has chain like importance as it can provide industrial raw materials (e.g. rubber and timber) and tourisms etc. As a result, it provides economical support to both urban and rural settlements. Fire on the other hand has been an important part of all cultures from pre-history to modern day and development of civilization but occasionally poses threat to human safety and can cause tremendous damage to forest resources. This study investigates simulation and analysis of uncontrolled propagating forest fire on square lattice using Monte Carlo method and focusing on average measures of simulation run time, percentage of un-burnt trees and termination time. These measures were estimated for span occupation probability (0.000) ≤ P_b ≤ 1.000) at constant step of 0.001 and for square lattice size range of 40-500. The investigation results has shown that the larger the lattice size the higher the average termination time for critical occupation probability (0.593) and beyond with a distinct turning point recorded at the critical point. The percentage of un-burnt trees remains nearly constant (100%) before critical occupation probability is reached and changed rapidly to near zero percent thereafter. In addition the simulation run time increases exponentially beyond the critical point for all the lattice size. The research results strongly suggest that forest fire management should be highly invested on critical occupation probability and beyond to avoid heavy forest resources loss.

6 illus, 4 table, 28 ref

012456   Rajpal A;Khan A A (Civil Engineering dep, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorke-246 667) : Handling and disposal of hazardous waste: A case study in India. Int J appl Sci Engng Res 2016, 5(4), 294-306.

Government of India has been authorized Hazardous waste processing plants in Kanpur city for treatment, storage and disposal facilities (TSDF) in 2007 valid up to Feb 2017. Total 1,95,989 MT of Land fellable hazardous waste have been collected from industries across Uttar Pradesh, including direct land filling (DLF) and land filling after treatment (LAT) waste including 81231.989 MT of waste received from common effluent treatment plant (CETP) Jajmau, Kanpur as on April, 2015. The site selected for the present study, 1st SLF cell already accomplished and 2nd SLF Cell is under operation among the 4 SLF and still plant has remaining capacity for further accommodate another 2,50,000 MT of Land fellable waste in secured landfills (SLF). The study also provides information on the quantity of hazardous wastes which were suitable for secure landfill, with or without pre-treatment, and for incineration. A plan for hazardous waste management for the region is proposed.

2 illus, 5 table, 10 ref

012455   Miranda M T P;Rajesh B R;Sreelekshmy S G; Udayakumar P;Jean Jose J (Zoology Dep, Fatima Mata National College, Kollam-691 001, Email: brrajeshnair@gmail.com) : Macrobentyhic invertebrates as coastal ecological bioindicators of environmental health. J envir Sci Engng 2015, 57(3), 225-9.

The distribution of zoobenthic organisms in relation to the textural characteristics of the sediments in five stations (Veli, Varkala, Alappad, Neendakara and Cochin) was studied along the southwest coast of India. Sampling was done during the post monsoon of the year 2011 followed by the pre monsoon and monsoon seasons of the year 2012. The importance of zoo benthic communities in pollution studies is well established. Results revealed that the sediment texture for Veli, Varkala, Alappad and Neendakara was in the order sand <62> silt <62> clay while in Cochin it was silt <62> sand <62> clay. Organic carbon varied throughout the study and was expressed in the sequence Cochin<62>Alappad<62>Neendakara<62>Varkala<62>Veli. Wide variations in zoobenthic species diversity was also observed. The sinking range of coastal surface water received opollutants routed from fresh water input and these were estimated through the evaluation of bottom water nutrient characteristics. The present study thus focuses on the concept that the seabed acts as a sink for most of the pollutants entering the marine ecosystem, and the more stable sediments along with their inhabitant fauna give a clear picture of the severity of contaminants. The study has identified Littorina scabra, Modiolus metcalfei and Trochida sp as indicator organisms along south west India.

3 illus, 15 ref

012454   Mamatha M (Physics Dep, Govt First Grade College, Gubbi, Tumkur District, Karnataka) : Water quality index of Hemavathi river water, Tumkur, Karnataka, India. Int J latest Technol Engng Mgmt appl Sci 2017, 6(2), 75-8.

The present study was carried out to assess the water quality of River Hemavathi using Water Quality Index. Water quality index (WQI) is a unique technique to depict the overall water quality status in a single term. The various water quality parameters like calcium and magnesium ions, pH, alkalinity, Total Dissolved Solids, Electrical Conductivity, hardness are studied to calculate the WQI for Hemavathi river water which were collected near a village Gubbi at two different points. Sample S1 was collected from the populated area of the village and Sample S2 was collected from one km upstream. The sums of these are substituted in the formula and the WQI is obtained. This made authors to study its Water Quality Index (WQI) of Hemavathi river water with an objective to assess the quality of water for drinking and demostic purposes.

1 illus, 5 tables, 24 ref

012453   Krishnakumar A;Vinduja V;Das R (Natural Resources and Environmental Management Group, ESSO-National Centre for Earth Science Studies, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India, Akkulam, Thiruvananthapuram-695 011, Email: drakrishnakumar@cess.res.in) : Decadal variation of water quality in Vellayani lake, a tropical freshwater lake in South West India. J envir Sci Engng 2016, 58(2), 117-22.

Lakes are important feature of the Earth's landscape. They provide a multitude of uses and are prime regions for human settlement. Uncontrolled anthropogenic interventions along with climate change phenomenon are largely contributing in declining the water quality of fresh water lakes. The present study attempts to analyze the water quality of Vellayani lake, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala and to assess the extent of variation happened over a decade by comparing the previous data of 1998. The study revealed that the water quality parameters like Turbidity, Total dissolved solids, Calcium, - 26 - Magnesium, Chloride, Potassium, Sodium and Iron were increased over the last fourteen year period indicating deteriorating water quality. The climatic changes along with urbanization effects have brought this change in quality of the water and throws light into urgent care and attention needed to protect the lake from further degradation for the sustainable use of the pristine lacustrine system.

8 illus, 1 table, 9 ref

012452   Khan M A;Sharma N (Water Resources Developement and Management Dep, IIT Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667) : Three-Dimensional probabilistic analysis of flow around island in a braided river model. Int J appl Sci Engng Res 2016, 5(3), 189-201.

The channel patterns of an alluvial river reach reflects the flow dynamic within the channel and related channel process of energy expenditure and sediment transport. Modifications of equilibrium channel pattern may occur over a period of time depending on the channel forming sediments mobility and may reflects the consequences of any intervention by human for controlling sediment water discharges that determine the fluvial process. Channel pattern form a continuum in response to varying energy conditions, ranging from straight to meandering channels to multi thread braided forms. A braiding generally occurs in high energy environments of large and variable discharges, steeper gradient with erodible banks, and heavy sediment load. Braided channels are characterized by shallow and wide cross sections with haphazard bar formations creating divisions of flow. Three-dimensional octagonal bursting process was proposed by Ali Reza Keshavarzi, it enables to take the effect of secondary flow. In natural streams flow is mostly three dimensional, thus the 3D analysis of laboratory experiment will provide greater details regarding the sediment transport mechanism. It will provide greater insight of the flow structure near the braided island. In the three-dimensional octagonal bursting event, lateral velocity is also considered in addition to the longitudinal and vertical velocity. Occurrence probability of octagonal bursting events were computed at 12 points near the island. From the analysis, it was found that the class I-A and class III-A events are closely related with the scouring characteristics around the island. In addition, it was found that the Class II-A and Class IV-A bursting events are related with the depositional characteristics around the island in braided river model. The transition probability of bursting events was also computed in this study, from their analysis it was found that the and movements are closely related with the Scouring/ Deposition pattern around the island in the braided river model.

8 illus, 8 table, 9 ref

012451   Kanchan R;Devi C C (Geography Dep, Faculty of Science, The M.S. Univ of Baroda, Vadodara-390 001, Email: roleekanchan@gmail.com) : Status of human health in industrial neighbourhood a study of golden corridor, Vadodara, Gujarat. J envir Sci Engng 2016, 58(2), 131-40.

The process of industrialization is considered as one of the principal process responsible for regional and economic development of a region. This economic and associated social phenomenon of industrial growth is accompanied by environmental problems which would have adverse affects on human health. Globally, the dumping of industrial bi-products and its affect on human health is a growing concern. The present study had been carried out to assess the disease pattern of the residents in the vicinity of the Chemical and Petrochemical Industrial Area, Vadodara Taluka, Vadodara, Gujarat. The industries of area produced a variety of compounds and petroleum base products. The study was based on 7.64% households of eight different sites which adjoin the industrial estate. High prevalence of diseases was observed in the study area and it was more conspicuous in dental, general (skeletal and dullness/dizziness) and - 25 - hair problems. Moreover, the rate was higher in females and also in elderly.

5 illus, 7 tables, 31 ref

012450   Jayaprakash P;Meera V;Nair A N B (Civil Engineering Dep, Government Engineering College, Thrissur, Kerala, Email: meerav17@hotmail.com) : Review on removing natural organic matter for reducing disinfection by-product. J envir Sci Engng 2016, 58(2), 159-66.

Disinfection is inevitable in water treatment plants (WTPs) for killing pathogenic microorganisms. Surface waters sourcing most of the WTPs contain natural organic matter (NOM). Disinfectants react with NOM and form disinfection by-products (DBPs) in water. The adverse health effects of DBPs are increasingly recognized. They pose serious threat to human health as many of them are carcinogenic while some others affect internal organs of our body. DBPs enter our body not just through ingestion, but even by inhalation, dermal adsorption etc. Hence World Health Organization and several countries have set limits on the concentration of DBPs in the water supplied. However, India is yet to adopt such regulations. Eliminating NOM, the precursors to DBPs, is the most effective way to reduce DBPs. Several methods like enhanced coagulation, granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration, pre-oxidation, microfiltration, nanofiltration etc., reduce the concentration of DBPs by removing NOM. Enhanced coagulation is effective and could be used at all WTPs already using coagulation without incurring additional capital cost. Though costly, filtration techniques are effective. But fouling of filters is a main hindrance. This review looks into the factors affecting formation of DBPs, characterization of NOM, effectiveness of enhanced coagulation with emphasis on its chemistry, filtration using GAC and pre-oxidation with potassium permanganate for removing NOM.

1 table, 24 ref

012449   Hussien N R;Zaghloul F A (NO, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Kayet Bay, Alexandria, Egypt, Email: dr.zagloul89@yahoo.com) : Assessment of Phtoplankton community as a bio indicator of organic pollution in the drainage system of the Edku Lagoon, Egypt. Asian J Adv Basic Sci 2017, 5(1), 59-71.

The phytoplankton community structure, as well as its seasonal variation, was analyzed and discussed in the four drains inflow to the Edku Lagoon over 7 years, from summer 2009 to winter 2016. Palmer?fs and Shannon-Weaver biotic indices were used in the assessment of the water quality of the different drains. The recognized phytoplankton species were 238 comprising 86 genera and 5 groups: 97 Bacillariophyceae, which formed 40.8% by number of the total phytoplankton standing crop, 74 Chlorophyceae (44.92%), 34 Cyanophyceae (4.77%), 23 Euglenophyceae (9.38%) and 10 Dinophyceae (0.13%). The dominant recorded phytoplankton genera were Cyclotella, Melosira, Navicula, Ankistrodesmus, Chlorella, Scenedesmus and Euglena. The standing crop attained the highest counts at El-Khairy Drain (472 unit /ml), while the lowest was at El--Bousily Drain (80 unit /ml). The Shannon-Weaver diversity (H?O) - 24 - reflects an inverse relationship to the degree of dominance of the main species. It ranged from a minimal of 0.57 at Edku Drain and the highest one (3.65) at El-Khairy Drain. Species evenness fluctuated between 0.248 (Edku Drain) and 0.924 (El-Khairy Drain). The result showed that El-Khairy Drain has between moderate pollution and probable high organic pollution, but the other sites have lack organic pollution. The present research is attempting to examine the potential use of the phytoplankton species as a bio indicator of organic pollution.

3 illus, 3 table, 68 ref