005182   Balathandayutham K;Mayilswami C (Water Technology Center, Tamil Nadu Agricultural Univ, Coimbatore, Email: balathandayutham03@gmail.com) : Modelling groundwater flow for Walayar watershed in Pharmbikulam Aliyar Palar basin. Envir Ecol 2016, 34(1A), 207-11.

A three-dimensional finite-difference groundwater flow model was implemented to investigate the variety of hydro-geological conditions and to simulate the behavior of the flow system under different stresses in the aquifer system of Walayar watershed. The modelling package Visual Modflow version 4.1. employed in the Groundwater Modelling System (GMS) for this purpose. The Walayar watershed is located in the Parambikulam-Aliyar-Palar basin of Tamil Nadu. The upper formation consists of thin sandy loam and the lower one is coarse silts with combination of sand and gravels. The aquifer system is underlain by crystalline rocks of Archeanage. Estimation of the hydraulic conductivity, specific yield and specific storage were assigned for each layer of the model based on the hydrological formation and pumping tests. The simulation results show that the fluctuations of hydraulic heads are dependent on seasonal variation in recharge from natural infiltration of precipitation and irrigation. Also, the model can simulate the positive fluctuations of the hydraulic heads in Walayar watershed aquifer, with different responses of the hydrogeological system.

4 illus, 9 ref

005181   Arun Kumar;Seema Kumari;Chandan Kumar;Pratap P K;Dey M;Prasad S K (Zoology Dep, BNMU, Madhepura) : Studies on physico-chemical parameters of water of Kosi river near Koparia, Saharsa (Bihar). Proc Zool Soc India 2016, 15(1), 25-9.

The physico-chemical parameters of Kosi river near Koparia, Saharsa, Bihar have been studied monthly during July 2014 to June 2015 from two sites. The results revealed that there was significant seasonal variation in some physico-chemical parameters and most of the parameters are in the normal range indicating better quality water resources.

1 table, 21 ref

004218   Zare Chahouki M A;Piri Sahragard H (Rehabilitation of Arid and Mountatinous Regions Dep, Tehran Univ, Iran, Email: mazare@ut.ac.ir) : Evaluation of MaxEnt method for habitat distribution modeling of three plant species in Garizat rangelands of Yazd province, Iran. Range Mgmt Agrofor 2016, 37(2), 142-7.

This study aimed to predict geographical distribution of Tamarix ramosissima, Seidlitzia rosmarinus and Cornulaca monocantha in Poshtkouh rangelands and to find the influential variables in the distribution of these species in desert rangelands of central Iran. Eleven environmental factors used to explore the effective environmental variables on given species distribution. Maps of the environmental variables were generated using GIS and Geostatistics facilities. Predictive maps of distribution were produced with maximum entropy method (MaxEnt). Accuracy of model output was assessed by using area under the curve (AUC) and withholding 25 per cent of the data. The agreement of predictive map with actual map was checked by calculating Kappa coefficient. The results indicated that vegetation distribution pattern was mainly related to soil characteristics such as EC, available moisture (AW), lime, organic matter (OM) and elevation. AUC values indicated the high power of MaxEnt to create habitat distribution maps of plant species except C. monocantha (S. Rosmarinus - 0.98, T. ramosissima = 0.99, and C. monocantha = 0.78). Correspondence of actual map with predictive map for S. rosmarinus, C. monocantha and T. ramosissima was assessed at very satisfactory (Kappa=0.76), good (Kappa= 0.61) and poor (Kappa= 0.31) level, respectively.

3 illus, 1 table, 28 ref

004217   Tiwari A K (NO, Deendayal Research Institute, Ayurveda Sadan, JRD Tata Foundation for, Arogyadham, Chitrakoot-485 334) : Assessment of ground and surface water quality in Nagar Panchayat Chitrakoot. Indian J envir Prot 2016, 36(1), 17-23.

An assessment of the ground water quality was carried out in Nagar Panchayat Chitrakoot, Satna district. The study was aimed at examining the various samples of ground water/surface water and the quality of the drinking water as it relates to public health. Ten drinking water samples were taken from handpumps and river water and were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, chloride, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids, dissolve oxygen, total hardness and E. coli. The results were compared with WHO and IS: 10500 standards. The usefulness ol these parameters in predicting ground water and river water quality characteristics were discussed. Thus an attempt has been made to find out the quality of ground water and rivet water in Nagar Panchayat Chitrakoot for knowing the suitability for drinking purposes or not.

5 illus, 3 tables, 18 ref

004216   Sunitha V;Madana T;Reddy P L;Manikanta B; Manasa K R;Reddy M (Geology Dep, Yogi Vemana Univ, Kadapa-516 003) : Assessment of groundwater quality in the Kadapa Municipal City, Y.S.R. district. Indian J envir Prot 2016, 36(1), 69-76.

Groundwater is a natural replenishable resource which becomes an important source for any developmental activities due to shortage of surface water and frequent failures of monsoon. Increasing demand for groundwater causes decline in water levels as well as deterioration in water quality. Kadapa is one of the oldest municipalities in Rayalaseema region and the district headquarter of YSR Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh with an area of 91.05 km^{2. The study area resembles the shape of an irregular parallelogram, separated in half by the Eastern Ghat ranges. Kadapa is located 8 km (5.0 m) south of the Penna river by a inner flow of Buggavanka. The city is surrounded on 3 sides by the Nallamala and Palakonda hills lying on the tectonic landscape being sandwiched between the Eastern and Western Ghats. The study area because of its tropical wet and dry climate conditions characterized by year round high temperatures and less monsoon is subjected to drought prone areas in the state. To assess the groundwater conditions in the study area 25 samples were collected from either handpumps or openwells at different streets. The pH of groundwater in the study area is ranging from 7.4 to 8.7. The electrical conductivity of the groundwater is ranging from 1650 to 7920 Siemens/cm at 25°C. The total dissolved solids of the groundwater in the study area is ranging from 700 to 3730 mg/L. The total hardness of the groundwater in the study area is ranging from 100 to 560 mg/L. Water hardness is primarily due to the result of interaction between water and the geological formations. The calcium concentration of the groundwater in the study area is ranging from 12 to 124 mg/L. The chloride concentration of the grourdwater in the study area is ranging from 71 to 859 mg/L. The bicarbonate concentration of the groundwater in the study area is ranging from 12 to 60 mg/L. The fluoride concentration of the groundwater in the study area is ranging from 0.562 to 2.22 mg/L during pre-monsoon period.}

1 illus, 1 table, 24 ref

004215   Sudha R;Srinivasan K;Premkumar P (Chemistry Dep, Gnanamani College of Technology, Namakkal-637 018) : Evaluation of nickel (II) removal by modified Citrus limettioides seed carbon. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(10), 807-17.

The adsorption behaviour of nickel (II) from aqueous solution onto a novel waste material, such as Citrus limettioides seed carbon (CLSC) was investigated as a function of parameters, such as contact time, pH, temperature and adsorbent dose. The Freundlich, Langmuir, Redlich-Peterson, Sips and Dubinin-Radushkevich models were applied to describe the equilibrium isotherms using nonlinear regression analysis. The equilibrium data agreed well with Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson and Sips adsorption isotherms. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity of Citrus limettioides seed carbon was found to be 27.15 mg/g. Ther-modynamic parameters showed that the adsorption process was feasible, spontaneous and exothermic in nature. A single-stage batch adsorber was designed using the Freundlich equation. Similar studies were carried out using commercially available activated carbon (CAC), for comparison purpose.

7 illus, 4 tables, 24 ref

004214   Showell J O;Eze E B;Ama-Abasi D E (NO, Calabar Univ, Institute of Oceanography, Calabar, Nigeria) : Impact of seasonal variation on the recreational water quality of Calabar River Estuary, Nigeria. Indian J envir Prot 2016, 36(1), 24-33.

Sampling was fortnightly for 12 months in 5 stations. Stations 1-3 were near-shore while stations 4 and 5 were in, the estuary. Dry season sampling was from October to March while wet season sampling was from April to September. The work focused on the bacterial aspect of water quality. The highest total coliform count (1900/100 mL) was recorded during the wet season in July at station 3. The lowest count (163/100 mL) was recorded at station 2 during the dry season in November. Almost the same scenario was observed for fecal coliform. The highest count of fecal coliform was recorded during the wet season in July also at station 3 during flood tide. The lowest count was recorded during the dry season in February also at station 2. The lowest 95th percentile value of intestinal Enterococci (14/100 mL) recorded at station 2 was during the dry season in November. On the other hand, the highest 95th percentile value of intestinal Enterococci of 190/100 mL was recorded at station 3 during the month of July which is the peak of the wet season. All the microbial water quality parameters had negative t-test values indicating that the wet season samples had higher counts of total coliform, fecal coliform and intestinal Enterococci than the dry season samples and concluding that there was significant difference in microbial water quality between the dry and wet seasons.

004213   Selvapandian P;Ananthakumar K (Chemistry Dep, Kamarajar Govt. Arts College, Surandai-627 859) : Kinetics and isotherm modelling studies on the removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution by Adhatoda vasica leaf powder. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(10), 832-9.

In the present work, the Adhatoda vasica leaf powder was used as an adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The process of adsorption characteristics of methylene blue on adhatoda leaf powder were evaluated as a function of pH, adsorbent dose, initial concentration of adsorbate, temperature. The effect of pH indicates that the removal of dye was found to be effective in acidic medium. The effect of dose on the removal of dye shows that the percentage of removal of dye increases with increase of dose. The effect of initial concentration on the removal of dye shows that the percentage of removal of dye decreases with increases of dye concentration. From the effect of temperature on the removal of dye the thermodynamic parameters, such as change in enthalpy, change in free energy and change in entropy are evaluated from Van't Hoff plot. The adsorption data fitted well into Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models. The data obtained from effect of contact time on the removal of methylene blue reveals that the adsorption process second order kinetics. The results show that Adhatoda leaf powder holds a great potential in removal of methylene blue from industrial wastewater.

9 illus, 3 tables, 15 ref

004212   Sannigrahi A K (Proof and Experimental Establishment, DRDO, Chandipur, Balasore-756 025) : Impact of different types of covers/shades on vermicomposting of grasses using Perionyx excavatus earth worms and chemical quality of vermicomposts. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(7), 569-72.

One experiment was carried out to study the influence of different types of cover (structured shade or mulching) and the shade materials, like black polythene sheet, cement carrying bag sheet, gunny bag sheet, used cotton cloths and paddy straw on vermicomposting of grasses using cow dung and Per/onyx excavatus earthworms. It was found that structured shades of any materials was always better in rapid vermicomposting as well as nutrient status of vermicomposts than no cover treatment since it provided better airy and moist environment essential for growth and optimum feeding of earthworms. Even mulching also helped in quicker vermicomposting and better nutrient contents in comparison to no cover (control) situation. Similar to raw material, quantity of cow dung and earthworm species, cover/shade is also an important factor in rapid vermicomposting technique.

1 illus, 1 table, 3 ref

004211   Saklani A;Gupta S C (Law Dep, H.N.B. Garhwal (A Central Univ), BGR Campus, Pauri Garhwal, UK, Email: subhashchandragupta@rediffmail.com) : International conventions and national laws in environment protection. J Mount Res 2016, 11(Dec), 69-72.

Envronmient consists of naturally occurring living and nonliving things. Nature itself makes balance of all its components but due to over-exploitation of the natural resources, environment of earth is getting polluted. There is no deficiency of legislations on environment protection in India but their enforcement has been far from satisfaction. Before independence several environmental legislations existed but the real infusion for bringing about a well-developed framework came only after the UN Conference on the Human Environment. The extent of the environmental legislation clearly seen from the several legal laws in addition to the provisions of Constitutional law of India but the enforcement of these laws is still a matter of concern.

14 ref

004210   Richhariya N (Chemistry Dep, Govt. Girls College, Satna, Madhya Pradesh, Email: neelamsuved@gmail.com) : Study of chemical turbulence in ambient air quality in Satna (Madhya Pradesh). Int J Pharm Life Sci 2015, 6(2), 4268-71.

At present time the problem of environmental degradation is of very much importance. These environmental problems are becoming threats to the existence of living beings. The chemical composition of the atmosphere is being altered by the addition of gases, particulate matter and volatile substances, which may be toxic to living beings. Satna, is known as the cement city on India, due to abundance of lime stone and dolomite in the region. City has 7 cement factories. Major problem in the city is Air Pollution due to atmospheric wastes of cement factories. Two critical gaseous pollutants and particulate pollutants are in abundance in Satna. Satna is an industrial area, and a little change in the concentration of pollutants in ambient air can make a strong effect on the existing living stock causing many adverse effects on health and skin. In present study the quality of Air in the study area is estimated from the air quality index.

1 table, 12 ref

004209   Rao B S;Prasad S V M;Murali M (Basic Science and Humanities Dep, Aditya Institute of Technology and Management, Tekkali-532 201, Srikakulam) : Water treatment for removal of heavy metals and specific physico-chemical parameters by using different natural coagulant. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(10), 854-9.

The drinking water quality at Tekkali village was examined in this study. Determination of turbidity, hardness and heavy metals were conducted before and after treatment with natural coagulants (Moringa Oleifera, peanuts and beans). In this study, Moringa Oleifera seeds were found to be better than other seeds in removal of turbidity and hardness. The results showed that the Moringa Oliefera seeds were capable of removing heavy metals (chromium, cadmium and zinc) better when compared with other seeds. The % removal of Moringa Oleifera seeds were 70%, 65% and 58% for metals Cd, Zn and Cr, respectively.

3 illus, 3 tables, 18 ref

004208   Ramesh babu K;Selvanayagam M (NO, R.V. Government Arts College, Chengalpet-603 001) : Analysis of bacterial contamination in the Kolavai lake at Chengalpet. Indian J envir Prot 2016, 36(1), 39-42.

The prevalence and seasonal variation of bacterial indicators of faecal pollution, such as total coliform bacteria, faecal coliform bacteria and faecal streptococci were investigated in samples of Kolavai Lake water, Chengalpet, Tamil Nadu. Further, the samples were screened to study the reliability of faecal indicator bacteria as an index of human pathogenic bacteria. Total coliform bacteria, faecal coliform bacteria were isolated from the lake. Faecal streptococci were also detected in most samples. The total coliform and faecal forms were observed in maximum as 3000 and 1200, respectively in the lake. Which is more than the permissible limit. The result showed that the water is polluted and presents a potential risk to public for recreational and fishing activities.

1 illus, 1 table, 2 ref

004207   Rai P;Mishra R M (School of Environmental Biology, A.P.S. Univ, Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, Email: prnk.rai3@gmail.com) : Study of seasonal concentration of SPM, RSPM, SO₂ NO_x in the ambient air near J.P. cement plant, Rewa (Madhya Pradesh). Int J Pharm Life Sci 2015, 6(2), 4251-5.

This study was undertaken to assess the quality status and seasonal variations of ambient air of pollutants. Results revealed comparatively higher ambient air concentrations of SPM, RSPM, SO2 and NOx during the winter months to be followed by summer and rainy months. According to air quality surveys the levels of average value of Respirable suspended particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen in sampling site are well within prescribed limits, whereas average concentrations of SPM in the ambient air of the village are above the permissible limits. Results revealed maximum contribution of SPM to the ambient air compare to RSPM, SO2 and NOx in Sagauni village during 2009-2010.

2 illus, 1 table, 29 ref

004206   Perumal S B;Palanichamy M S;Thamarai P; Aneesha D C (Civil Engineering Dep, R.M.K. College of Engineering and Technology, Puduvoyal, Chennai-601 206) : Study on the classification of water quality, Pazhayar river basin, Kanyakumari district, through aggregation of water quality index. Indian J envir Prot 2016, 36(1), 59-68.

The river Pazhayar originating from the slopes of Mahendragiri hills at an altitude of 800 m above M.S.L., flows towards south-western direction through Mahendragiri Estate, Palkulam, Bhuttapandi, Thazhikudi, Nagercoil town, Suchindram, etc., and joins the Arabian Sea near Manakudi. The basin contains number of water storage tanks/bunds. The catchment area of the river is 397 km^{2. The total length of the river is 40 km. There is one CWC Hydrological Observation Station at Ashramam on this river. The early kings also constructed about 11 check-dams along the course of the river. A Venad ruler, Boothala Sree Veera Udaya Marthandavarma, who ruled this area in 1517, constructed the Veerapuli dam and its canals. But, unfortunately, the dam was destroyed by a flood 40 years ago. Another major problem faced by the Pazhayar is pollution. Though the river water is free from pollution from Surulacode to Putheri, the stretch from Putheri to Suchindrum is highly polluted. Sewage from Putheri and Nagercoil also flows into the river. The sewage (household sewage, solid waste and liquid waste from hospitals) from Putheri area drain into the river at Putheri and sewage from Nagercoil is let into the river between Vadaserry - Ozhuginaserry - Edalakudi. A study was undertaken during the month of June 2015 to November 2015 (south west and north east monsoon period) and evaluates the water quality of Pazhyar river. The study involves the physical and chemical and analysis, like turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, total alkalinity (TALK), total hardness (TH), Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, Mn, Cl, F, NH₃, NO₂, NO₃, BOD and DO of river. The results of the present study have been compared with the permissible standards prescribed by the standards, such as BIS, CES, CPHEEO, ICMR and WHO. The average value of the water quality index for Pazhayar river was 49.01 (during monsoon period) indicating that this river is under moderate pollution of water quality rating. Based on this report, appropriate steps to be taken to control the pollution in this river.}

9 tables, 5 ref

004205   Murthy T L N (Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Onshore Gas Thermal, Mallavaram, East Godavari) : Implication of dissolved oxygen in oil and gas effluent treatment plant operation. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(10), 860-5.

At present statutory regulations are stringent and every oil and gas operating company should strictly carry out their operations abiding to the rules and regulations of environmental statutory bodies. In addition, these statutory bodies have vigilance on all operations, which can cause pollution of natural resources. Effluent treatment plant is a vital tool for oil and gas operating company to treat their discharge with in limits. Dissolved in effluent plant plays vital role for treating of effluent in secondary stage of operations. Maintaining the dissolved oxygen in aeration tank is always a challenge. In addition there are many more things which could stop the increase of dissolved oxygen in aeration tanks and the water coming to aeration tanks is very tough for reducing the biochemical oxygen demand by activated sludge process. Normally in oil and gas water disposal is a challenge for meeting the statutory parameters for disposal. This paper discusses the challenges and significance of dissolved oxygen.

1 illus, 2 ref

004204   Murali M (Civil Engineering Dep, Aditya Institute of Technology and Management (Autonomous), Tekkali-532 201, Srikakulam) : Some preliminary studies on the removal of chromium from electroplating industry waste using plant material and activated charcoal. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(10), 793-8.

Several methods of treatment have been suggested for removal of chromium from waste-waters which include chemical precipitation, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, foam formation, etc. The main disadvantages of the above processes are they produce large amounts of sludge and there are no possibilities of metal recovery and are very costly also. The use of plants and other plant materials for the removal of the heavy metals have already been reported in the literature as the non-conventional adsorbents. In the present work, an attempt has been made to compare the efficiency of removal of chromium using conventional and non-conventional adsorbents. Effluent from an electroplating industry was collected and analyzed for pH value, acidity, suspended solid, dissolved solid and chromium. Batch experiments were conducted using the diluted effluent to facilitate the comparison of the results with control sample. Hibiscus Mutabulis (commonly known as hibiscus plant) leaves were collected locally and these leaves were dried, powdered and sieved through standard sieve (I.S. no. 0.075 mm). The first stage of batch experiments were carried out using this sieved leaf powder. The second stages of experiments were carried out using commercially available activated charcoal. Variation of chromium removal with contact period and dosage of adsorbent is studied using Freundlich plots.

6 illus, 6 tables, 7 ref

004203   Mondal G C;Singh A K;Singh T B (NO, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad-826 015) : Major ion chemistry and groundwater quality assessment in Purulia district. Indian J envir Prot 2016, 36(1), 1-16.

The chemical characteristics of groundwater of Purulia district of West Bengal were studied to evaluate the major ion chemistry and suitability of water for domestic and irrigation uses. Groundwater samples of 60 locations were collected and analysed for pH, EC, TDS, F^{-, Cl-, HCO₃-, NO₃-, SO₄2-, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+. The cation concentrations indicate that among the cations only K+ concentrations in 15% of sampling location exceed the WHO limit for drinking water. In case of anions 1.67%, 11.67% and 21.67% of the sample locations exceed the limit for Cl-, F- and NO₃- respectively. Based on US salinity diagram, 50% samples fall in the field of C2S1 while 40% and 10% samples fall in the field of C3S1 and C1S1, respectively. The analytical data plotted PI against total concentration shows that 68.33% of the water samples fall in Class-l and 15% in Class-ll in the Doneen's chart implying that the water is of good quality for irrigation purposes with 75% or more of maximum permeability. However, 16.67% groundwater samples belong to Class-Ill, that is unsuitable category. In the analysed groundwater samples 9 samples have MH <62> 50, that is harmful and unsuitable for irrigation use.}

004202   Meena T;Rout J (Ecology and Environmental Science Dep, Assam Univ, Silchar-788 011, Email: routjaya@rediffmail.com ) : Macrophytes and their ecosystem services from natural ponds in Cachar district, Assam, India. Indian J Tradl Knowledge 2016, 15(4), 553-60.

The present study deals with the macrophytes of four natural ponds near Barambaba temple in Cachar district of Assam, North-East India and uses. A total of 45 species of macrophytes belonging to 24 families were recorded. Emergent growth forms were most dominant. Their ecosystem services as medicinal (26%), livestock fodder (22%), vegetables (15%), fish food (10%), decoration (9%), religious (7%), herbal (3%), poultry feed (2%), insect repellent (2%), fencing (2%), fuel (1%) and organic farming (1%) have been recorded. The judicious management of rich diversity of macrophytes and their uses can promote sustainable utilization of aquatic plants in this region.

1 illus, 36 ref

004201   Mariyappan C;Amarnath D J;Ramachandran M (Chemical Engineering Dep, Faculty of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Sathyabama Univ, chennai-600 119) : Study on zero discharg of raw water at Mettur Thermal Power Station. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(10), 863-9.

The thermal power contributes major percentage of power generated in India. Thermal power generation depends mainly on water besides coal. In thermal power stations, water is used for generating high-pressure steam to drive turbines, for cooling hot exhaust steam in condenser, ash slurry mixing and disposal, emissions control and for service uses, like fire fighting, etc. Thermal power stations account for the highest share of freshwater use in the industrial sector. India once water abundant country has now turned into water stressed. Hence, water conservation is an important consideration. Environmental regulations, decreasing availability of fresh water and increasing costs of water have created need for greater water conservation. Water reuse, reduce, recycle and zero discharge programmes have become mandatory in industries and manufacturing facilities. In this work, a study was carried out on achieving zero discharge of effluent water in 4x210 Mw coal based thermal power station of Tamil Nadu Generation Distribution Corporation Limited (TAIMGEDCO) at Mettur Thermal Power Station, Mettur Dam, Salem district, Tamil Nadu. This system will help to protect the environment by reducing water consumption and wastewater emissions and at the same time contributing to cutting down the operation cost of the project.

1 illus, 3 tables, 6 ref

004200   Krishnaveni M;Supriya P (Anna Univ, Centre for Water Resources, Chennasi-600 025) : Hydrologic design of runoff harvesting system for water conservation in an urban environment. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(7), 529-35.

Fresh water sources are being heavily exploited to meet the demand of urban population. The short duration of heavy intensity rainfall leads to heavy flow in Chennai areas resulting in flooding, poor recharging and quickly drains into the sea. The ultimate source of all fresh water is rain which occurs in heavy in short spells. This paper analyses need for collecting and storing the rainwater during the monsoon period and utilize the same for non-potable public utilities during non-monsoon period from the rainwater harvesting system in Ekkattuthangal ward of area 6.9 km^{2. The Ekkattuthangal is situated in the southern part of Chennai city. The spatial variability of different parameters is taken into account for the estimation of runoff using SCS-CIM (Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number) method. The area comprises of 690259 m2 generates runoff of 628472 m3 which is stored in a proposed sump of volume 2020 m3. The urban storm water harvesting system is a potential strategy to achieve the reduction in water scarcity and restoration of environmental flow impacts. Hence rainwater harvesting with artificial tank storage in different zones is a sustainable innovative solution to solve the water scarcity problems in most urbanized cities, like Chennai.}

1 illus, 4 tables, 11 ref

004199   Koshal Kumar;Rana A R;Kotnala C B;Balodi V P;Dobriyal A K (Zoology Dep, H.N.B. Garhwal (A Central Univ), BGR Campus, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, Email: dr.anitaarawat@gmail.com) : Water quality and pollution status of Rawasan stream in Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. J Mount Res 2016, 11(Dec), 9-14.

To understand the water quality statuses of Rawasan stream, the physico-chemical characteristics of stream water was studied in five different selected sites for an interval of two years (Aug 2013 to July 015), Analysis observation reveals variation in the average value of air temperature (18.48±1.07 °C to 34.96±59°C), water temperature (15.2±0.46°C to 27.6±1.17 °C), water velocity (0.27±0.06 m//sec to and 0.65±0.0), DO mean value 8.9±1.5 mg/1 to 11.9±1.14), turbidity (0.40±G,07 NTU to 80.5±1.95 NTU), pH value (7,4±0.24 in to 8.4±0.17), total alkalinity (31±1,12 ppm in August 2013 to 67.6±1.03 ppm). Hardness (46,2±2,94 ppm to 85.2±9.71 ppm) and average free carbon dioxide (0.02±0.2 mg/l to 0,7±9.27 mg/l). From the overall analysis it was observed that fluctuations in the value of different parameters season dependent Rawasan stream was observed as conducive for aquatic biota.

1 illus, 1 table, 19 ref

004198   Korade M S;Dhorde A G (Geography Dep, Savitribai Phule Pune Univ, Pune-411 007, Email: amitdhorde@unipune.ac.in ) : Trends in surface temperature variabilty over Mumbai and Ratnagiri cities of coastal Maharashtra, India. Mausam 2016, 67(2), 455-62.

Increasing urbanization and expansion of cities has led to intensification of the urban heat island (UHI). High consumption of fossil fuels and trapping of radiated heat leads to increase in surface temperature in and around city. Present research paper focuses on temperature variability over Mumbai and Ratnagiri cities, which are located in the same coastal climatic region and almost at same altitude. Trends in maximum and minimum temperature were investigated at annual and seasonal scale. The occurrences of temperature extremes were also analysed. In general, increasing trends were observed over both the stations, with high rate of increase in maximum temperature than the minimum temperatures statistically significant at 95% confidence level. Mumbai experienced significant warming with higher rates than Ratnagiri. Warm extremes have also increased significantly over Mumbai. Ratnagiri showed decrease in hot days during monsoon and hot nights during remaining seasons significant in summer.

9 illus, 2 tables, 17 ref

004197   Khan N;Ali M;Yaqub G;Sadiq Z (Environmental Sciences Dep, Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore-54000, Pakistan, Email: ghazala_yaqub@yahoo.com) : HPLC determination and comparative analysis of persistent organic compounds in different enrivonmrntal matrices. Asian J Chem 2016, 28(2), 339-42.

The application of easy, low-cost and effective sample preparation approach for the determination of different categories of persistent organic compounds, fruit, vegetable, soil and water samples was conducted. After extraction of environmental matrices, targeted persistent residues of lufenron, imidacloprid, dimethomorph, paraquat, glyphosate, bifenthrin and difenoconazole were determined by the method validation of high performance liquid chromatography in the collected samples from the agricultural areas of Lahore and Rahim Yaar Khan, Pakistan. All fruits and vegetables were found to be contaminated with persistent organic compounds with the values exceeding maximum residue limits (MRLs) of Codex Alimentarius Commission. Present study is a contribution in scientific research that gives the comparative analysis of persistent organic compounds under various environmental conditions.

1 illus, 4 tables, 33 ref

004196   Jijeesh C M;Seethalakshmi K K (NO, Kerala Agricultural Univ, Thrissur-680 656, Email: cmjijeesh@gmail.com) : Litterfall and decomposition dynamics of six year old Bambusa balcooa Roxb. homestead block plantation in Palakkad, central Kerala. Range Mgmt Agrofor 2016, 37(2), 155-61.

The present study examined the litterfall, its decomposition and nutrient release dynamics of Bambusa balcooa. The litterfall and decomposition were estimated using standard techniques. The total annual litter production in this species was 4.06 4 t ha^{-1. Litter production followed a biphasic pattern with a major peak in February 2011 and minor peak in December, 2010. The rate of decomposition in B. balcooa litter was a good fit to exponential decay modpl. The decomposition rate constant of 6. balcooa was 0.0115 day-1 and the half-life was 77 days. Litterfall and decomposition was influenced by the climatic factors like maximum temperature and rainfall. The release of nutrients from the decomposing litter was in the order Mg <62> N <62> Ca <62> P <62> K.}

4 illus, 2 tables, 30 ref

004195   Hossain S M (Muslim Association College of Engineering, Venjaramoodu, Trivandrum-695 607) : Aerobic biodegradation of nitrophenol using Candida tropicalis in three phase fluidized- bed reactor. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(10), 799-806.

The release of industrial wastewater to the environment causes several adverse effects. Nitrophenols are one of the most toxic pollutants in wastewater and has a significant negative impact on the environment and human health. The aerobic biodegradation of p-nitrophenol in presence of sodium salicylate as substrate using yeast Candid tropicalis was studied in 3 phase fluidized-bed reactor. Maximum p-nitrophenol biodegradation was 88.27% (w/w) at optimum conditions with yeast C. tropicalis. The optimum operating parameters are; Hydraulic retention time (HRT), 3.5 hr; pH of feed, 5; temperature of feed, 55 °C; oxygen flow rate, 0.4 L/min ; feed flow rate, 5 L/min and sodium salicylate concentration 4 g/L. The presence of a small amount of sodium salicylate as substrate could significantly enhance the biodegradation of p-nitrophenol and retard the biodegradation of nitrophenol, especially at higher total substrate levels. The sp growth rate (μ) was 3.78/s and maximum sp. growth rate (μ_max) was 7.56/s. The yeast C. tropicalis yield coefficient (Y) was determined as (0.926) at optimum parameters. The yeast can grow reasonably well with sodium salicylate in p-nitrophenol environment in 3 phase fluidized-bed reactor. The first order rate constant (k ) was 0.167/s for aerobic biodegradation of p-nitrophenol in 3 phase fluidized-bed reactor with yeast C. tropicalis.

9 illus, 13 ref

004194   Haider M A;Shahriar S I M;Hosen M H A; Chhanda M S;Khatun M M (Faculty of Fisheries, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology Univ, Dinajpur) : Study on water quality parameters and benthos abundance in freshwater homestead ponds of Dinajpur, Bangladesh. Int J Fish aqua Stud 2017, 5(2), 27-32.

Experiment on water quality parameters and the abundance of benthos in freshwater homestead ponds was carried out for a period of 90 days from Dinajpur district of Bangladesh. The study was conducted considering three treatment ponds such as T1 (small sized), T2 (medium sized) and T3 (large sized) and each has three replications. Different water quality parameters were measured at 15 days interval. The ranges of water temperature were 24 to 34 °C, transparency 27 to 36 cm, dissolved oxygen 3.75 to 4.97 mgl^{-1, pH 6.16 to 7.10, total alkalinity 28 to 122 mgl-1, chlorophyll-a 4.76 to 460.77 μgl-1, ammonia-nitrogen 0.01 to 0.70 mgl-1, phosphate-phosphorus 0.12 to 0.99 mgl-1, nitrite-nitrogen 0.00 to 0.26 mgl-1 and nitrate-nitrogen 0.01 to 0.45 mgl-1 were found among three treatments. Significantly varied values of transparency, total alkalinity and nitrate-nitrogen were observed while other parameters showed nonsignificant among three treatments. Four groups of benthos i.e. Oligochaeta, Chironomidae, Mollusca and Unidentified were distinguished during the study period. Oligochaeta was dominant among different groups of benthos. The mean (±SD) values of total benthos were 526.75±76.30, 498.77±68.72 and 553.09±61.53 in Tl, T2 and T3 respectively. The highest total benthos abundance was recorded in T3 due to its comparatively better water quality. The research findings will be beneficial for the pond owners for the improvement of homestead fish production.}

6 illus, 2 tables, 27 ref

004193   Gopalakrishnan K M;Sampathkumar V; NithyaPrakash G;Boobalakrishnan G (Erode Sengunthar Engineering College, Civil Engineering Dep, Thudupathi-638 057) : Bioelectrochemical treatment of sugarcane wastewater using microbial fuel cells and methane production. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(7), 548-68.

Energy need has been increasing worldwide exponentially at present global energy requirements are mostly dependent on the fossil fuels, which eventually lead to foreseeable depletion of limited fossil energy sources. Concerns about climate change, increased global demand for the finite oil and natural gas reserves and security are intensifying the search for alternatives to fossil fuels. Generation of electricity using microbial fuel cells (MFC) is seemingly gaining importance in the research fraternity. These 2 approaches of alternative fuel generation have numerous advantages clean, efficient, renewable and does not generate any toxic byproduct. A study on power generation from sugarcane wastewater using membrane less microbial fuel cell in a batch mode and the effect of DO and inoculums. MFCs can also be modified to produce hydrogen gas by maintaining the cathode in an oxygen-free condition and adding in an external small voltage. Microbial fuel cell is fabricated as a 2 chamber system loaded with sugarcane wastewater sludge ratio of 1:5. To increase the efficiency of MFC, the cells operate in 2 conditions of aerobic and anaerobic. Aerated MFC was further studied by varying sludge volume. The maximum power production was found in the feed of sludge ratio 1:5. Utilizing chemical wastewater for the production of renewable energy (bioelectricity) from anaerobic treatment is considered as a feasible, economical and sustainable process.

16 illus, 9 tables, 21 ref

004192   Gayathri K S;Viji R (Civil Engineering Dep, Anna Univ, BIT Campus, Trichy) : Removal of colour from paper mill wastewater using neem leaf powder. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(10), 818-24.

The objective of this study is to remove the colour from the paper mill industry wastewater by using neem leaf powder as bioadsorbent. The dark colour in paper mill effluent is caused due to the presence of organic ligands, such as wood extractives, resins, synthetic dyes, tannins, lignin and its degradation products. Using neem leaf powder as an adsorbent for the removal of colour, the effect of adsorbent dosage, contact time, agitation speed, pH, are studied. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were plotted and that concludes neem leaf powder is a good adsorbent for the removal of colour from the effluent.

7 illus, 2 tables, 18 ref

004191   Doma H S;El-Liethy M A;Abdo S M;Ali G H (Water Pollution Research Dep, National Research Centre, Dokki 12622, Giza, Egypt, Email: gamilaali2003@gmail.com) : Potential of using high rate algal pond for algal biofuel production and wastewater treatment. Asian J Chem 2016, 28(2), 399-404.

The aim of this study is to investigate the application of high rate algal pond for municipal wastewater treatment and the production of microalgae biomass for biofuel production. Primary facultative pond one cubic meter (1 m^{3) followed by high rate algal pond (1.5 m3) were installed in wastewater treatment plant and fed with municipal wastewater. High rate algal pond enhance the removal of nutrients, organic contaminants, coliforms and E. coli. The performance data of the treatment system showed that the removal efficiency of COD, BOD, total suspended solids and ammonia were 31, 33, 22 and 56%, respectively. The removal of total coliforms reached up to 3 logs. Furthermore, fecal coliforms and E. coli removal reached 3 and 5 logs, respectively. The community structure of the high rate algal pond revealed that the most dominant algal species were Scenedesmes obliquus and Micracitinium pusillum. The total lipid percentage was an average of 5% in the high rate algal pond. The gas chromatographic analysis of the fatty acid methyl ester revealed that stearic acid (C18:0) concentration reached up to 18.8%, the oleic acid and linolenic acid were detected with an average percentage of 10.3% and 13.8%, respectively. It can be concluded that, the high rate algal pond considered as an efficient and cost-effective pond system for municipal wastewater treatment. Also, it able to produced oil used as biodiesel source from the biomass of the harvested microalgae.}

3 illus, 3 tables, 48 ref

004190   Dhaarani D;Ilavarasan N (Environmental Engineering Dep, Anna Univ, BIT Campus, Trichy) : Water quality analysis on Yercaud lake by using multivariate statistical analysis. Indian J envir Prot 2016, 36(1), 34-8.

Water samples are collected at top, middle, bottom of Yercaud Lake, Salem district. Water quality index (WQI) Is physico-chemical parameter of lake water, like turbidity, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, pH, total alkalinity, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, ammonia, nitrate, chloride, fluoride, sulphate and phosphate are tested for 9 samples as per IS method. Based on the value of the water quality index has been estimated for 2010 to 2014. The lake water is found not good quality in some months (WQI-100 to 200). And identified the source of pollution in the lake by multivariate statistical analysis as used via factor analysis, correlation component analysis (CCA). Based on the results 3 pollution were identified. In thus agricultural pollution, organic pollution, domestic wastewater pollution influences the lake water quality high. These methods are believed to assist water managers to complex nature of water quality issues and determine priorities to improve water quality.

004189   Devi S S;Jenela P J;Issac I R;Prabha M L (Biotechnology Dep, Karunya Univ, Coimbatore-641 114) : Biosorption - An eco-friendly approach for wastewater treatment. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(10), 847-50.

Heavy metals in effluents can be remediated by the process of biosorption. In this review, adsorption of heavy metals is studied by commercial methods, using fungus and natural products. Bioadsorbents are used to optimize various parameters, such as contact time, initial metal ion concentration, pH, biomass loading, etc. The knowledge of this study may be helpful for further research in bioremediation of soils.

14 ref

004188   Datar M T;Bhargava D S (Bhargava Lane, Devpura, Haridwar-249 401) : Management of aerobic digesters. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(10), 851-3.

Aerobic digestion is the newest method of reducing waste activated sludge or a combination of waste activated and primary sludge to a stable residue with good settling and drainability characteristics, no offensive odour and a low oxygen demand. The supernatant is clear having very low BOD, below 50 mg/L. Aerobic digester shows a definite promise for treatment installations utilized for treatment of wastes from medium and small scale industries and towns producing comparatively small quantities of activated sludges having no economically feasible energy return values. Management aspects of aerobic digesters are discussed.

10 ref

004187   Das D N;Baruwa A K;Das M L;Sarmah P (Pollution Control Board, Assam Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-781 021) : Study of bacteriological quality in ground water in the catrhment area of the Tunia river, Bongaigaon, Assam. Indian J envir Prot 2016, 36(1), 49-58.

The water of drinking water sources should not have any bacteriological parameters for human health. Bacteriological parameters are contaminated with the water of drinking water sources as well as the ground water due to submersion of flood water of the Tunia river at the drinking water sources and uncontrolled discharge of domestic wastewater. These bacteriological parameters are generally considered as reliable indicators for the presence of pathogens in water. The most important indicator organisms are total coliform, faecal coliform and faecal streptococci. Water samples of drinking water sources, such as tubewell and openwells are collected and analysed for bacteriological parameters, like total coliform, faecal coliform and faecal streptococci. The ratio of faecal coliform to faecal streptococci are evaluated and ascertain the sources of bacteriological parameters. Necessary measures are proposed against the contamination of pathogen and bacteriological organisms for sound health of people in the catchment area.

12 tables, 12 ref

004186   Chen Z (NO, Hangzhou No. 2 High School of Zhejiang Province, 76 Dongxin Avenue, Binjiang district, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China, Email: zhichen98@hotmail.com) : Treatment of o-tert-butyl phenol micro-polluted water with electro-oxidation and microporous aeration: method development, performance evaluation and mechanism study. Asian J Chem 2016, 28(2), 450-4.

This study investigated the treatment of organic micro-pollutants in drinking water using a combination of electro-oxidation and microporous aeration (EOMA) technique. Results indicated that microporous aeration enhanced the turbulence of reaction solution and improved the efficiency of organic contaminant removal two-fold versus electro-oxidation alone. o-tert-Butyl phenol (OTBP) was used as a representative pollutant. 1600 mL OTBP solution contained 160 mg sodium sulfate and 2 mL 30% hydrogen peroxide. When the current density was 5 mA cm^{-2, 1 and 2 mg L-1 o-tert-butyl phenol was removed up to 98.0 and 75.1%, respectively. The major intermediate products included trimethylacetic acid, succinic acid and other acid. These have much less toxicity than o-tert-butyl phenol. After 30 min, the organics were mineralized completely. Electro-oxidation and microporous aeration was applied to actual source water that was contaminated by complicated organics. No toxicity was shown to algae growth after 15 min of treatment and total organic carbon was removed completely after 30 min.}

7 illus, 3 tables, 16 ref

004185   Chaturvedi S K;Upadhyay M K;Tiwari A K;Nayak C S;Mishra M K (Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalay, Biological Sciences Dep, Chitrakoot-485 780) : Health impact assessment of stone crusher workers in bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(7), 581-5.

Health impact assessment was conducted in the stone crushers of Chitrakoot (Bharatkoop), Banda and Mahoba (Kabrai), Uttar Pradesh to assess the dust exposure risk on stone crusher workers and nearby residents. These areas are covered with granite, silica sand and morrum. The various crushing operations involved in stone crushing, for example blasting, manual cutting, crushing and transportation emit fugitive stone dust. These fine aerosol of stone dust causes health problems among the stone crusher workers. Health survey, for example general clinical examination, blood sample test, sounds level measurement was carried out to assess the extent of the damage caused to the workers.

7 tables, 8 ref

004184   Bhatla R;Tripathi A;Singh R S (Geophysics Dep, Banaras Hindu Univ, Varanasi, Email: rbhatla@bhu.ac.in) : Study of trend analysis and extreme events of temperature over Varanasi during summer monsoon season. Mausam 2016, 67(2), 463-74.

Temporal changes in the monthly and seasonal temperatures over Varanasi District were analysed, based on the 40 years of time series databases of daily temperatures from 1971 to 2010. The temperature changes during the two tricades of 1971-2000 and 1981-2010 and also for four decades starting from 1971 to 2010 were investigated and both the Mann-Kendall (MK) trend test and simple linear regression analyses were employed to detect trends in the mean maximum temperatures and mean minimum temperatures. Various extreme temperatures criteria, as well as their corresponding frequencies, were chosen to explore the trends of extreme climate change over Varanasi. The warming of seasonal mean temperature is mainly attributed to changes in the minimum temperature, particularly during the last three decades. A pre-monsoon cooling and its association with increase in heat wave days suggest that, alongwith large-scale circulation, regional and local factors may have played a vital role in influencing the observed climate in the studied area.

5 illus, 3 tables, 19 ref

004183   Bhateria R;Snehlata;Renu (Maharshi Dayanand Univ, Environmental Science Dep, Rohtak-124 001) : Impact of industrial effluent on crops and soil properties. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(7), 591-609.

Environment is adversely affected by growing industrial establishments without proper attention on pollution control measures. In most of the developing countries, use of industrial effluent for growing field crops is a common practice. The use of industrial effluent with proper dilutions for irrigation has emerged as an important way of utilization of effluent wastewater by taking the advantage of considerable quantities of nutrients present in it. Other advantage which wastewater irrigation offers is pollution removal. Agriculture accounts for a major share of water consumed in the country. Their continuous disposal on agricultural soils has resulted in soil sickness and lead to accumulation of some of the toxic metals in soil which may pose serious problems to all organisms. Although the benefits of wastewater use in irrigation are numerous but precautions should be taken to avoid short and long-term environmental related risks. Since the effect of an industrial effluent vary from crop to crop, therefore, it becomes essential to study the effect of industrial effluents on individual crop prior to use the industrial waste in agricultural fields, This review was aimed to evaluate the efficiency of different industrial effluents for irrigation purposes.

2 tables, 134 ref

004182   Ali M F;Naher U H B;Chowdhury A M S U;Rahman G M S;Hasan M M (Institute of Leather Engineering and Technology, Univ of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh) : Investigation of physico-chemical parameters of tannery effluent in Dhaka city. Indian J envir Prot 2015, 35(10), 825-31.

This study was conducted to determine the quality of tannery effluent with the analysis of physico-chemical parameter of effluent discharged by different tanneries in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The samples of effluent were taken from 9 tanneries and 3 points of Hazaribagh, Dhaka. Different physical and chemical properties, like temperature, colour, odour, the pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solid (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD₅), suspended solid (SS), chloride, nitrate, sulphate, phosphorous, etc., were measured and compared. The value range of the observed parameters are 1072-3833 mg/L for TSS, 1251-6240 mg/L for COD, 3.2-10.43 for pH, 2375-4385 mg/L for TDS, 200-1257 mg/L for BOD₅, 7.81-13.85 mg/L for phosphorous, 2100-9745.8 μs/cm for EC, 684-1020.2 mg/L for alkalinity, 2.85-22.34 mg/L Cr^{3+. 8-26 mg/ L for NO₃', 484-1928 mg/L for CI-, 0.68-2.8 mg/L for NO₂- and 124-512 mg/L for SO₄2-.}

7 illus, 4 tables, 11 ref

004181   Al-Shimiesawi T A M;Al-Jeboori F H A; Abdul-Ridha A A;Rahman S A A (NO, Ministry of Science and Technology, Baghdad, Iraq) : Effects of contact time, initial cobalt ion concentration, ph, and biosorbent dosage of surface orange peel and maize agro-waste adsorbents to remove cobalt from water. Int J Res Pharm Chem 2016, 6(2), 185-91.

The ability of Co (II) removal from aqueous solution using natural cheap agro-waste such as orange peel and maize was investigated. The effects of pH, contact time, adsorbents dosage, and initial Co(II) concentration on the removal of cobalt have been studied. The biosorbents were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy that confirmed physical adsorption of cobalt by adsorbents. The maximum efficiencies of cobalt removal by orange peel and maize cob were 40% and 42% respectively. The optimum parameter required for maximum adsorption determined as follows: pH = 4-8 for orange peel and 8.0-8.5 for maize cob, contact time=15 minutes, adsorbents dosage = 5 gm/L and cobalt concentration = 25 mg/L.

6 illus, 39 ref

003141   Syed N;Mohite A;Sadawarte R (Fisheries Engineering Dep, College of Fisheries (Dr. B.S. Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli), Ratnagiri-415 629, Email: ashishmohite@yahoo.com) : Cast nets of Dal lake of Kashmir : design characteristics and specifications. J expl Zool 2016, 19(1), 1219-22.

Cast net fishery is one of the main type of fishery practised occupationally by the fishermen community (locally called as Mahigeer) along Dal Lake. No form of mechanised fishing has so far been introduced to the fishermen in these areas. Interestingly to make the gear more selective two types of cast net were found in Dal Lake: Cast net with large mesh and Cast net with small mesh. While the cast net with large mesh was used to catch the fishes of marketable size, on the other hand cast net with small mesh were used to catch small fingerling which were either used as bait or dried. The catch from cast net comprised mainly of Cyprinus spp. and Schizothorax spp.

1 illus, 8 ref

003140   Sunitha Devi S;Kundale A P (Weather Forecast Development Div, Pune-411 005, ) : Cyclones and depressions over the north Indian ocean during 2015. Mausam 2016, 67(3), 529-58.

1 illus, 3 tables

003139   Sundriyal R C;Ghosh P;Negi G C S;Airi S; Dhyani P P (G B Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Kosi-Katarmal, Almora-263 643, Email: paroghosh@rediffmail.com) : Natural disasters and human tragedy in the context of Himalayan states. Proc Indian Natn Sci Acad 2016, 82(1), 21-3.

ref

003138   Sudevan S;Niyas N T;Santhosh K;Chand R (NO, Meterological Centre, Thiruvananthapuram-695 033, Email: ssudevan@yahoo.co.in) : Study on hourly temperature features over Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram and Minicoy during 1969-2012. Mausam 2016, 67(3), 633-50.

Amongst all the climatic elements, temperature plays a major role in defecting and analyzing climatic change and its impact. The variability in resident time of the surface temperature is studied to investigate whether any change in temperature has taken place. Analysis of the results is presented for Mumbai, a mega city with large change in land-use pattern, Thiruvananthapuram, a semi-urban city with moderate changes in land-use pattern and Minicoy, an Island city without much change in land-use pattern. These three places representing varying geographical locations and climatic conditions are unique in nature, however having uniform maritime influence. It is revealed that the change is large in Mumbai in comparison with others as expected. The study proposes a new methodology based on the resident time of temperatures and its trend and could be used as a tool for relative ranking of cities and to gauge the source and sink regions of climate change forcing. The resident time of temperatures shows increasing trend above the mean temperature and decreasing trend below the mean temperature of the initial decade. Decadal linear increasing trends in mean temperatures are 0.256 °C, 0.159 °C and 0.146 °C per decade for Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram and Minicoy respectively, This confirms the effect of global warming unequivocally irrespective of urban effect. Decadal linear increasing trends in mean temperature during non-monsoon season for Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram and Minicoy are 0.315 °C, 0.155 °C and 0.181 °C per decade respectively. The rate of increase of mean temperature for Mumbai and Minicoy during monsoon season is 0.143 °C and 0.081 °C per decade respectively, are significantly less than the decadal trend in annual mean, which suggests that rainfall activity seems to be the correction factor for the increasing trend in the annual mean temperature which otherwise would have been a higher value. However, the rate of increase of mean temperature for Thiruvananthapuram during monsoon season for the study period is 0.172 °C per decade, which is slightly higher than the decadal trend in annual mean. Noticeable changes in resident time during monsoon season are in conformity with change in rainfall patterns.

12 illus, 17 tables, 12 ref

003137   Sinha S;Tripathi A K (Forest Ecology and Environment Div, Forest Research Institute, Deheradun) : Evaluation of water quality index of mountains tourist destinations of himalayan region(India). e-J appl For Ecol 2016, 4(1), 30-40.

The present study deals with the water quality status of mountainous tourist destination of Himalayan region on the basis of evaluation of Water Quality Index (WQI). With the development and urbanisation, the natural environment suffers from the detrimental effects of pollution. Among all the physicochemical parameters measured for WQI calculation, pH is one of the most important parameters that determine the suitability of water for various purposes. The WQI shows maximum value at main activity point at each tourist destination followed by downstream value and a minimum was recorded at upstream. Sahastradhara has more Water Quality Index in comparison to Robber`s Cave and Lachhiwala. In future, with the increase in number of tourist the strategy for management of these tourist sports will be needed to prevent the pollution load in Himalayan region India.

003136   Singh L;Singh S K;Thawale P R;Raghunathan K; Kadaverugu R (Ecosystem Div, CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI, Nehru Marg, Nagpur-440 020) : Development of bamboo diversity on degraded lands: A sustainable solution for climate change mitigation and poverty alleviation in rural areas. e-J appl For Ecol 2016, 4(1), 16-21.

Various anthropogenic activities and human interferences affect the terrestrial ecosystems resulting in the loss of cultivated land, forest or grazing land, leading to the overall loss of productivity. Restoration of such degraded lands can largely be considered as ecosystem restoration for the re-establishment of the capability of the land to establish its basic structure and function. Ecological restoration and reclamation are the techniques by which a degraded ecosystem can be rejuvenated to its top successional stage. An important goal of sustainable bamboo diversity development on degraded land in rural areas is to accelerate natural successional processes (above and below ground biomass) to increase biological productivity, soil fertility and biotic control over biogeochemical fluxes within the recovering ecosystems. Microbe Assisted Green Technology (MAGT) is a recent and very effective technology for the development of biodiversity on the degraded lands. An ecosystem development model is presented herewith where the role of all influencing factors is taken into consideration for the development of bamboo biodiversity on various types degraded/waste land. There are a number of environmental and socio-economic benefits of MAGT technology which includes ecological restoration of wasteland productivity, high survival rate of selected plant species, increase in biomass, mitigation the climate change problem, poverty alleviation in rural areas and carbon dioxide sequestration.

003135   Seetharam K (NO, , MC Hyderabad, Email: seetharamkovela123@gmail.com) : MR model for the prediction of sub divisional southwest monsoon seasonal rainfall of sub divisions from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Mausam 2016, 67(3), 716-22.

^ssc10 illus, 7 tables, 27 ref

003134   Prasad M;Vasistha H B;Kothiyal P B (Forest Ecology and Environment Div, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun-248 006, Email: prasad.mukesh16@gmail.com) : Assessment of health of reclaimed limestone mine spoil using microbial biomass carbon as biological indicator. Indian J For 2015, 38(3), 223-6.

The mining and quarrying in hill ranges of Mussoorie and Dehradun was the glaring example of deforestation and damages of forest resources at 70s and 80s. Mussoorie, the queen of hill station and Doon valley had been stripped off its green cover during this period. This reckless and unscientific exploitation of limestone deposits occurred without any thought for consequential environmental effects. The ecological restoration of these mined areas started almost more than two decades (around 80s) earlier by different agencies through applying mechanical, physical and biological measures. The microbial biomass consists mostly of bacteria and fungi which decompose plant, animal residues and soil organic matter to release carbon dioxide and plant available nutrients such as nitrogen (N), into the soil that are available for plant uptake. It is also an early indicator of changes in total Soil Organic Carbon (SOC). Unlike Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Microbial Biomass Carbon (MBC) responds quickly to soil changes. About half of the microbial biomass is located in the surface 10 cm of a soil profile. It is commonly affected by factors such as water, carbon content of soil, soil types, climate and management practices. The study was under taken to assess the role of rehabilitation/restoration of limestone mined area of Mussoorie hill on improving the health of soil using Microbial Biomass Carbon (MBC) as biological indicator. The study demonstrated the soil health status of reclaimed lime stone mine site which was dominated by Cupressus torulosa. Besides that Microbial Biomass Carbon (MBC) was also estimated under the natural forest of Quercus leucotrichophora as a control. It was estimated by Chloroform Fumigation method. It has been observed that the MBC of soil under reclaimed mined soil dominated by Cupressus torulosa ranges from 200 μg/gm to 600 μg/gm and in natural forest of Quercus leucotrichophora (Bank Oak) it ranges from 600 - 800 μg/gm which is higher than the reclaimed site. Though the MBC in reclaimed site is lower than the natural forest, however it indicating the improvement of soil quality of reclaimed mined spoil due to rehabilitation efforts carried out in these mined areas. The substratum of soil and nutrient limitation for microbial communities can affect the central role in the soil nutrient cycling which facilitate the microbial biomass. It can be concluded that reclaimed limestone mine site improving with time and it may take some more time to improve the spoil to reach the nutrient level up to natural forest.

1 table, 37 ref

003133   Pabreja K;Datta R K (Maharaja Surajmal Institute, GGSIP Univ, New Delhi, Email: kavita_pabreja@rediffmail.com) : Clustering technique for interpretation of cloudburst over Uttarkhand. Mausam 2016, 67(3), 669-76.

Data Mining has been used extensively in various business and scientific applications for last few years. Data mining has been found to be providing a deep insight into understanding the hidden facts in huge databases. Data mining is an interdisciplinary subfield of computer science that discovers patterns in large data sets by using methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics, and database systems. In this paper, data mining technique for Interpretation of Weather Forecasts for one of the most disastrous weather phenomenon viz. cloudburst has been applied. Every year, cloudburst over hilly areas and coastal regions causes loss of lives and property. The forecasting and warning of these events is very difficult. There is no satisfactory technique for anticipating the occurrence of cloudbursts because of their small scale. A very fine network of radars is required to be able to detect the likelihood of a cloudburst and this would be prohibitively expensive. The warning of cloudburst could Only be provided at a small lead time say a few hours in advance based on the interpretation of latest satellite imagery data, powerful radar (Doppler category), if available, or by using Model Output Statistics (MOS) models. Another dimension to forecasting this weather event has been identified by applying clustering technique on primary data forecasted by global and regional models of weather forecasting. A recent case of Cloudburst over Uttarakhand that caused a huge loss has been analyzed using k-means clustering technique of data mining. It has been observed that with the mining of Numerical Weather Prediction model forecast data, the signals of formation of cloudburst can be found3-4 days in advance.

6 illus, 1 table, 10 ref

003132   Ning L K;Liu H L;Bao A M;Pan X L (NO, Water Resources and Architectural Engineering College of Shihezi Univ, Shihezi-832 003, Email: liuhl@shzu.edu.cn) : Adaptability evaluation of TRMM over the Tianshan mountains in central Asia. Mausam 2016, 67(3), 625-32.

Accurate precipitation in mountain area is very important for evaluating the hydrological process and ecological problem. With the satellite data having been widely used in the past few decades, adaptability evaluation becomes the principle problem. The adaptability of TRMM 3B43 in mountain area of Central Asia was analyzed in this study. The TRMM product was compared with the observed data for the period of 2000-2006. Four statistic parameters were introduced based on the statistical analysis theory. The results show that the bias reached -13.93% over the entire regions, and the correlation coefficients over 70% of stations were greater than 0.70. According to the accuracy analysis of TRMM, we found the errors have significant differences in time and space. On the whole, the precision in the warm seasons is much higher than that in the cold seasons. The precision of the southern and eastern areas is higher than the other areas in space. Additionally, the accuracy of TRMM with elevation was acceptable at very significant level. This study indicates that the precipitation from TRMM 3B43 could be applied in the Tianshan Mountains in Central Asia. It. could provide reference for the use of new data source in the mountain area.

2 illus, 2 tables, 31 ref