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Virtual mobility experiences provide a valuable option to enrich student learning and development from home. However, there is a lack of evidence of how these online experiences are leveraged in STEM and their potential positive effect on students' critical thinking capabilities. This study explores and details the design of a short-term virtual program and its influence on science students' critical thinking. The program focused broadly on agriculture through the lens of sustainability and the SDGs whereby students engaged in collaborative research, reflection and intercultural interaction and dialogue. Analysis of students' learning journals and focus group responses suggest that students achieved the learning outcomes of the program related to critical thinking, nurturing students to think and potentially act differently while broadening students' personal understanding, connection, and confidence in relation to science. This paper discusses the experience from the perspective of the Australian undergraduate students.

After the mushrooming growth of the institutions providing technical education in India, questions are being raised about the quality of education dispensed to technical graduates. The purpose of this study is to recognise the various factors, in order of their importance, that are responsible for declining quality of technical education in Punjab, India. A structured questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 465 students and 310 teachers from 31 engineering institutions of the Punjab region in India. Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance was used to analyse the data. The result of the analysis of factors leading to deteriorating quality of technical education in Punjab reveals that at aggregate level, students have assigned rank I to economic factors; the teachers has assigned rank I to ethical factors.

The benefits of early childhood education are well known, but access to quality programs is a challenge for children living in marginalized communities. Mobile Creches (MC), a non-profit nongovernmental organization based in Delhi, India, pursues the mission to ensure all young children, especially the most vulnerable children, have access to the benefits of early childhood development programs. This article begins by describing the state of young children in India. It then provides an overview of MC, including its three main models of child care delivery (demonstration, employer-run, and tripartite), its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and some of its recent developments.

This article analyses the National Council of Educational Research and Training textbooks of environmental studies using critical discourse analysis to shed light on questions such as how the environment is dealt with in the text, using what kind of language are environmental concerns framed, how is the current environment crisis contextualized both in terms of ecological and social justice, if at all, and what solutions are suggested in this regard. The article finds that though the content of the textbooks exhibits strong social contextualizing of learners' surroundings, the thrust is anthropocentric, and the environment figures only as a peripheral concern. Themes such as gender, caste, hygiene, culture, equality and discrimination emerge stronger than those of biodiversity, conservation, pollution, water crisis and global warming. While the in-built thrust on conviviality in the textbooks is necessary and heartening, a better infusion of the current predicament in terms of the environment crisis and how it could be mitigated is recommended.

In this paper we frame children as geological agents, very much part of epoch and biospherical processes, enfolded in Earth system changes. We draw on the experiences of Indian childhoods in a context where the land, water, animals, children's bodies and forests are being shaped by a politics of corporate city building. We analyse how children and young people contribute to Earth system changes and consider the everyday, multispecies consequences of living with anthropogenic urbanism. The paper shows how children's bodies are entangled with human and non-human forces; they are geological agents which challenge, negotiate and have cyclical and rhythmic relationships with land and resources. We argue that time, scale and multispecies vulnerabilities are important reference points in our thinking through anthropogenic processes and thus contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the place of children and young people in the new epoch.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the stability of a bottle filled with different volumes of water, and to determine the angle at which it topples over for each volume of water. Data for the angle at which the bottle toppled were gathered experimentally using a cylindrical 1 litre bottle, and two theoretical models were then developed, considering the fluid as both static and dynamic, respectively. By modeling the water as a uniform cylinder or as a rectangular cylinder and cylindrical segment, it was possible to calculate the angle at which the centre of mass of the system overshot the base of the bottle. Allowing for some discrepancies between the geometry of the actual bottle and that of the idealised model, it was found that both models could successfully predict the variation of the toppling angle with volume. However, it was found that the second model, which treated the fluid dynamically, was more appropriate, and better supported by the empirical data gathered. These data and the models also indicated that the toppling angle was found to be highest when the bottle was approximately one-third full with water. Using an Excel sheet for theoretical calculations it is possible to predict the angle at which cylindrical bottles of various sizes filled with fluid can topple over.

Sustainable use of freshwater is globally important. Yet implementation of changes in water management is poor, especially in developing countries. This is an indication that, despite our dependence on freshwater, we lack awareness of the need to protect these systems. Here we promote dragonflies as an easy-to-learn tool in environmental education programs. Dragonflies have been employed successfully as indicators of ecosystem health in environmental impact assessments and monitoring programs globally. They can be used as environmental sentinels and as whistleblowers for freshwater health, providing an effective tool for environmental impact assessments and freshwater monitoring. We give detailed examples here of some successful projects from South Africa, Tanzania, and Japan. The approaches developed are models that pave the way for more water awareness projects elsewhere, especially in developing countries, where biodiversity and pressures on freshwater systems are high.

A survey was conducted in eight secondary schools located in two watersheds in Gujarat and Rajasthan (semi-arid region of India) to assess students' perceptions about groundwater scarcity issues and the impact of the scarcity on their educational opportunities. Survey responses to a detailed questionnaire by a cohort of students in both watersheds; school attendance records of year 8 class students (13-14 years old) and responses gathered via a socio-economic survey involving 500 families in the study area were used in the study. In both watersheds, >90% students identified groundwater scarcity as a major issue. Required to work at home or farm, about 65% students in Gujarat and 60% in Rajasthan missed school for up to 2 days/month; and a smaller proportion (~ 30%) missed schools for 4 or more days/month. School absenteeism was found to be linked with gender; female students missed schools more frequently than their male counterpart. The school attendance records in Rajasthan showed that the frequency of female students missing schools for 5 or more days/month was on an average 2-10 times greater than that for males. The gender difference in absenteeism in all schools was statistically significant (P < 0.018**). The study highlighted that groundwater scarcity in the study area, and consequent demand on their time for household work including fetching drinking water are contributing factors towards limiting their educational and economic opportunities. Groundwater scarcity can be one of the key factors that can limit inclusiveness and empowerment of women and need to be considered in policy-making.

Visual representations, including photographs, sketches and schematic diagrams, are a valuable yet often neglected aspect of textbooks. Visual means of communication are particularly helpful in introducing abstract concepts in science. For effective communication, visuals and text need to be appropriately integrated within the textbook. This study is based on an analysis of the science textbooks of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the Maharashtra State Board (MSB) for Classes 3-10. We first assess these textbooks for the use of visual representations generally. Then we focus on the water cycle, looking at how this topic is treated in the school science curriculum, at the types of visual representations used, and how effectively text and visuals are integrated to teach the water cycle over the course of the school years. We conclude with some observations on the visual treatment of the water cycle in two exemplar textbooks, and examine the implications for the use of visualisation to understand the concept of the water cycle.

This paper uses the recent approach of multidimensional deprivation measures to provide a comprehensive and wide ranging assessment of changes to living standards in India during the period, 1992/93-2004/5. This covers the reforms and the immediate post reforms time periods. The study is the first to be based on the simultaneous use of two parallel data sets, namely the National Sample Survey (NSS) and National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data sets, covering proximate rounds and near identical time periods. The results allow a check of consistency on the picture of deprivation in India between these two data sets. The study is conducted both at regionally disaggregated levels and by socio economic groups. The deprivation dimensions range widely from the conventional expenditure dimensions to non-expenditure dimensions such as access to drinking water and clean fuel, to health dimensions such as child stunting and the mother's BMI. The use of decomposable deprivation measures allows the identification of regions, socio economic groups and deprivation dimensions that are contributing more than others to total deprivation.

This article focuses on farmers' use of literacy for individual decision-making on crop-water management and crop choices and investigates how farmer participants perceive the usefulness of Farmer Water School (FWS) training. It draws upon a study conducted with farmers of Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, India. This study has demonstrated that literacy skills, while valued, are not a prerequisite for all farmers to improve their groundwater and crop management, as long as training includes (1) the presence of at least some literate farmers, (2) activities that involve learning by doing, and (3) learning in small mixed groups of literate and non-literate participants. The study outcomes are of increasing relevance in the context of climate change and variability, as small and marginal farmers constitute over 87 per cent of Indian farmers. Their inability to cope with consequences of climate change could adversely affect the food security in the country.

Natural arsenic salts are present in all waters, with natural concentrations of less than 10 parts per billion (ppb). Unfortunately, there is an increasing number of countries where toxic arsenic compounds in groundwater, which is used for drinking and irrigation, have been detected at concentrations above the World Health Organization's determined safe drinking limit of 10 ppb. Of particular concern is the situation in Bangladesh, where it is estimated that there are more than 1 million people drinking arsenic-rich water (above 50 ppb). It is imperative that people stop using wells where arsenic levels are high. There is as yet no reliable, simple and field-based method for arsenic detection. However, this article describes a promising technique that could be used to detect arsenic in the field using a PDV6000+ portable digital voltammeter. (Contains 5 figures and 1 table.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to put forth a model for implementation of an environmental management system (EMS) in institutes of higher education in India. Design/methodology/approach: The authors carried out initial environmental review (IER) and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis to identify the major environmental concerns in the university. This was followed by preparation of environmental policy and plan based on ISO 14001 guidelines. Findings: The key concerns in the university have been identified as energy consumption, waste generation, transportation, etc. The SWOT analysis shows that the university is doing satisfactorily in energy efficiency and water conservation while there is scope for improvement in case of waste management, transportation and landscaping. The environmental management plan has been prepared keeping in mind the gaps observed through the IER and SWOT analysis. Research limitations/implications: Carbon footprint and water footprint analysis have not yet been carried out and hence, quantifiable targets have not been included in the environmental management plan. Practical implications: Implementing an EMS at the university will help reduce the impact on environment due to various day-to-day activities. It will also lead to developing environmental consciousness in the minds of young professionals who graduate from the university as well university staff. Originality/value: There have been very few examples of environmental consciousness in educational institutions in India. There is a need for model systems for incorporating environmental management in the university set-up. This research documents the process of identification of environmental concerns followed by preparation of the management plan for an educational institution. The research also documents the need for different aspects of the environmental management plan. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

The process of innovation-development to scaling is varied and complex. Various actors are involved in every stage of the process. In scaling the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)-led integrated watershed management projects in India and South Asia, three drivers were identified--islanding approach, multi-layered partnership, and innovative means of knowledge sharing. Through a consortium mode of partnership, ICRISAT established "islands" or models for showcasing soil and water conservation interventions and integrated these with other concerns of the farming system (crops and livestock) and socio-economic dimension (capacity building). Activities on the islands were planned and implemented by the locals and replicated in satellite watersheds. Partnerships forged through the consortium approach provided a dearth of resources such as social capital. Projects built on trust and good relationships can be sustained even when direct financial support ceases. Innovative means of knowledge sharing like the Virtual Academy for the Semi-Arid Tropics (VASAT)--ICRISAT's innovation in capacity building and information management--provided the link between rural farm households and researchers. Credible intermediaries and markets were linked to farmers by information communication technology channels and markets through an interface of information and open/distance learning methods. VASAT's multi-dimensional strategy has been an important resource for a south-south partnership. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

The key to agricultural development in the eastern region of India, where problems of excess water and water scarcity coexist, is the scientific management of water resources with the adoption of recommended water-management technologies. A vast networking of infrastructure for the development and dissemination of water-management technologies have been designed since the very inception of planned economic change. Despite these concerted efforts, a large number of recommended technologies are either being adopted in piece-meal or not at all. The research and extension systems have been generating and disseminating technologies, therefore, it was felt worthwhile to assess the feasibility and appropriateness of recommended technologies as perceived in the first instance by the personnel of the research system and followed by the extension personnel. These steps were felt to be a precursor to screen the recommended technologies for their dissemination and evaluation in different farming systems. The assessment of recommended water-management technologies was performed after their documentation from different organisations working in the field of water management in two eastern India states viz. Orissa and West Bengal. The perception of 30 personnel members of the research system regarding the feasibility of these technologies elucidated that out of 86 documented recommended water-management technologies, 40 were having feasibility scores of [greater than or equal to] 4.0; 8 technologies with score 3.0 British Pounds and the rest of the 38 technologies with a score between 3.0 and 4.0 on a feasibility continuum range from 1.0 (not feasible) to 5.0 (highly feasible). Out of 40 recommended technologies (already assessed as highly feasible by the research personnel), extension personnel have perceived 16 and 10 technologies as highly appropriate and feasible, respectively. While six and four technologies were found to be less appropriate and feasible, respectively. Correlation of all nine indicators of appropriateness with feasibility of technologies was significant. Five indicators of appropriateness "viz." simplicity, physical compatibility, production sustainability, cultural compatibility and cost together constituted 36.8 per cent of the total variation in feasibility with the "t" values and "F" values being significant. It indicates that not appropriateness of technologies alone but other factors influence the feasibility of technologies. (Contains 6 tables.)

In India, nutritional public health problems such as macronutrient malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases are still persistent. Dietary assessment among the population is essential to understand the adequate consumption of nutrients in maintaining a balanced diet and most importantly to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goal-2, 'End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition', by 2030. Hence, an attempt was made in this paper to examine the nutrient consumption and compare it with the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs)-given by Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR)-2020 and also to assess the determinants of adequate intake of calorie and Protein among the rural households in Jhargram district of West Bengal, India. The study used primary data from a sample of 200 households collected during April–May, 2017. The daily intake of calorie and protein were calculated by following the RDAs by ICMR-2020 conversion table. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were employed. Results found that the consumption of adequate calorie and protein intake was 30% and 40% respectively. Logistic regression found that age, gender of the household head, social category, size of household, major source of income, access to market, access to credit, type of house, monthly per-capita consumer expenditure and farm size were significantly associated with the consumption of calorie and protein. The study concludes the need to address the importance of socio-economic disparities in nutrient intake and accessibility of credit facilities to rural households. There is also a need for targeted interventions among female-headed households to foster balanced nutrition and avert malnutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Context: Water is a basic human right essential to all for sustainable development. Sanitation is one of the determinants of quality of life and the human development index. Drinking unsafe water impairs health through illnesses such as diarrhoea, and untreated excreta contaminates ground waters and surface waters used for drinking, bathing and household purposes. Aims: To assess the existing facilities and practices related to drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene among household members in the rural population of Tamil Nadu and to assess whether accessibility and availability of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation under sustainable development goal 6 is being achieved in the rural population of Tamil Nadu. Methodology: This community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 200 households in the rural field practice area of the Medical College and Hospital, Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu. The participants were interviewed using a predesigned semi-structured questionnaire on their existing water, sanitation, and hand washing facilities and practices Results: Our study observed that 71.5% of households had piped water supply into their dwellings, 82% were using sanitary latrines and 28% had closed drainage for draining wastewater. Twenty-eight percent were using soap and water for hand-washing before food, and 82.5% were doing hand-washing with soap after using the toilet. In our study, the association between sanitary practices and education, occupation and socioeconomic status was statistically significant Conclusions: Our study emphasized the need for strengthening health education and behaviour change communication regarding sanitation and hand hygiene practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fasting consists of abstaining from all or part of food and drink for a given period of time. Fasting people have a therapeutic advantage, as fasting can promote weight loss, improve glycemic control, reduce the risk of heart disease, etc. The current investigation of a case was conducted on Jain monk to understand the health impact and generate myriad hypotheses based on prolonged fasting on water alone. Data were collected from a 46-years aged Tapasavi (Monk) who had started fasting on 'water only' for 170 days commencing from 14th January 2023 after taking consent. Blood investigations and Magnetic resonance imaging were also conducted. He was drinking only warm water of around 500 ml in the morning and 500 ml in the evening. The weight of the person in this case has been reduced from 46 KG at the time of initiation of the fasting to 40.3 KG at the end of fasting. It seems that his biological age corresponds to 18 years old person. Haemoglobin and white blood cells were in normal limit from baseline till last day of fasting. However, lymphocytes decreased. Serum urea increased to 64.88 mg/dl while uric acid increased three times from the baseline level. Serum bilirubin was elevated even during baseline and was also very high on the last day of fasting. Vitamin B12 level was in normal range even after 170 days of water only fast. Serum ketone bodies were raised. Magnetic resonance imaging findings were normal. In this case, blood levels for several indicators have fluctuated, which may mean that a lot of bodily organs aren't functioning properly. More so, this case study generated a number of hypotheses, and in order to create strong support for each hypothesis and long term health impact, the targeted longitudinal, case control, and cohort studies are required for generating robust evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased mismanaged plastic has led to widespread microplastic (MPs) contamination in the marine environment. Our study investigates MPs across the inner, outer, and mangrove regions of the Kollidam River estuary on the east coast of India. Surface water and sediment samples at 18 locations were analysed for size, shape, colour, and polymer type. The average MP abundance in surface water and sediment was 2.42 particles. m−3and 1580 ± 705 particles. kg−1d.w. respectively. The predominant polymer types observed were PP (40%), PE (26%), and PAc (24%). Medium-sized particles (1–2.5 mm) are more in surface water (44%), and small-sized (0.01–1 mm) particles dominate in sediment samples (50%). The most common MP shapes were fibres and fragments, with transparent MPs being the most frequently observed colour. The results highlight that the mangrove region acts as a potential sink for microplastic pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluazinam a promising fungicide, is not yet registered in India. Consequently it is important to study the dissipation of its specific formulation in Indian soil and water. This study focuses on the degradation and residue dynamics of Fluazinam (40% SC) in different soil types (alluvial, lateritic, coastal saline and black) and water pH (4.0, 7.0, 9.2). Adsorption kinetic models suggested that the half-life period (days) varies among soils following the order lateritic (Jhargram), 54.07 > alluvial (Mohanpur), 45.10 > coastal saline (Canning), 28.33 > black (Pune) 26.18. These differences are attributed to soil pH and organic carbon (OC) content, where higher pH levels reduce pesticide adsorption, leading to quicker dissipation, while higher organic carbon content provides more binding sites, slowing down the process. The first order kinetics explained the dissipation better compared to second order model across all soil types. The study also found that the half-life of was lowest at pH 9.2, as compared to pH 7.0, and very high stability at pH 4.0. Additionally, the study introduces an interactive R-based tool for analysing dissipation kinetics and half-life of different pesticides offering a valuable resource for researchers and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper speaks to the uneven scholarly attention gone into tracing dominant forms of water governance as opposed to practices crafting alternative human-water relations on the ground. Through the case of an Indian-based network mobilising to transform how we understand rainfed regions as rain-dependent socio-ecologies, I theorise their action 'with care', a commitment to think-with grassroots movements as actors capable of bringing new worlds into being. Describing their activities as worlding-practices, I explore how the network confronts the invisibilities inscribed by the current paradigm reducing water to irrigation by defining alternative metrological tools that recentre the governance of water from the perspective of the rainfall. Tinkering with the variables of the constituted metrology, the network utilises an atlas, a formula, and an acronym to enact a different rainfed sociality into being, creating visibilities and cares for neglected things. Through the story of a grassroots group and their strategies of mobilisation, this account contributes to debates on how to pluralise water governance, suggesting that reimagining its practices requires taking seriously the performativity of grassroots knowledges. Building alliances between research and activism as e/affective world-building partners becomes key to co-theorise liveable human-water relations and caring socio-ecologies at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a desk review and three rounds of the Delphi method, this study examines the impacts of climate change-induced water-related threats on food security in the Indian Sundarbans, and develops management strategies to address the issues. Results show climate change, through its impacts on water, has lowered agricultural output, endangered traditional livelihoods, reduced access to food, and affected food utilization by impacting freshwater availability and creating health hazards. In addition, intensified weather extremes are likely to threaten food security further. A combination of local-level adaptation measures and global-level mitigation initiatives is necessary to ensure food security in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is the single largest source of water for irrigation and domestic use in India. Climate change further exacerbates the threat of depletion, reducing food security and increasing the vulnerabilities of resource users. Governance is complicated by externalities associated with its attributes as an invisible and fluid resource which create problems of rivalry and exclusion. Based on theory-based case studies for evaluation of selected World Bank projects, we analyse challenges for groundwater governance and identify factors that contribute to depletion. It highlights the need for integrating and balancing demand and supply-side approaches, including water-efficient irrigation and climate-smart practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study assessed the presence of heavy metals (HMs) in Yamuna River water across different locations, seasons, and years, while also examining the efficacy of resident microalgae in HMs removal. High HM concentrations were found, with peak levels in Faridabad during the summer of 2022: Cr(II) at 132.064 µg/L, Pb(II) at 93.034 µg/L, Cu(II) at 218.6 µg/L, and Ni(II) at 347.1 µg/L. In Kalindi Kunj during the same season and year, As(lII) measured 8.05 µg/L and Cd(II) reached 31.587 µg/L. The study identified microalgae species proficient in HMs removal. Scenedesmus sp. achieved 76.11% Cr(II) and 59.83% Pb(II) removal, while Klebsormidium sp. displayed the highest rates with 78.49% Cd(II) and 64.00% As(lII) removal. Oocystis sp. and Chlorococcum sp. absorbed up to 86.53% Cu(II) and 58.54% Ni(II), respectively. This research highlights the variability of HMs in Yamuna River water and the potential of resident microalgae for HMs remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I theorise the presence of a contemporary Indian and feminist subaltern consciousness that counters infrastructural striations of female subjecthood. Subaltern Studies scholar Partha Chatterjee notes that India's decentralised distribution of natural resources resulted in a politics of governmentality that slowly erased the twentieth-century Indian peasantry's insurgent consciousness. Chatterjee's observation suggests the need to unpack infrastructural-environmental-ontological constellations in rural India to assess their impact on subaltern agency and politics. I examine the biopolitical indices of this constellation using case studies of gender participatory water management initiatives to assess the impact of water privatisation on rural Hindu women's relationship to water infrastructure. During this discussion, the shortcomings of biopower as a parameterisation of subaltern oppression become highlighted and Elizabeth Povinelli's concept of geontopower is offered as a new materialist analytic through which to better clarify women's conditions under neoliberal water infrastructures and resist the latters' regimes.. Ultimately, I offer geontopower as a conceptual tool to argue that a form of contemporary subaltern insurgent consciousness is still present in India. The latter half of this article explores performative constructions of this insurgent consciousness through literary drama. I read Dalit playwright Vinodini's street play Daaham (2002) as a work that points to insurgent consciousness through the material confluences of water, the human body and the affective infrastructure of local wells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With unregulated urbanization and skewed financial resources, cities of developing countries like India are struggling with urban services provisions like water services. An index, Household Urban Water Resilience Index (HUWRI) has been proposed, comprising resilience characteristics and abilities to assess the inherent water resilience of the households and identify the weak and strong links. A total of six case areas in the study area of Jaipur, India are assessed with different development profiles including slum area (HUWRI scale score 32.7), a recently notified area (HUWRI scale score 37.64), an area that witnessed a rapid transformation from low density to high-density development (HUWRI scale score 45.04), an old area with small-sized plots (HUWRI scale score 38.17), an area traditionally developed with medium and large plots (HUWRI scale score 46.05) and an upscale area (HUWRI scale score 44.28). Measures are suggested to strengthen the urban water resilience for households based on the assessment of the resilience profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five early-stage sustainable urban water management innovations in India are examined utilizing diffusion of Innovations theory. Cases are described using grey literature, surveys, and qualitative insights derived from interviews with innovators (N = 5). Potential future adopters (PFA's) were also surveyed (N = 31), and their attitudes toward adoption is discussed. We identify alignments and misalignments between the goals, perceptions, adoption attitudes, and modes of communication between innovators and PFA's. Innovators and PFA's were largely aligned in their assessment of two innovation characteristics considered 'most important' (namely relative advantage and compatibility), but not aligned regarding simplicity (rated 'most important') or other 'moderately important' to 'less important' innovation characteristics (trialability, observability, and reinvention). We identify the role of communication channels between innovators and PFA's, and suggest that innovators might work to better emphasize the simplicity of their approaches to maximize the likelihood of adoption. Finally, we identify opportunities for future research in this under-studied domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity has become a permanent feature in Himalayan cities. Despite the recurrent events of the water crisis in Himalayan cities, the relationship between urban space and water scarcity has not received sufficient attention in the urban studies literature in India. Water scarcity is rooted both in the water infrastructure inherited during the precolonial and colonial periods meant for the population of that time and the resulting racial exclusionary practices. In the context of countries like India, or what we collectively call Southern Urbanisation, whenever there is a water crisis, the water infrastructure built during the colonial period is blamed solely for the crisis without considering the historicity of the production of these infrastructures within the urban space. Colonialism is a significant factor in understanding urbanisation in the Indian context, it is still prominent, even more so in the context of mountain urbanisation in India, where many new urban centers like Shimla, Darjeeling, and Murry emerged as the new centers of colonial domination in the second half of the nineteenth century. The urban space of the region is both a socio-temporal space produced through colonialism and a geographically contingent place. Therefore water scarcity needs to be analysed by combining these two factors. In this paper, I will contextualise water scarcity in the context of Himalayan urbanisation where the production of urban space is intertwined with the case of Shimla. The case study of the spatial development of Shimla shows how the urban space in Himalaya and its relationship with water scarcity require a separate field of inquiry within urban studies in the global south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estuaries of Maharashtra are under continuous pressure due to uncontrolled dumping of persistent toxic organic pollutants into these regions and their impact on the marine environment. In this study, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in water, sediments, fish, and biomarker responses in the Coilia dussumieri exposed to TPHs were determined in seven urbanized tropical estuaries along the west coast of India during the winter and summer. The results of the cluster analysis highlighted that the concentration of TPHs in the water, sediment, and fish in the study area was spatially varied, with the highest concentration in the northern area of Maharashtra (NM) estuaries than in the southern region of Maharashtra (SM) estuaries during both seasons. The enrichment of TPHs in water and sediment in the middle part of most estuaries highlights the addition of anthropogenic organic matter. A higher concentration of TPHs in the muscle tissue of Coilia dussumieri observed in NM during the winter season, indicates the energetic intake and storage of large quantities of TPHs in their muscle tissue. The biochemical results showed decreased levels of total protein (PRT) under exposure to TPHs, under oxidative stress and reversing correlations was observed between catalase (CAT) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) activities with the respective TPHs. Similarly, reduced activity of the CAT antioxidant and increased glutathione-S-transferase (GST) under exposure to TPHs were more likely to occur under hydrocarbon stress. However, current results indicate that Coilia dussumieri actively produces oxidative stress and antioxidant reaction that can be used as biomarkers of pollution in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in health-care facilities is fundamental for providing quality, people-centered care and critical to achieving quality and accessible health services. This study aimed to assess the status of the WASH infrastructure in health-care facilities of Raipur district, Chhattisgarh, India. Methodology: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study carried out in all public health-care facilities of Abhanpur block, Raipur district, Chhattisgarh, India, between 2019 and 2020 using an adapted version of joint monitoring program's (JMP) core questions, indicators, and service ladder framework. Results: A total of 2 community health centers (CHCs), 7 primary health centers (PHCs), and 34 subhealth centers (SHCs) were included in the present study. All CHCs (100%) had essential water, sanitation, hygiene, and waste management services. Among PHCs, 85.7% had water from improved and hygienic sources, only 57.1% had basic sanitation, and 100% had vital essential waste management services. Among SHCs, 55.9% had essential water, 2.9% had basic sanitation, 20.6% had basic hygiene, and 35.3% had necessary waste management services. Overall, it was found that 62.8% of health-care facilities had necessary water services, 16.3% had basic sanitation services, 34.9% had essential hygiene services, and 48.8% had basic waste management services. Conclusion: The status of WASH infrastructure in health-care facilities of Raipur district is either limited or not available, especially concerning sanitation services, hygiene, and waste management services. It is the need of the hour to ensure a coordinated response that in all health-care facilities, WASH services are made available and accessible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oceans are changing on a global scale. Zooplankton of the marine ecosystem are microscopic myriads of diverse, floating and drifting animal-like organisms found either on or near the surface of water bodies. Zooplankton samples were collected from the surface water and substratum of the ship hull during the study period from June 2015 to May 2016. Population density ranged from 68 000 to 194 000 cells/L was recorded in the water and substratum of the ship hull. Shannon–Wiener's diversity index (H') values ranged from 4.97 to 5.57 (bits/ind) at station I and station II. Simpson's richness ranged from 0.967 and 0.977 at station I and station II. Pielou's evenness index (J') ranged from 0.976 to 0.994 at station I and station II, respectively. In total, 56 and 48 zooplankton species were recorded in water and substratum of the ship hull in the Chinnamuttom harbor water, respectively. Among the recorded zooplankton, calanoid copepod was found to be dominant followed by ciliata, cyclopoida, harpacticoida, polychaeta, amphipoda and barnacle nauplii in water samples, whereas in substratum samples the Harpacticoid copepod was predominant followed by ciliata, cyclopoida, calanoida, polychaeta, amphipoda and barnacle nauplii. Among the estimated zooplankton, the copepods were found to be dominant throughout the year in the selected site and seasons with appreciable numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following UNICEF's analysis of National Family Health Survey-III Data (NFHS-III), it was opined that households with access to better sanitation and better access to improved water sources have much better infant survival rates than the others. Sahu et al. (2015 , The Indian journal of medical research, 141 (5), 709), Arun et al. (2017 , International Conference on Cognitive Computing and Information Processing (pp. 81–92), Springer) and Tripathy and Mishra (2017 , Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 63(6), 431–439) supported these findings. However, Banerjee (2020a , Journal of Health Management, 22 (1), 57–66), analysing NFHS-IV data, has vehemently criticised such findings and showed using regression with robust standard errors that improved access to better water sources leads to higher infant mortality. In another article published in the same year, Banerjee (2020b , Journal of Health Management, 22 (3), 466–471) explained this paradox. Now with NFHS-V data coming out, time is apt to test the robustness of Banerjee's findings (2002a). However, owing to the incomplete NFHS-V data published so far, unlike Banerjee (2002a) that has used data of 29 states, the present analysis is based on only 17 states. The findings support that the findings of Banerjee (2002a) were robust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rivers get polluted with diverse types of hazardous and toxic substances, pesticides being one of them. The water and sediment of rivers get contaminated with pesticide residues coming through the run-off of vast agricultural fields along the catchment area and also from domestic sewage water. The residues get bio-concentrated and bio-accumulated in different aquatic organisms and animals including fishes along the food chain. Fish, one of the important and chief sources of proteins, are consumed by humans. The presence of toxic substances like pesticides in any food item is undesirable for the fear of health hazards. We have monitored the status of pesticide residue in river Gomti, a tributary of River Ganga that passes through the Uttar Pradesh state of India. Water, sediment, and fish samples collected from the different locations along the river stretch were analyzed for 34 targeted pesticide compounds belonging to organochlorines (OC), organophosphates (OP), and synthetic pyrethroids (SP) groups. In 52% of water, 30% of sediment, and 43% of fish samples residues of OCs were detected while the OPs were present in 33%, 25%, and 39% of samples respectively. However, none of the SPs could be recorded in any sample. The concentrations of the pesticides in water indicate stress conditions to some extent to aquatic life, but based on the human health risk assessment it can be concluded that consumption of fishes from the river contaminated with different OC or OP residues would not pose any direct risk to the consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal contamination has severe detrimental impacts on the entire river ecosystem's quality and causes potential risks to human health. An integrated approach comprising deterministic and probabilistic (Monte Carlo simulation) models with sensitivity analysis was adopted to determine heavy metals' chronic daily intake (CDI) and their associated health risks from the riverine ecosystem. Both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of water and sediment were estimated through multi-exposure pathways. The analytical results indicated that the concentration patterns of heavy metals in sediment (Fe > Mn > Sr > Zn > Cr > Cu > Cd) were slightly different and higher than in water (Fe > Zn > Cr > Sr > Mn > Cu > Cd). The potential carcinogenic risks of Cr and Cd in sediment (5.06E-02, 5.98E-04) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than in water (9.08E-04, 8.97E-05). Moreover, 95th percentile values of total cancer risk (TCR) for sediment (1.80E-02, 3.37E-02) were about 22 and 143 times higher than those of water (8.10E-04, 2.36E-04) for adults and children, respectively. The analysis of non-carcinogenic risk revealed a significantly higher overall hazard index (OHI) for both sediment (adults: 1.26E+02, children: 1.11E+03) and water (adults: 3.26E+00, children: 9.85E+00) than the USEPA guidelines (OHI ≤ 1). The sensitivity analysis identified that the concentration of heavy metals was the most influencing input factor in health risk assessment. Based on the reasonable maximum exposure estimate (RME), the study will be advantageous for researchers, scientists, policymakers, and regulatory authorities to predict and manage human health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study report the concentration levels and distribution pattern of the organochlorine insecticides residues in water and sediments of the Harchandpur pond. The water samples were collected from three different sites and analyzed for their insecticide profile. We used liquid-liquid extraction followed by GC-ECD for the determination of these compounds. Out of 18 water samples analysis, the average residue concentration for all the six insecticides was between 0.45 and 11.11 µmg/l. The residues of dieldrin 11.11 µmg/l. constitutes the major component followed by heptachlor, aldrin, gHCH permethrin and DDT. The percent occurrence was the highest for aldrin>permethrin, dieldrin>gHCH> heptachlor>DDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clean water supply has become an enormous challenge in pursuance of the global warming process. Water technologies have traditionally created carbon emissions and chemical reactions that pollute the landscape, aquifers, and the air. The need for carbon footprint reduction and corporate ESG consideration has led to adopt a more environmentally friendly water treatment and management system. The Natural Biological System (NBS) is a nature-based technology for sewage and waste stream treatment and management, rehabilitating affected water bodies, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and rebalancing eco-systems. The NBS is a patent-tailored solution with the ability of large-scale water treatment and a negative carbon footprint promoting the user ESG rating. From Chile to India, the NBS is changing the global water-energy equation, reducing dependence on energy and maintenance, freeing up valuable water resources for on-site usage, and restoring nature's ability to preserve and protect itself and to stop the escalating climate change effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the political dynamics of middle class claims of representativeness of the public interest in contemporary India. Drawing on research in the post-liberalization period, the article examines the ways in which the "publicness" of the middle classes produces a distinctive relationship between this social group and state power. In the process, the middle classes both become a vehicle for the exercise of state power and are able to benefit from this relationship. Middle class claims on the public interest allow this social group to shape governmental responses and policies. This allows this social group to gain indirect access to state power and access to material resources. An analysis of the publicness of the middle classes is critical for an understanding of the nature of socioeconomic inequality. The article draws on a case study of urban governance and water resources in contemporary India and is based on qualitative research and fieldwork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This briefing offers an analytic frame for understanding how the politics of irrigation for food crops are imbricated with the politics of gender and the re/production of caste-based hierarchies in contemporary India. The briefing focuses on how we might understand industrial pollution, particularly of rivers used for irrigating crops, as well as the increased propensity of drought due to climate change, in relation to the ways in which the boundaries of gender and caste-based identity are buttressed and mobilised by Hindu nationalism and concomitant crony capitalism. While 'gender' usually appears in the literature on food politics as a sign for women and the domestic, this briefing offers a counterpoint by framing women both as householders and preparers of food domestically, and as informal sector agricultural labourers who deal directly with the impacts of casteism, industrial pollution and climate change. The briefing offers a new frame, termed 'caste capitalism', as a way of disrupting the elisions amongst three related but ostensibly distinct processes: 1) climate-related water crises and industrial pollution, 2) the social and legal enforcement of caste – and gender-based categories and, therefore, hierarchies, and 3) religious nationalism. In the frame of 'caste capitalism', understanding the politics of gender is necessary for understanding how religious nationalism and Hindu supremacy in India rely on deregulated industrial production, including a lack of oversight on industrial waste. This is imbricated with the endogamous reproduction of caste and enforcing caste – and gender-based categories through violent means. Pollution here is the physical effluent of inequality, directly impacting women who are working as agricultural labourers and maintaining household access to water and food, while reaping the ill health effects of an environment that is increasingly unliveable. The briefing offers a framing of the Anthropocene in India in the terms of 'caste capitalism' as a counter point to 'crony capitalism' for understanding the imbrications of caste, class, gender and environmental change, particularly in respect to agricultural irrigation and the growing crisis of India's water sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Surface water plays a vital role in the spread of infectious diseases. Information on the spatial and temporal dynamics of surface water availability is thus critical to understanding, monitoring and forecasting disease outbreaks. Before the launch of Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) missions, surface water availability has been captured at various spatial scales through approaches based on optical remote sensing data. A critical drawback of the latter is data loss due to cloud cover, however few studies have quantified this. This study evaluated data loss due to clouds in three Western Ghats (India) districts. These forest-agricultural mosaic landscapes, where water-related diseases are prevalent, experience the Indian monsoon. We compared surface water areas mapped by thresholding 10m Sentinel-1A SAR data with the optical 30m Landsat-derived Joint Research Centre (JRC) Global Surface Water product, currently the only globally available long-term monthly surface water data product. Backscatter thresholds were identified manually, and our Bayesian algorithm found these thresholds were very likely (>97%). While the Sentinel-1 SAR-based and JRC's optical-based approach mapped surface water extent with high overall accuracy (> 98%) when the cloud cover was low, the unmapped surface water area was substantial in the JRC product during the monsoon months. Across the districts, the average cloud cover in the July-August period was 92% or 90% for 2017 and 2018 respectively, resulting in 25% or 23% of the surface water area being unmapped. Also, the more detailed 10m resolution of Sentinel-1A SAR helped detect the many small water features missed by 30m JRC. Thus, for predicting water-related disease risks linked to small water features or monsoon rainfall, Sentinel-1A SAR is more effective. Finally, automatic backscatter thresholding for unvegetated surface water mapping can be effective if threshold values are adapted to regional-specific backscatter spatial and temporal variations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2025 Uday et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

In South Asia, declining water tables due to increased irrigation and labor shortages for manual weeding pose significant challenges for wheat production. Additionally, herbicide resistance, often resulting from poor management practices, further complicates weed problems. The objective of this study was to assess the impacts of traditional irrigation regimens (IRs) and herbicide application on wheat crops. The findings showed that when irrigation was applied at 100 mm CPE (IR 4 ), and at 40 mm CPE (IR 1 ), different combinations of herbicide to weed managment were tested. In comparison to the other treatments, application of irrigation at 40 mm cumulative pan evaporation (IR 1 ) along with the Pendimethalin 1000 g ha -1 (pre-em) in combination with clodinafop-propargyl 10% + metribuzin 22% + sulfosulfuron 4.2% at a rate of 1125 g ha -1 at 30 DAS (WM 1 ) produced the best results in terms of crop yields, economic returns, relative water content, consumptive use, rate of water use, water use efficiency, water productivity, energy input-output, energy returns, energy productivity, energy intensity, specific energy, energy efficiency, maximum field capacity, available soil water, and soil profile moisture extraction pattern. The only exceptions were Pendimethalin 1000 g ha -1 (pre-em) combined with carfentrazone ethyl 20% + sulfosulfuron 25%WG), at the rate of 100 g ha -1 at 30 DAS (WM 2 ) and the weed-free treatment (WM 5 ), where the differences were not statistically significant. The yield of wheat grain (14.26 kg ha -1 ) and straw (14.41 kg ha -1 ) decreased as the unit dry matter production of weeds increased. The study recommends exploring additional weed control strategies and irrigation management options in future improve wheat yields in conventionally-tilled systems., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)