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    Hydrogen Sulfide Removal in Biofilter: Evaluation of a new filter material by immobilization of thiobacillus sp
    (Walter de Gruyter GmbH peter.golla@degruyter.com, 2009) Potumarthi, R.; Anupoju, G.R.; Mugeraya, G.; Jetty, A.
    Different agricultural residue was evaluated as a biofilter material for the removal of Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) using Thiobacillus sp. A Combination of four different agricultural residues, viz., sugarcane bagasse, coconut coir pith, rice husk and saw dust were evaluated as biofilter material. From results, it was observed that filter material having composition of 2:4:2:2, 4:4:2:2 and 4:2:2:4 has resulted in retaining 70% moisture content at the end of 10 days. The biofilter was operated for 128 days in three phases by varying inlet H2S concentration from 321 to 2020 ppmv. Biofilter exhibited 100% removal efficiency (RE) at an inlet concentration of 570 ppmv, 99% RE at an inlet concentration of 1416 ppmv and 66% RE at a maximum inlet concentration of 2020 ppmv. The filter performance in terms of RE, dropped to 48% when the air was not humidified before sending to the filter, which has direct relation with the MC of the filter material. The RE recovered to 66% with recovery of moisture content (MC) to 57% upon subsequent re-introduction of the humidifier in to the circuit. The pH has dropped from 7.8 to 4.8 during the course of operation of the filter. H2S was effectively removed under different operating conditions using mixed agricultural residue as filter material. However humidification was most essential to maintain the required moisture content in the biofilter. SEM analysis has shown the good growth of Thiobacillus sp. in the filter bed and hence the new material proved to be good support for the immobilization of Thiobacillus sp. Copyright © 2009 The Berkeley Electronic Press. All rights reserved.
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    Conjunctive use in India's Varada River Basin
    (American Water Works Association cs-journals@wiley.com, 2009) Ramesh, H.; Mahesha, A.
    The use of groundwater in conjunction with surface water resources has gained prominence in regions experiencing scarce or uneven distribution of water. In the Varada River Basin in Karnataka, India, for example, an optimization model was developed for the conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater resources because of the increasing demand on agricultural and domestic sectors of this area's water supply. Monsoon rains, which occur only six months a year, predominantly control the basin's agricultural activities. However, the area has an immense need for efficient use of available water resources during the rest of the year. The model, based on linear programming, optimizes the allocation of groundwater and surface water subject to hydraulic and stream flow constraints. The model incorporates policy scenarios that add to the sustainability of the system. The developed conjunctive-use model is simple but effective in computing the optimal use of the Varada basin's water resources.
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    Coastal vulnerability assessment of the future sea level rise in Udupi coastal zone of Karnataka state, west coast of India
    (2009) Dwarakish, G.S.; Vinay, S.A.; Natesan, U.; Asano, T.; Kakinuma, T.; Venkataramana, K.; Pai, B.J.; Babita, M.K.
    Udupi coast in Karnataka state, along the west coast of India, selected as a study area, is well known for sandy beaches, aquaculture ponds, lush greenery, temples and major and minor industries. It lies between 13°00?00?-13°45?00? north latitudes and 74°47?30?-74°30?00? east longitudes, the length of the coastline is 95 km, and is oriented along the NNW-SSE direction. It is vulnerable to accelerated sea level rise (SLR) due to its low topography and its high ecological and touristy value. The present study has been carried out with a view to calculate the coastal vulnerability index (CVI) to know the high and low vulnerable areas and area of inundation due to future SLR, and land loss due to coastal erosion. Both conventional and remotely sensed data were used and analysed through the modelling technique and by using ERDAS Imagine and geographical information system software. The rate of erosion was 0.6018 km2/yr during 2000-2006 and around 46 km of the total 95 km stretch is under critical erosion. Out of the 95 km stretch coastline, 59% is at very high risk, 7% high, 4% moderate and 30% in the low vulnerable category, due to SLR. Results of the inundation analysis indicate that 42.19 km2 and 372.08 km2 of the land area will be submerged by flooding at 1 m and 10 m inundation levels. The most severely affected sectors are expected to be the residential and recreational areas, agricultural land, and the natural ecosystem. As this coast is planned for future coastal developmental activities, measures such as building regulation, urban growth planning, development of an integrated coastal zone management, strict enforcement of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Act 1991, monitoring of impacts and further research in this regard are recommended for the study area. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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    Impact assessment of watershed development programme - A case study of Itagi watershed
    (2010) Palakshappa, K.; Nagaraj, M.K.; Shivapur, A.V.
    Soil, water and vegetation are the important gifts of nature to mankind. Welfare and development of mankind and its civilization revolves around conservation and development of these vital natural resources, which are so interdependent that one can not be managed efficiently without the other two. Watershed Development Programs (WDP) going on in India basically as soil and water conservative programs (as a policy response to the increasing environmental crisis and non-sustainability of agriculture especially in the dry land/semi-arid regions) has modified substantially with the introduction of watershed guidelines in 1994 by the Government of India. In the present study the area considered for assessment is Itagi sub watershed in Ranebennur taluk, Haveri district, Karnataka. During the watershed development programme soil and water conservation structures were constructed in the study area in the year 2004. The analysis of data reveals that there is an improvement in the groundwater recharge, increase in yield of the wells, increase in agricultural production, reduction in soil erosion and many other tangible and intangible benefits as a result of this watershed development programme. © 2010 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY. All rights reserved.
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    Assessment of water quality of river Ganga along ghats in Varanasi city, U. P., India
    (2011) Thomas, T.; Mishra, M.; Thomas, H.; David, A.A.; Bharose, R.; Venkat Reddy, D.
    Assessment of water quality was done in holy River Ganga district of Varanasi, (U.P.) India in 2009. Water samples were collected from fives different sites namely (S 1)- Samne Ghat, (S 2)- Assi Ghat, (S 3)- Harishchandra Ghat, (S 4)- Dasaswamedh Ghat, (S 5)- Dr. Rajendra Prashad Ghat. The Ganga, one of the world's major rivers, has been venerated as the holiest and is bound with countless beliefs and faiths especially in India and adjacent countries. Its water has traditionally been regarded as pure and holy in nature gift to human. Recent experiences however do not warrant such complacency. The water resources are strained to a non-sustainable level due to rapid population growth, urban development, industrialization; livestock and power production on the Ganga Ghats at Varanasi city. The severe pollution stress and causes to which its water is subjected to the contents and quality of water and possible remedial measures. According to the result obtained by analyzing various Physico-chemical parameters of Ganga river in Varanasi City, maximum BOD recoded in (S 2)- Assi Ghat and minimum in (S 1)- Samne ghat whereas maximum DO was observed in Samne Ghat and minimum in (S 2)- Assi Ghat during Jan to March 2009 period respectively. On the basis of our experimental results it can be concluded that (S 2)- Assi Ghat exhibited higher pollution index than other ghats due to higher values of Turbidity, pH, BOD, Hardness, Alkalinity and Nitrate disposal occurring at (S 2)- Assi Ghat as well as disposal of industrial sewage in the (S 2)- Assi Ghat. Regular monitoring of Ganga river water quality is necessary to have a check on surface water quality for the sake of human life & to maintain a balanced aesthetical value of religious. We have to restore the environmental quality of Ganga which is amended by policy makers of Indian constitution. © 2011 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY. All rights reserved.
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    Reclamation and management of disturbed surface mining areas for agricultural purpose with emphasis on concurrent reclamation
    (2012) Tripathi, A.K.; Bhattacharya, J.; Pal, S.K.
    The extraction of natural resources has significant influence on the surrounding landscape and environment. Consequently in modern surface mines, reclamation is considered an important part of mining activities and is given as much importance as the extraction itself. The goals of reclamation are also integrated in the overall operational concept of surface mining. This paper discusses in detail the operations carried out to reclaim and manage the disturbed surface mine lands for agricultural purpose. Reclamation operations carried out in lignite mines in Germany for restoration of disturbed surface mining areas for agricultural purpose are also described.
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    An economic analysis of environmental pollution and health - a case study of Bellary-Hospet sector
    (2012) Thimmaiah, S.A.; Ravi, D.R.; Rao, Y.V.; Murthy, C.S.N.
    The Earth's natural ecosystem is the basis for our life-supporting system and provides marketable goods to human and other living organisms. The natural environment has always been exploited to fulfill human needs. The green revolution and industrial revolution has caused serious threat to sustainable development for both developed and developing countries. The degradation of air, water and land has directly affected the livelihood and human health. The environmental damage increases, as the economic activity increases, in view of the fact that the association between economy and the environment are multiple, complex and important. Mining is one such activity, which significantly results in the degradation of the environment, apart from generating huge economy to the country. Hence, the identification and quantification of socio economic impact of environmental pollution caused due to increased mining activity is necessary in the broader economic analysis. The present study is envisaged with the objective to identify and evaluate the impacts of mining activity on Social, Economical and Environmental Aspects of the area and to measure its economic burden on the affected people. The ambient air quality in the selected stations of study area reveals that, the increase in iron ore production has significantly resulted in the deterioration of air quality. High particulate matter to an extent of 310 ?g/nm3 in case of SPM concentration and 160 ?g/nm3 in case of RSPM. The health data collected from the respondents have revealed, significantly more number of respondents who are suffering from dust allergy, skin allergy in the study area, where there are mines and are working as workers in those mines, contributing for higher health cost incurred through treatment. © 2012 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY.
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    Fenton's treatment of actual agriculture runoff water containing herbicides
    (IWA Publishing 12 Caxton Street London SW1H 0QS, 2017) Sangami, S.; Manu, B.
    This research was to study the efficiency of the Fenton's treatment process for the removal of three herbicides, namely 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D), ametryn and dicamba from the sugarcane field runoff water. The treatment process was designed with the Taguchi approach by varying the four factors such as H 2 O 2 /COD (1-3.5), H 2 O 2 /Fe 2+ (5-50), pH (2-5) and reaction time (30-240 min) as independent variables. Influence of these parameters on chemical oxygen demand (COD), ametryn, dicamba and 2,4-D removal efficiencies (dependent variables) were investigated by performing signal to noise ratio and other statistical analysis. The optimum conditions were found to be H 2 O 2 /COD: 2.125, H 2 O 2 /Fe 2+ : 27.5, pH: 3.5 and reaction time of 135 min for removal efficiencies of 100% for ametryn, 95.42% for dicamba, 88.2% for 2,4-D and with 75% of overall COD removal efficiencies. However, the percentage contribution of H 2 O 2 /COD ratio was observed to be significant among all four independent variables and were 44.16%, 67.57%, 51.85% and 50.66% for %COD, ametryn, dicamba and 2,4-D removal efficiencies, respectively. The maximum removal of herbicides was observed with the H 2 O 2 dosage of 5.44 mM and Fe 2+ dosage of 0.12 mM at pH 3.5. © IWA Publishing 2017 W.
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    Application of non-linear Gaussian regression-based adaptive clock synchronization technique for wireless sensor network in agriculture
    (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2018) Upadhyay, D.; Dubey, A.K.; Santhi Thilagam, P.S.
    Efficient and low power utilizing clock synchronization is a challenging task for a wireless-sensor network (WSN). Therefore, it is crucial to design a light weight clock synchronization protocols for these networks. An adaptive clock offset prediction model for WSN is proposed in this paper that exchanges fewer synchronization messages to improve the accuracy and efficiency. Timing information required is collected by setting a small WSN set up to investigate the soil condition to control the irrigation in agriculture. The networks investigate soils moisture, temperature, humidity, and pressure content along with the sensors clock offset. First, the prediction model perceives the existing sensor clock offset to observe the clock characteristics and delay. Then, a Gaussian function is applied for adjusting the parameters weight of the observed value in the prediction model. The system results demonstrate that the proposed adaptive non-linear Gaussian regression synchronization model utilizes 20% less energy as consumed by time sync protocol for sensor-network and reference broadcast synchronization Protocol. It also reduces the synchronization error with respect to root-mean-square error (RMSE) by 24.85% as compared to linear prediction synchronization with RMSE 28.72% in terms of accuracy. © 2001-2012 IEEE.
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    Can minimum tillage enhance productivity? Evidence from smallholder farmers in Kenya
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2019) Jena, P.R.
    Conservation agriculture has been touted as a sustainable and productivity enhancing agricultural practice and increasingly being promoted in the developing countries. Previous research shows that this practice has increased agricultural productivity in the developed countries. This paper revolves around the central question – whether minimum tillage practice, which has succeeded in the developed countries under large scale farming, could bring out similar impacts for smallholder farmers in the developing countries. To examine this, plot level survey data are collected from a randomly selected sample households from the maize-dominant farming system of Kenya. Quasi experimental impact evaluation methods like endogenous switching regression has been applied to elucidate the impact of adoption of minimum tillage. Results show that adoption of minimum tillage has saved on labour by reducing the average total and female labour use in maize production thereby creating scope for undertaking other income generating activities. However, maize productivity is not found to have increased as an effect of minimum tillage adoption. Findings show that a major reason for such absence of yield impact is due to the fact that farmers adopting minimum tillage are often not practicing it together with other components of conservation agriculture. More importantly there is also serious irregularities in which other required supporting inputs, namely fertilizer and irrigation and agricultural management practices are used. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd