Microbiological status of drinking water sources and its relationship with human health in Solan, India.

In Solan district, the developmental activities associated with chemical based farming, rapid urbanization, and rampant industrialization have led to many diarrhoeal, gastroenteritis, and hepatitis disease outbreaks. This has necessitated for microbiological assessment of indicator organisms, the thermotolerant coliforms, in drinking water sources, and their relationship with diarrhoeal disease. All the 49 Public Health Institutes (PHIs) of the district were categorized into very low, low, moderate, and high disease burden regions by stratification method. For drinking water, 55.5, 16.5, and 17% people preferred springs, borewells, and hand-pump respectively. These sources inventoried by Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice survey in one of very low and seven of high disease burden regions, and were analyzed by multiple tube fermentation technique. A cross-sectional survey of 200 children was undertaken for diarrhoeal disease estimation. Parwanoo, an industrial and Kurgal, a non industrial region witnessed highest (30.20) and lowest (4.40) Most Probable Number (MPN) per 100 ml water of thermotolerant coliforms, respectively. Thermotolerant coliforms were also observed significantly more (16.77 MPN/100 ml water) in monsoon than in post monsoon season (9.04 MPN per 100 ml water). The thermotolerant coliform Escherichia coli was recovered from six and three water sources respectively during monsoon and post monsoon. A strong correlation (r = 0.78) existed between the diarrhoeal disease occurrence and the concentration of thermotolerant coliforms in monsoon whereas it was moderate (r = 0.61) in post monsoon. The study indicated more contamination of water sources due to industrial activities which further got aggravated during the rainy season of the region.

Pollution tolerance assessment of temperate woody vegetation growing along the National Highway-5 in Himachal Pradesh, India.

Industrialization and globalization have resulted in pollution of all the three ecosystems, including soil, water, and air. Among these, air pollution has generated much interest, since it has a major influence on the transboundary dispersion of pollutants globally. Air pollution tolerance index (APTI) value represents tolerance level of plants which help in selecting the most suitable plant species for plantation in/around affected areas. This parameter in conjunction with Anticipated Performance Index (API) can provide a logical solution for green belt development by considering biological and socio-economic aspect of the species and help in reducing the levels of pollutants. The present study was conducted in Himachal Pradesh, constituting a very vital part of the Indian Himalayan Region. In the present study, APTI and API values of six commonly growing temperate and sub-temperate plant species viz., Quercus leucotrichophora, Rubus ellipticus, Debregeasia saeneb, Hypericum oblongifolium, Punica granatum, and Grevillea robusta, were evaluated along the National Highway-5 in Himachal Pradesh. The highest value of APTI was observed for Grevillea robusta (12.89), followed by Punica granatum (10.87), Debregeasia saeneb (10.50), Hypericum oblongifolium (10.43), Rubus ellipticus (10.18), and Quercus leucotrichophora (9.68). Upon assessment of API, it was observed that Grevillea robusta (62.50%) was the highest scoring plant species in trees, while Rubus ellipticus and Debregeasia saeneb were the highest scoring shrub species (56.25% each) and thus can be recommended for green belt development and attenuation of air pollution in the region. Punica granatum can be suggested for plantation among the native species.

Impact of Parthenium hysterophorus L. on floristic diversity in Dhauladhar foothills of Himachal Pradesh.

Parthenium hysterophorus L. has become a weed of global concern owing to its fast expansion and invasive character. In order to study the status of this noxious weed and its impact on floristic diversity in Dhauladhar foothills, the study was conducted during the year 2021-2022 in culturable wastelands of Dhauladhar ranges in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The impact of Parthenium hysterophorus L. on associated species at different altitudes and aspects was observed. Our observations depicted that Parthenium hysterophorus L. has been growing more vigorously in the northern aspect than the southern aspect with the density of 37.78 m-2 and 21.62 m-2, respectively. The highest density of this noxious weed was recorded in the altitudinal range of 600-1200 m (34.32 m-2) while it was not observed beyond 1805 m above sea level. The invasion of Parthenium hysterophorus L. significantly affected the plant density of other species. The descending order of the species as per dominance was observed as Cynodon dactylon, Trifolium repens, Oxalis latifolia, Parthenium hysterophorus L., and Ageratum houstonianum. The average number of species and species density were observed more in non-invaded sites (9.35 and 27.67 m-2) than in invaded sites (7.10 and 20.60 m-2). Species abundance and plant cover were observed more in non-invaded sites (28.73 and 657.90 m2 ha-1) than in invaded sites (22.70 and 322.30 m2 ha-1). Species diversity, richness, and evenness were reported to decline in invaded sites (1.56, 0.95, and 0.81, respectively) with respect to the non-invaded sites (1.94, 1.16, and 0.88, respectively). The study highlights the significant concerns associated with the invasive weed within the plant communities. Understanding its invasive status holds considerable implications for local afforestation initiatives, forest management strategies, and conservation policies. Furthermore, this investigation lays a foundational groundwork for implementing effective measures to get rid of this alien weed.

Greenhouse gas emission potential of sewage treatment plants in Himachal Pradesh.

In recent times, waste management has emerged as a significant environmental challenge, and sewage is among the major contributors due to the rapidly increasing population. Despite sewage treatment plants (STPs) being the solution for the treatment of sewage, they have been identified as sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study aimed to estimate the contribution of STPs to GHG emissions in the state. This was achieved by visiting the sites, filling scientifically designed questionnaires, sample collection as well as computational methods by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The assessment of direct and indirect emissions from the STPs revealed that emissions were caused by the activated sludge process, electricity consumption, transportation, and sludge storage. Electricity consumption by STPs was responsible for the highest emissions, accounting for 43% of the total emissions, equivalent to 20,823 tCO2 eq. The activated sludge process contributed 31% (14,934 tCO2 eq) of the emissions, while storage of sludge in landfills accounted for 24% (11,359 tCO2 eq). Additionally, transportation contributed 2% (1121 tCO2 eq) of the emissions. In total, the STPs in Himachal Pradesh had the potential to contribute 48,237 tCO2 eq GHG emissions annually. Thus, the study suggests process-level modifications in STPs of Himachal Pradesh to mitigate GHG emissions. This research provides insight into the GHG emissions from STPs and highlights the need for their management to reduce environmental impacts.

Variability and time series trend analysis of rainfall in the mid-hill sub humid zone: a case study of Nauni.

The spatiotemporal variability of rainfall, particularly in the context of climate change, has been imperative for examining the cropping patterns, farming sustainable crop production, and food security in rainfed areas. To that end, trend analysis was done to study the change in rainfall patterns in the mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh. The study investigated the historical rainfall data from 1971 to 2020 on a monthly, annual, seasonal, and decadal basis by using the variability analysis methods, viz., standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variance (CV), and transformed annual precipitation departure (Z). The trend analysis was also done by Mann-Kendall (MK) and Sen's slope estimator (SSE) test and linear regression model. The annual rainfall in the region was 1115.1 mm, which showed a decreasing trend (Z = - 0.79 mm/year). Based on the linear regression model, the decrease in annual rainfall was about - 2.28 mm/year. The monthly and seasonal variability of rainfall exhibited a sensitivity to change. The months of January, April, July, and September showed an increasing trend, whereas the rest of the other months showed a decreasing trend. The seasonal rainfall (summer, monsoon, and post-monsoon) showed a decreasing trend, whereas the winter season depicted an increasing trend. During the entire study period, 1988 recorded as the wettest year, with highest annual rainfall of about 2205.0 mm and monsoon rainfall of about 1653.0 mm. The highest annual (2205.0 mm) and monsoon (1653.0 mm) rainfall was recorded in the year 1988. The decadal analysis of the rainfall on an annual basis revealed a decrease in rainfall during the periods 1971-1980, 2001-2010, and 2011-2020 as compared to 1981-1990 and 1991-2000. The rainfall over the study region confirms the strength of the change in trend. Thus, the erratic rainfall pattern makes the cropping calendar shorter and affects the agricultural productivity.