Influence of meteorological variables and air pollutants on fog/smog formation in seven major cities of Indo-Gangetic Plain.

The Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of the Indian subcontinent during winters experience widespread fog episodes. The low visibility is not only attributed to meteorological conditions but also to the increased pollution levels in the region. The study was carried out for Tier 1 and Tier II cities of the IGP of India, including Kolkata, Amritsar, Patiala, Hisar, Delhi, Patna, and Lucknow. This work analyzes data from 1990 to 2023 (33 years) employing the Mann-Kendall-Theil-Sen slope to determine the trends in fog occurrences and the relation between fog and meteorological parameters using multiple linear regressions. Furthermore, identifying the most relevant fog (visibility)-impacting factors from a set of both meteorological factors and air pollutants using step-wise regression. All cities indicated trend in the number of foggy days except for Kolkata. The multiple regression analysis reveals relatively low associations between fog occurrences and meteorological factors (30 to 59%), although the association was stronger when air pollution levels were considered (60 to 91%). Relative humidity, PM2.5, and PM10 have the most influence on fog formation. The study provides comprehensive insights into fog trends by incorporating meteorological data and air pollution analysis. The findings highlight the significance of acknowledging meteorological and pollution factors to understand and mitigate the impacts of reduced visibility. Hence, this information can guide policymakers, urban planners, and environmental management agencies in developing effective strategies to manage fog-related risks and improve air quality.

Assessing heavy metal and physiochemical pollution load of Danro River and its management using floating bed remediation.

River Danro in Garhwa (India) plays a vital role as a significant source of surface water and a crucial tributary of the North Koel River, ultimately joining the Ganga River Basin. Serving both urban-industrial and rural areas, the region faces challenges, including sand mining near Belchampa Ghat. This study aimed to assess physicochemical and heavy metals pollution at nine sampling locations, utilizing the Overall Index of Pollution (OIP), Nemerow Pollution Index (NPI), and Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI). OIP values indicated excellent surface water quality (0.71) in non-monsoon and slight pollution (6.28) in monsoon. NPI ranged from 0.10 to 1.74 in non-monsoon and from 0.22 (clean) to 27.15 (heavily polluted) in monsoon. HPI results suggested groundwater contamination, particularly by lead. Principal component analysis (PCA) and geospatial mapping showed similar outcomes, highlighting the influence of adjacent land use on water quality. Recognizing the significance of the Danro River in sustaining life, livelihoods, and economic growth, the study recommends implementing measures like floating bed remediation and regulatory actions for effective river management. The study acknowledges weaknesses in the current practical assessment methods for water contamination. These weaknesses make it difficult to put plans for cleaning up and controlling contamination into action. Because of this, future research on developing new in-place remediation techniques should focus on creating better ways to measure how effective the cleanup is.

A review on factors influencing fog formation, classification, forecasting, detection and impacts.

With the changing climate and environment, the nature of fog has also changed and because of its impact on humans and other systems, study of fog becomes essential. Hence, the study of its controlling factors such as the characteristics of condensation nuclei, microphysics, air-surface interaction, moisture, heat fluxes and synoptic conditions also become crucial, along with research in the field of prediction and detection. The current review expands for the period between 1976 to 2021, however, especially focused on the research articles published in the last two decades. It considers 250 research papers/research letters, 24 review papers, four book chapters/manuals, five news articles, 15 reports, six conference papers and five other online readings. This review is a compilation of the pros and cons of the techniques used to determine the factors influencing fog formation, its classification, tools and techniques available for its detection and forecast. Some recent advanced are also discussed in this review: role of soil properties on fogs, application of microwave communication links in the detection of fog, new class of smog, and how the cognitive abilities of humans are affected by fog. Recently India and China are facing an emergence and repetitions of fog haze/smog and thus their policies initiatives are also briefly discussed. It is concluded that the complexity in fog forecasting is high due to multiple factors playing a role at multiple levels. Most of the researchers have worked upon the role of humidity, temperature, wind, and boundary layer to predict fogs. However, the role of global wind circulations, soil properties, and anthropogenic heat requires further investigations. Literature shows that fog is being harnessed to address water insecurity in various countries, however, coastal areas of Angola, Namibia and South Africa, Kenya, Eastern Yemen, Oman, China, India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, along with the mountainous regions of Peru, Chile, and Ecuador, are some of the potential sites that can benefit from the installation of fog water harvesting systems.

Phytoremedial Potential of Typha latifolia, Eichornia crassipes and Monochoria hastata found in Contaminated Water Bodies Across Ranchi City (India).

Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that uses green plants (living machines) for removal of contaminants of concern (COC). These plant species have the potential to remove the COC, thereby restoring the original condition of soil or water environment. The present study focuses on assessing the heavy metals (COC) present in the contaminated water bodies of Ranchi city, Jharkhand, India. Phytoremedial potential of three plant species: Typha latifolia, Eichornia crassipes and Monochoria hastata were assessed in the present study. Heterogenous accumulation of metals was found in the three plant species. It was observed that the ratio of heavy metal concentration was different in different parts, i.e., shoots and roots. Positive results were also obtained for translocation factor of all species with minimum of 0.10 and maximum of 1. It was found experimentally that M. hastata has the maximum BFC for root as 4.32 and shoot as 2.70 (for Manganese). For T. latifolia, BCF of maximum was observed for root (163.5) and respective shoot 86.46 (for Iron), followed by 7.3 and 5.8 for root and shoot (for Manganese) respectively. E. crassipes was found to possess a maximum BCF of 278.6 (for Manganese and 151 (for Iron) and shoot as 142 (for Manganese) and 36.13 (for Iron).

Assessing the potentials of Lemna minor in the treatment of domestic wastewater at pilot scale.

Water crisis is one of the most serious problems faced by the world today. Phytoremediation is one of the serious efforts towards sustainability. Macrophyte-based wastewater treatment systems have several potential advantages compared with conventional treatment systems. Duckweeds (Lemna spp., Spirodela spp., Wolffia spp.) are small, green freshwater, free-floating aquatic plants. The primary objective of this work was to analyze the role of duckweeds in organic waste and nutrient removal from domestic wastewater being generated from hostels of Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi (India). Interesting results were obtained in which the BOD value reduced by 94.45% and the level of orthophosphate at the end of the work was found to be reduced by 79.39%. The duckweeds flourished well during the experimental period in the pH range of 7 to 8; it can be said that, other factors remaining favorable, the optimum pH for duckweed growth ranges from 7 to 8. Therefore, it can be concluded that this treatment can be successfully carried out on a large scale. Also, it is a low-cost solution to wastewater treatment problems and could satisfy the discharge standards.

Water quality assessment of Majhiaon block of Garwa district in Jharkhand with special focus on fluoride analysis.

Fluoride in groundwater is known to contaminate the water sources globally. Jharkhand, one of the states in the eastern part of India, is known to have excessive fluoride content in groundwater sources. The present work involves assessment of water quality with special reference to fluoride in Majhiaon block of Garwa district in Jharkhand. Iron, nitrate and arsenic were also tested for the water samples collected from site. Eight hundred forty samples were tested for fluoride on site using colourimetry method, and one tenth of the samples were brought to laboratory for iron, nitrate, arsenic and fluoride analysis. Results show that 402 samples were having fluoride above permissible limit. Iron and nitrate were found to be beyond permissible limits in 302 and 286 water samples, respectively. More than 50% of samples collected from school had fluoride levels above permissible limits. Arsenic was well within the limits. However, few samples shown were excessive of iron and nitrate.

Environmental quality assessment studies of coal handling on peripheral land near Kanika siding, Basundhra-Garjanbahal area of MCL, Sundergarh, Orissa, India.

Coal has been recognized as the most important source of energy generation in India. The present work was undertaken in order to assess the environmental impact of coal handling on peripheral land under near Kanika siding, Orissa, India. The data on suspended particulates in ambient air indicates an additional load of 50.5-108.7 microg/m(3)) to the ambient air due to coal loading which is equivalent to 50 x 365 to 108 x 365 kg/year. However, in the southern side (opposite to siding) covering the crop fields, the dust accumulation was maximum, i.e., 0.021 to 0.035 mg/cm(2) area in comparison to 0.001 to 0.021 in the eastern side and 0.001 to 0.029 in western side of the crop fields. The physical and chemical properties of soil was also assessed. The results reveal that the coal loading has definite negative impact on the peripheral land near the site.