Background: Darjeeling Municipality, located in the Easter Himalayas is facing a growing water crisis despite receiving and annual rainfall of 2812 mm. The steep terrain, ageing water infrastructure, growing population and seasonal variation in water availability have intensified the challenges of securing sufficient water supplies mainly during the lean season. The qualitative methodological study explores the present status of water resources and examines backup initiatives implemented to address seasonal water scarcity. Through the field survey, interviews and municipal data, the research highlights critical limitation in the system, such as inadequate storage, leakage and dependency on ecologically sensitive zones. The study also evaluates alternative water sources and infrastructure initiatives including the Sindhap Lake, Rambi Catchment, Balasun River Project and the AMRUT scheme. These project provide crucial support, they often face operational, structural and administrative challenges that limit their full potential. The findings underline the urgent need for integrated water resource management, improved governance and adaptive infrastructure to ensure long term water security in Darjeeling Municipality

Background: Cement production is a major industrial activity associated with environmental and occupational pollution, particularly through particulate matter and heavy metal emissions. Prolonged exposure to cement dust may result in systemic toxicity, including renal dysfunction. This study investigated the impact of cement factory exposure on renal biochemical parameters among factory workers and residents in Okpella, Edo State, Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional analytical design was employed. One hundred participants were recruited: 25 factory workers, 25 residents within 5 km of the factory, and 50 controls with no known exposure. Serum creatinine, urea, sodium, and potassium levels were measured. Data were analyzed using t-tests with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Cement workers exhibited significantly higher serum creatinine (1.3 ± 0.2 mg/dL) compared to controls (0.7 ± 0.2 mg/dL; p=0.01). Urea levels were elevated in workers (58.2 ± 5.6 mg/dL) relative to controls (46.2 ± 13.4 mg/dL; p=0.001). Serum sodium was significantly higher in workers (150.4 ± 10.6 mmol/L) than in controls (146.0 ± 4.7 mmol/L; p=0.001). Potassium levels were also increased in workers (4.5 ± 1.0 mmol/L) compared to controls (3.8 ± 0.3 mmol/L; p=0.004). Similar trends were observed among residents, though with less magnitude. Conclusion: Chronic exposure to cement factory emissions is associated with altered renal biochemical parameters, suggesting potential early renal impairment among workers and residents. Periodic medical screening, dust exposure reduction strategies, and environmental monitoring are recommended to mitigate renal health risks in industrial communities

Soil quality plays a critical role in agricultural productivity, environmental resilience, and sustainable land use, particularly in the dryland regions of northern Nigeria where soil degradation, low rainfall, and nutrient depletion threaten food security. This study employed a modified fuzzy logic model to assess and map soil quality across selected dryland areas using geospatial techniques. Ten key soil parameters were considered: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), organic carbon (OC), bulk density (BD), pH, soil depth, texture, drainage, and slope. These variables were standardized into fuzzy membership classes (low = 0, medium = 0.5, high = 1) based on agronomic thresholds and expert knowledge, and each was assigned a weight reflecting its importance in dryland soil productivity. The integration of these factors was conducted using overlay analysis within a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment, producing a composite soil quality index map. The results showed significant spatial variability in soil quality, with approximately 30.3% of the area classified as very high, 37.9% as medium, and 30.5% as low quality. High-quality soils were largely located in areas of dense vegetation such as parts of Kaduna, Niger, and northeastern Katsina, while low quality were found in regions experiencing leaching, shallow depths, and prolonged cultivation without adequate management. It provides a decision-support tool for sustainable land use planning, soil management, and policy interventions in dryland environments.

The study was carried out to evaluate the environmental impact of waste dumpsite to the quality of ground water as a major component of the environment using Idunmwowina Community as a case study. A total of fifteen (15) samples of borehole water were collected or sampled at 15 different locations. All samples were subjected to heavy metal determination, physiochemical parameters and bacteriological analysis. The water samples were analyzed to determine its portability and also compared with WHO and NAFDAC standard. The diluent was analyzed using AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer). The physiochemical analysis indicated minimum and maximum value range pH (5.1 to 6.8, EC (19.0μs/cm to 167.2μs/cm) Clear Turbidity, Salinity (0.019mg/l to 1.00mg/l), TDS (10.45mg/l to 91.6mg/l) Nitrate (0.730mg/l to 2.408mg/l) Bicarbonate (0.41mg/l to 0.49mg/l) Alkalinity (41.00mg/l to 50.00 mg/l) Sulphate (3.102mg/l to 3.471mg/l) DO (2.11 to 2.46) BOD (2.44mg/l to 3.00mg/l) COD (5.31 to 6.48) and Ammonium Nitrogen (0.13mg/l to 2.11mg/l). The analysis for heavy metal shows Lb (0.01-0.03mg/l), Cd (0.01 mg/l), Ni (Not Detected), Cr (0.06-0.28 mg/l), Fe (0.1 mg/l), Zn (0.01-9.17 mg/l) These values obtained all fall below WHO standard. The quality of samples obtained were seriously compromised as a result of feacal bacteria growth and elevated values of heavy metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) in soil and groundwater.

This study assessed the impact of various organic amendments on soil fertility and cabbage yield in Bheriganga Municipality, Surkhet, Karnali Province, Nepal. Despite being declared an organic province, Karnali still lacks adequate adoption of organic farming due to infrastructural and technological limitations. A field experiment was conducted in winter 2024 using a randomized complete block design with five treatments: farmyard manure, Vermicompost, poultry manure, goat manure, and a control (no amendment). The soil at the experimental site was initially low in fertility, characterized by poor organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and micronutrient levels. Results indicated that organic amendments significantly enhanced soil nutrient status and improved cabbage growth and yield. Poultry manure produced the tallest plants (29.93 cm), the highest number of leaves per head (18.83), and the heaviest heads (1.32 kg), followed by Vermicompost. All organic treatments performed better than the control, but poultry manure and Vermicompost showed the most promising outcomes. These findings demonstrate that organic inputs, particularly poultry manure, and Vermicompost, can be effective alternatives to synthetic fertilizers in improving soil health and crop productivity. The study supports the potential for sustainable vegetable production and the promotion of organic agriculture in Karnali Province.

In many developing countries, soil moisture data is often limited or unavailable. Stakeholders may use soil moisture data to monitor, detect and sometimes forecast agricultural droughts. Therefore, modelling soil moisture to identify and monitor droughts can benefit many countries, especially those whose economies depend heavily on agriculture. This study aimed to investigate historical soil moisture in Guyana from 1962 to 2016 using the JULES Model. The model utilized in-situ precipitation data from Georgetown, along with data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) for the study period. The results from the analysis of the historical soil moisture found that the soil moisture in the total column and at the various layers of soil was quite variable. Further, a clear relationship emerged between interannual climate variability and soil moisture trends. El Niño years were usually related with reduced soil moisture, indicating drier than average conditions, while the La Niña years displayed higher soil moisture content, reflecting wetter conditions. Based on the results obtained the model showed some skill in capturing soil moisture at different depths in the area of study. Hence, further studies using different soil types, vegetation structures, and land use practices should be considered to support Guyana’s agricultural sector.

Air pollution, particularly from aerosol particles, is a major issue in developing countries like India. Correlating seasonal variations between AOD, LST, NDVI, and rainfall are closely linked to regional air quality changes. This study aims to assess long-term changes in Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), vegetation index, and land surface temperature in Singrauli, India, and investigate their interactions using remote sensing and GIS methods. This study used Google Earth Engine (GEE) to obtain Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC), a combined Aqua and Terra MODIS product for the year 2024 every month for AOD, NDVI, and LST for Singrauli district. The study found that AOD was lowest during the monsoon season and highest throughout the winter and some months of summer whereas the highest NDVI was obtained in the month after monsoon and some months of winter the lowest NDVI was recorded in the month of summer and LST shows the opposite trend of NDVI means that high LST was recorded in the month of the summer and lowest LST in the month of post-monsoon and winter season. The correlation analysis was performed from the ambient air pollutant data from 4 monitoring sites, NDVI, and LST with AOD. The Particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5 show a positive correlation with AOD with average R2 values of 0.4984 and 0.5459 respectively at all 4 locations because particulate matter directly contributes to the concentration of AOD but gaseous pollutants like NO2 and SO2 shows the very weak correlation with AOD with R2 value of 0.1393 and 0.0862 respectively as AOD only consist of particulate matters so these gaseous pollutants didn’t contribute much in AOD. Many other factors also influence the AOD and LST in the study area like wind direction, wind speed, relative humidity, and many more. The dominant wind direction in Singrauli throughout the year 2024 is North-West with an average speed of 2-3 m/s.

Effect of water hyacinth leaf supplementation in the performance of caged common carp (cyprinus carpio) were evaluated. The different levels of water hyacinth leaf meal supplementation in the different experimental diets were 0%, 10%, 15% and 20% (with crude protein content of 30%). The performance were evaluated using 12 cages (1 m3) at Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Paklihawa campus, Bhairahawa for 90 days (26th August of 2023 to 19th November of 2023). Common carp fries were randomly distributed into cages at 10 fry/ cage. The experiment were conducted in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four treatments replicated thrice. The treatments were: T1: Control (Basal diet), T2: 10% replacement of Soybean Meal (SBM) with Water Hyacinth Leaf Meal (WHLM) in Basal diet, T3: 15 % replacement of SBM with WHLM in Basal diet, T4: 20 % replacement of SBM with WHLM in Basal diet. The pelleted feed containing 35% CP were maintained at the rate of 5% of body weight in initial month followed by 3% in the following months. Fish were fed once daily at morning between 8:00-9:00 a.m. Mean weight of fry during stocking period were 46.5±7.16g, 45.4±6.54 g, 45.3±4.46 g, 41.6±1.73g in treatments T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively. Final mean weight of fish was highest in T3 (159.3±6.23g) at the 90 days after stocking which were significantly higher than T1 (123.6±8.12g), T2 (131.6±7.21g), T4 (108.4±1.74g) at (p<0.05). Similarly, the Specific Growth rate (SGR) value was highest (1.4±0.06g) in T3 while T4 (1.0±0.04g) was found to be the lowest. The survivability was recorded in a range of (76.6-90). Highest Benefit Cost ratio (BCR) was recorded in T3 (1.27±0.01) which were significantly different with T1(0.94±0.02), T2(1.04±0.02) and T4(0.97±0.008) (p<0.05). The gross return was found highest in T3 (58.95±2.30) and lowest T4(40.12±0.64) (p<0.05) while the net return was also highest in T3 (12.69±1.65) and lowest in T1 (2.43±1.34) (p< 0.05). So, we can suggest T3 (Replacement of 15% water hyacinth powder) as partial alternative of soya bean meal powder in fish feed.

This research is aimed at assessing the quality of groundwater for safe drinking in karshi and its environs, kano state. In achieving this aim, ten (10) samples were taken from both hand pump Boreholes and open wells that were selected at different settlements, taken into consideration the fact that the dwellers depend on this water for consumption and other commercial uses and that, understanding the water quality is of importance. Water from each of the selected hand pump boreholes and open wells were sampled in a sterilized 500ml plastic containers and taken to the laboratory for chemical analysis. Fifteen (15) relevant parameters on the test for water quality were taken into consideration. Analysis of physical parameters reveals that electrical conductivity is the only physical parameter with mean value of 1016.5 Mg/l that is neither within or below the permissible range of 300 – 400mg/l but rather it is higher. The mean value of chemical analysis reveals that Electrical Conductivity (Ec) and Iron (Fe) does not fall within or below the permissible ranges stipulated but rather are found to be higher, the mean concentration of Sulphate (SO4), Total Dissolved Solid (TDS), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Sodium (Na) are below the permissible ranges, but concentration of Magnesium (Mg) in location (RT5) is within the permissible range stipulated by (WHO, 2022), while Sodium (Na) in (RT5) is higher than the permissible range stipulated. All other physicochemical parameters such as; pH, Temp., Hardness, Nitrate (NO3-) are within the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2022) as stipulated in the WHO Standards for drinking water. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that the water are moderately suitable for drinking and no contamination. The quality of the water was understood through geological, hydrogeological and Hydrogeochemical investigations. Geological investigations reveals that the targeted area is underlained majorly by both quartzites covering about approximately 60% of the area, medium-coarse grained granite and porphyritic granites covering the remaining 40% of this study area. Hydrogeological investigation reveals that aquifer type in the area is fractured basement with water flowing perpendicular to the water level contours and from areas of high to low topography. Hydrogeochemical investigations identified NaCl and CaCl water types as the two water types in the study area and that the chemistry of water is controlled by ion exchange and simple dissolution or mixing. Durov diagram provide information on the hydrochemical facies so as to identify the water types and display some possible geochemical processes that could help in understanding the quality of groundwater and its evaluation.

This study presents an integrated geophysical, hydrogeological, and hydrochemical assessment of groundwater potentials in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area of northern Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. An electrical resistivity survey was conducted at 39 locations to evaluate aquifer potentials using geoelectrical data. Hydrogeological assessments were carried out to determine aquifer parameters, while hydrogeochemical analyses used Piper trilinear diagrams, Gibbs cross plots and multivariate statistical techniques to assess groundwater quality and facies classification. The 3-layer model is characterized with top layer resistivity from 85.6 Ωm (VES 28) to 1104.9 Ωm (VES 27), layer thickness varied between 0.4 m (VES 1) and 14.3 m (VES 36). Underlying this is a layer of with resistivity values from 812.3 Ωm (VES 34) to 2910.7 Ωm (VES 18) with layer thickness from 9.7 m (VES 1) to 83.2 m (VES 28). Underlying this is a layer with resistivity in the range 102.5 Ωm (VES 18) to 2893 Ωm (VES 34) with unresolved layer thickness. Lithologically, the top layer does not constitute any water bearing medium with underlying layer of unresolved thickness having some conductive zones. The 4-layer geoelectric model has the first layer with thickness and resistivity from 0.8m (VES 10) to 7.3m (VES 26) and 9.2 Ωm (VES 3) to 2312.9 Ωm (VES 17). It is underlain by a layer with resistivity and thickness from 24.8 Ωm (VES 12) to 2943.1 Ωm (VES 32) and thickness 1.4m (VES 11) to 37.4 m (VES 25). The next layer with resistivity and thickness of 23.6 Ωm (VES 9) –4183.2 Ωm (VES 15) and 8.9m (VES 11) – 136.7.4m (VES 26). The fourth layer with unresolved thickness had resistivity values in the range 4.3 Ωm (VES 10) – 2218.0 Ωm (VES 37). Second, third and fourth layer constitutes the aquifers. The 5- layer geoelectric model has top layer with resistivity and thicknesses from 504.3 Ωm (VES 2) – 2315.2 Ωm (VES 21) and 0.6m (VES 6) – 1.7 m (VES 2). It is underlain by a resistive layer with resistivity and thickness from 64.4 Ωm (VES 2) – 412.6Ωm (VES 6) and 5.3m (VES 21) – 12.4 m (VES 2). Next is a conductive layer with resistivity and thickness of 281.7 Ωm (VES 2) – 1417 Ωm (VES 21) and 8.4m (VES 21) – 17.8 m (VES 2). This is underlain by a highly conductive layer having thickness from 48.6 m (VES 21) – 57.6 m (VES 6) and resistivity from 57.2 Ωm (VES 6) – 117.6 Ωm (VES 2). The fifth geoelectric layer with unresolved thickness had resistivity in the range 11.1 Ωm (VES 2) – 1205.5 Ωm (VES 21). The fourth and fifth layers constitute the aquifers. Thirty three (33) locations (VES 1,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,24,25,26,27,28,31,34,35,36,37 and 38 were identified as promising for groundwater development. Elevation and static water level mean values are 140.13±77.37m and 32.46±17.95m, respectively. The hydraulic conductivity K, averaged 13.28 m/day and the transmissivity T, range from 252.32-1932.24 m2/day (average 413.78 m2/day) for the study area. Groundwater reserves varied between 928.00 x 106 and 64178 x 106 m3 and regional groundwater flow direction is from North to South. Average Fe concentration of 1.67±0.10 mg/L exceeded MAL of 0.37 mg/L. Water is safe for irrigation uses. The hydrochemical facies is classified into 3 groups; the Ca-Mg-HCO3-Cl, Mg2++Ca2+-Cl-+HCO3- and Ca2+-Mg2+-SO42–HCO3-water types attributed to carbonate and magnesium weathering. Gibb`s diagram showed TDS as a function of Na+/(Na++Ca2+) and Cl-/(Cl-+HCO3-). Gibbs Cross plots based on chloroalkaline indices CA I and CAII showed forward ion exchange. Factor analysis and multivariate statistical analysis showed loadings suggestive of silicate and carbonate weathering. This study provides critical insights into groundwater suitability for domestic and agricultural uses to support sustainable water resource development given the complex geology of the study area. Preliminary geophysical investigations are recommended before borehole drilling to minimize failure risks.