Journal Clean WAS (JCleanWAS)

The current paper is an attempt to analyze the spatiotemporal variations in the average annual rainfall of Churu district for two decades. Rainfall data such as annual rainfall and number of rainy days of the study area were collected for the period (2000-2021). The method of interpolation used was Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method in QGIS software. The generated maps exhibited trend of increasing rainfall amount and a slow increasing pattern in rainy days of Churu district. The south-western part of the Churu district get the lowest rainfall and the north-eastern part get the maximum rainfall. The analysis of the rainfall data of Churu district displayed the maximum rainfall and minimum rainfall in the year 2011 and 2002 correspondingly. The spatial temporal study of rainfall distribution in the district would help to solve the drinking water and agricultural water scarcity in rural and urban areas of the district. The study could be utilized for maximum crop production by applying effective crop management systems.

This preliminary observational study investigates the biodiversity and human impact on the coastal ecosystem of Pantai Batu Hitam, located along the east coast of Pahang, Malaysia. The study on April 28, 2024 involved photographing marine and terrestrial flora and fauna along the beach to document and identify species through taxonomic classification using digital tools and field guides. A total of 24 species were identified across 14 families, showcasing the rich diversity of the ecosystem, including notable plant-animal interactions. Alongside the documentation of species, evidence of human activities such as tourism and infrastructure development were observed, with particular concern regarding plastic pollution and habitat degradation. These findings highlight the need for targeted conservation efforts and sustainable practices to protect Pantai Batu Hitam’s biodiversity while addressing the challenges posed by human activities. This study contributes to understanding the balance required between ecological preservation and local development in coastal regions.

Anaerobic digestion is considered as the reliable source of renewable energy which provides two valuable products i.e., biogas and digestate slurry. Biogas, an alternative energy, is one of the important forms of clean energy whereas digestate has multipurpose usage, including organic fertilizer in many parts of the world. The compositional parameters such as C:N, cellulose and lignin contents of digestate are important indicators of their qualities that indicate the biodegradability status as well as importance in CO2 evolution and Carbon (C) turnover process. In a 35-day long incubation study, The six different feedstock sources digestate slurry was applied in silty loam soil to explore the C turnover process that were arranged in a completely randomized block design. Microbial respiration (in terms of CO2 respired) were measured to understand the biodegradability of different digestates. We found CO2 evolution was negatively correlated with C:N of digestates. The digestates releasing more carbon dioxide evolution may not be suitable manure but may be utilized by mixing with higher recalcitrance containing organic matter.

Riverbank erosion is a significant natural phenomenon that poses threats to communities residing along riverbanks worldwide. Understanding riverbank erosion-accretion trends and patterns are crucial for effective land management and disaster mitigation strategies. In the context of Mirzaganj Upazila, situated along the Payra River in Bangladesh, the study intents to identify and analyze the trends of riverbank erosion-accretion using satellite imageries and geospatial techniques. In addition, the study analyzed the patterns of displacement and socio-economic losses caused by riverbank erosion using a semi-structured questionnaire survey. The study observed that erosion is (66.42 ha/year) more dominant than accretion (47.58 ha/year) throughout the time periods of 40 years. Besides, overall people of the study area thought that riverbank erosion and flood are the most ubiquitous disasters. Statistics revealed that most of the people are suffering from land losses, unemployment, migration and divorce problems due to erosion. These findings will provide valuable insights into the magnitude and patterns of riverbank erosion and accretion, facilitating effectiveland use planning, early warning systems, and adaptation strategies to mitigate the impacts of erosion. This research contributes to the understanding of riverbank dynamics and supports evidence-based decision-
making for sustainable development and disaster risk reduction in the region.

This study assessed the impact of road runoff on the ecological risk of heavy metals in the Eagle Island River. Runoff samples were collected from a drainage network of secondary and primary drains and an outlet. The drains were situated in the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt campus while the outlet is the Eagle Island River. Samples from the secondary drain, primary drain, upstream and downstream of outlet were labelled as SD, PD, US, and DS respectively. Samples were collected and analyzed using standard methods between the months of August and October, 2023. Heavy metals including Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer Instrument (GBC XplorAA, Australia). Total pollution of heavy metals was determined using the degree of contamination (Cd) and the modified degree of contamination (mCd) while the potential ecological risk was assessed by the Risk Index (RI). Results showed spatial variation of heavy metal concentration along the drainage network and Cd and Pb concentrations in all samples exceeded the WHO guideline. Cd and mCd values ranged between 22.20 – 88.70 and 4.44 – 17.74 respectively while the RI values ranged between 217.72 – 609.53. This implies that the entire drainage network was polluted by heavy metals and Cd and Pb were largely responsible for the pollution load with Cd contributing a range of 7.75% – 26.46% while Pb contributed 66.88% – 90.14%. Cd and Pb are carcinogenic, therefore storm runoff treatment is recommended for environmental sustainability.

The study focused on waste management in the Klang River with the objective of assessing whether inefficient waste management is contributing to the pollution of the Klang River. The objectives of the study included identification of current waste management problems, collection of stakeholders’ opinions on waste categories, public survey on the effectiveness of existing waste management, and practical recommendations to reduce waste and achieve integrated waste management. The findings of the study revealed that most of the pollution originated from poor household waste management, with plastics being the most common waste in the Klang River. Respondents noted that the solid waste problem remains serious despite ongoing river clean-up projects such as the River of Life. The survey also revealed that there is insufficient public awareness on waste management, especially on waste segregation and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R) practices. It was finally concluded that inefficient waste management is indeed the main cause of pollution in the Klang River. In order to improve waste management, it is necessary to raise public awareness of environmental protection, improve communication between the government and the public, and implement waste segregation at source. At the same time, policymakers should take steps to promote wider waste management reforms.

The influence of fire on the physiochemical properties of grassland soils varies with soil texture. Understanding the nutrient fluxes associated with such fires at different soil depths is important for maintaining soil ecosystem functions and processes as well as grassland aesthetics. The study focused on the post-fire burnt and unburnt lawn at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Soils were sampled in triplicates at the two sites with the aim of evaluating their physiochemical properties at 0-15, 15-30 and 30-45 cm depth. The results indicate that the unburnt soil was characterized by a sandy clay loam texture, good drainage, acidic, high soil organic matter content and low nutrient reserves. The post-fire burnt soil showed a significant decrease in silt (29%) content, and an increase in coarse sand (19%) content and saturated hydraulic conductivity (18%). Additionally, the burning increased soil C:N (51%) but reduced total N (18%) and soil acidity from 3.98 to 4.42 due to increased Ca2+ (38%) and the associated decrease in Al3+ (49%). The influence of grassland burning at the soil depths changed the sand, silt and clay content with a textural transformation to sandy loam at 0-15 cm depth. Soil available P decreased with soil depth, in addition to P addition (52%) at 0-15 cm depth. For reasons of climate change due to N loss from post-fire burnt soil, management of the grassland through burning should be avoided.

Innovation is one of the most fundamental processes that underpins the economic growth and serves as an economic basis for developing solutions to socio-economic and environmental challenges such as climate change. Climate change has become one of the most threatening natural processes in the world, with major impacts in the economic development, this can also provide opportunities for new ventures. The aim of this study was to assess the climate change variability status in the study area to maintain businesses’ continuity, inform policy making for climate change risks adaptation and mitigation and set an avenue for climate change innovations entrepreneurship in the study area. Two drought indicators, Standardised Precipitation (SPI) and Reconnaissance Drought Indices (RDI) were used in quantifying drought events computed from monthly precipitation, minimum temperature and maximum temperature. Three temporal scales, seasonal (3) and annual (12) were selected for analysis for trend patterns using a Mann Kendall’s test. The trend analysis showed neither decreasing nor increasing statistically significant trends in all the selected scales expect in spring (Aug-Oct). This condition could imply that businesses can play defensive and diversification strategies to stay in the market. The results also present opportunities such as drought -resistant cultivars production for farmers.

The comparative evaluation of the chemical, physical properties and heavy metals present in soil under Cocoa, Cassava and uncultivated land was carried out in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. Soil samples from the top soil (0cm – 15cm) were collected with an auger from cocoa, cassava farms and uncultivated land at Iruekpen, Edo State for analyses. The soil was air dried, sieved and the sieved soil samples were analyzed for its texture, aggregate stability, chemical properties and heavy metals. The results indicated that Sand fraction in Cocoa plantation was higher than that of Cassava and Uncultivated land. The silt and clay fraction was higher in cassava farm than the other land use and the textural classes of the soils were loamy sand. The percentage of soil Aggregate Stability under cocoa plantation was 12% and was significantly (p≤0.05) higher compared to others. The organic carbon and nitrogen content and the heavy metals concentration such as copper, manganese were significantly (P≤0.05) higher in cocoa farm compared to other land use. The findings of the study provide valuable insights into the relationship between physical and chemical soil properties with land use practices. In conclusion, the different land use significantly influences the aggregate stability, chemical, physical properties and the heavy metals content of the soil.

The study aims to analyze the effect of drilling mud on soil quality through the determination of the concentrations of selected physiochemical properties on soils. The period of sampling and analysis was between July and October. Soil samples from the dump sites and the control sites were physiochemically analyzed using Gas Chromatography, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) for polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals etc. respectively. The result of the analysis performed (using ANOVA) shows that there is significant variation in the mean of all the physiochemical parameters tested in the site excluding sodium which has no significant variation at 1% F-distribution: F-calculated at 2 and 6 degree of freedom (6.13) is lower than the F tabulated value at the same degree of freedom (10.92). The implication of this result is that the sites impacted with mud are associated with heavy metals and PAHs contamination together with problem of unavailability of nutrients. Hence routine treatment should be carried on the dump sites to annul the negative effect of heavy metals, PAHs and soil acidity on the soil quality indicators.