A regional groundwater-flow model for sustainable groundwater-resource management in the south Asian megacity of Dhaka,Bangladesh

The water resources that supply most of the megacities in the world are under increased pressure because of land transformation, population growth, rapid urbanization, and climate-change impacts. Dhaka, in Bangladesh, is one of the largest of 22 growing megacities in the world, and it depends on mainly groundwater for all kinds of water needs. The regional groundwater-flow model MODFLOW-2005 was used to simulate the interaction between aquifers and rivers in steady-state and transient conditions during the period 1981–2013, to assess the impact of development and climate change on the regional groundwater resources. Detailed hydro-stratigraphic units are described according to 150 lithology logs, and a three-dimensional model of the upper 400 m of the Greater Dhaka area was constructed. The results explain how the total abstraction (2.9 million m³/d) in the Dhaka megacity, which has caused regional cones of depression, is balanced by recharge and induced river leakage. The simulated outcome shows the general trend of groundwater flow in the sedimentary Holocene aquifers under a variety of hydrogeological conditions, which will assist in the future development of a rational and sustainable management approach.

     

Analysing the influence of Farakka Barrage Project on channel dynamics and meander geometry of Bhagirathi river of West Bengal,India

Farakka Barrage Project (FBP) constructed in 1975 on the river Ganga in West Bengal, India has largely altered hydro-geomorphic processes inducing a different kind of impetus in channel dynamics especially channel oscillation of the Bhagirathi river. Controlled hydro-geomorphological regime drastically altering natural regime has significantly influenced channel process with resultant change in channel geometry. Geospatial analysis using topographical maps of 1927, 1954 and 1974 along with satellite images of 1990, 2004, and 2014 clearly portrays rapidity in channel evolution in the post-Farakka period which is explicitly proved from four meander cut-offs after 1975. The meander geometry analysis of 66 loops of lower Bhagirathi river during 1927–2014 in terms of four basic parameters (radius of curvature, wavelength, amplitude, and channel length) and four indices (sinuosity index, radius–wavelength ratio, meander shape index and meander form index) depicts telltale pattern of channel straightening with increased number of wide and open loops after the construction of barrage. The average sinuosity of the loops has increased from 2.27 in 1927 to 2.35 in 1974 and dwindles to 1.80 in 2014. This distinct outcome induced by FBP is also found for other indices explained with special reference new hydraulic regime in post-Farakka period.     

Heterogeneity analysis of reservoir porosity and permeability in the Late Ordovician glacio-fluvial Sarah Formation paleovalleys,central Saudi Arabia

The Late Ordovician glacio-fluvial Sarah Formation is an important tight gas reservoir target in Saudi Arabia. This study uses statistical methods to characterize the petrophysical heterogeneity of the paleovalleys of the Sarah Formation that crop out in central Saudi Arabia. Four paleovalleys were studied: Bukayriyah, Hanadir, Sarah, and Khanasir Sarah. Several lithofacies were identified in each that vary in texture, porosity, permeability, and facies abundance that reflect periods of ice advance and retreat. The heterogeneity analysis is based on three statistical measures, namely, the coefficient of variation, the Dykstra-Parsons coefficient, and the Lorenz coefficient. The coefficient of variation values is in the 0.62–1.94 range, indicating an extremely heterogeneous distribution. The Dykstra-Parsons coefficient values are in the 0.56–0.88 range, suggesting very high to extremely high heterogeneity in the reservoirs. The Lorenz coefficient correlates well with the Dykstra-Parsons coefficient for paleovalleys of the Sarah Formation. The heterogeneity parameters studied here indicate that the outcrops of Sarah Formation paleovalleys represent heterogeneous to very heterogeneous reservoirs, which may be attributed to complex depositional and diagenetic variations that have affected the porosity and permeability distribution.     

Climatology of landfalling tropical cyclones in Bangladesh 1877–2003

Bangladesh is highly susceptible to tropical cyclones. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of climatological studies on the tropical cyclones of Bangladesh. The Global Tropical Cyclone Climatic Atlas (GTCCA) lists historical storm track information for all the seven tropical cyclone ocean basins including the North Indian Ocean. Using GIS, tropical cyclones that made landfall in Bangladesh during 1877–2003 are identified and examined from the climatological perspective. For the convenience of study, the coast of Bangladesh is divided into five segments and comparisons are made among the coastal segments in terms of cyclone landfall and vulnerability. There is a large variability in the year-to-year occurrence of landfalling tropical cyclones in Bangladesh. Most of the tropical cyclones (70%) hit in the months of May–June and October–November generally show the well-known pattern of pre- and post-monsoon cyclone seasons in that region.     

Groundwater contamination with arsenic in Sherajdikhan,Bangladesh: geochemical and hydrological implications

An integrated study has been carried out to elucidate the distribution and occurrence of arsenic in selected groundwater samples in the area of Sherajdikhan, Bangladesh. Arsenic and other parameters (T, pH, EC, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl⁻, NO₃ ⁻, SO₄ ²⁻, HCO₃ ⁻, PO₄ ³⁻, Fe, Mn and DOC) have been measured in groundwater samples collected from shallow/deep tube wells at different depths. Hydrogeochemical data suggest that the groundwaters are generally Ca–Mg–HCO₃ and Mg–Ca–HCO₃ types with bicarbonate (HCO₃ ⁻) as the dominant anion, though the other type of water has also been observed. Dissolved arsenic in groundwater ranged from 0.006 to 0.461 mg/l, with 69% groundwater samples exceeded the Bangladesh limit for safe drinking water (0.05 mg/l). Correlation and principal component analysis have been performed to find out possible relationships among the examined parameters in groundwater. Low concentrations of NO₃ ⁻ and SO₄ ²⁻, and high concentrations of DOC, HCO₃ ⁻ and PO₄ ³⁻ indicate the reducing condition of subsurface aquifer where sediments are deposited with abundant organic matter. Distinct relationship of As with Fe and Mn, and strong correlation with DOC suggests that the biodegradation of organic matter along with reductive dissolution of Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides has being considered the dominant process to release As in the aquifers studied herein.     

Numerical simulation of stress distributions and displacements around an entry roadway with igneous intrusion and potential sources of seam gas emission of the Barapukuria coal mine, NW Bangladesh

This paper uses two-dimensional boundary element method (BEM) numerical modeling to analyze the deformation and failure behavior of a coal seam and to understand the nature of gas flow into a roadway entering the Barapukuria coal mine in Bangladesh. The Barapukuria basin contains Permian-aged Gondwana coals with high volatile B bituminous rank. Three models (A, B, and C) are presented here. Model A assumes horseshoe-shaped geometry, model B assumes trapezoid-shaped geometry, and model C assumes horseshoe-shaped geometry coupled with a roof fall-induced cave generated by the break-up of rock materials along the vertical dimension of an igneous dyke. The simulation results show that there is little difference in strata deformation between models A and B. In model A, there is no horizontal tensional stress and the overall horizontal stress patterns are compressive, while the distribution and magnitude of vertical stress show higher tensional stresses on the immediate rib sides and floor. In model B, both horizontal and vertical stress distributions indicate low to medium tensional stresses on the immediate roof, floor, and rib sides, but compressive stresses are prominent toward the interior of the coal seam. Deformation vectors indicate that failure extends laterally to about 7.5 m around the excavation geometry.On the contrary, for model C, the distributions and magnitudes of horizontal and vertical stress show higher tensional stresses in both rib sides of the roof fall zone. The deformation around the dyke-induced perturbation zone affects a large volume of coal. The deformation vectors with high magnitudes are nearly horizontal and propagate laterally up to 30 m; whereas, low-magnitude deformation vectors extend about 25 m toward the roof and 20 m toward the floor. The vertical tensional displacement, which is concentrated in the floor and the left and right hand sides of the roof, propagates about 30 m on both sides and about 22 m in the floor. From these simulation results, it is thought that the extension of the dyke-induced perturbation zone toward the roof, floor, and rib sides of the entry roadway initially creates small tensional cracks that gradually grow into large-scale tensional features. These features could also be responsible for high concentrations of gas, which are emitted into the mine from fractured coals due to insufficient mine ventilation and low atmospheric pressure.     

Minimizing the impacts of contaminant intrusion in small water distribution networks through booster chlorination optimization

Contaminant intrusion in a water distribution network (DN) has three basic pre-conditions: source of contaminant (e.g., leaky sewer), a pathway (e.g., water main leaks), and a driving force (e.g., negative pressure). The impact of intrusion can be catastrophic if residual disinfectant (chlorine) is not present. To avoid microbiological water quality failure, higher levels of secondary chlorination doses can be a possible solution, but they can produce disinfectant by-products which lead to taste and odour complaints. This study presents a methodology to identify potential intrusion points in a DN and optimize booster chlorination based on trade-offs among microbiological risk, chemical risk and life-cycle cost for booster chlorination. A point-scoring scheme was developed to identify the potential intrusion points within a DN. It utilized factors such as pollutant source (e.g., sewer characteristics), pollution pathway (water main diameter, length, age, and surrounding soil properties, etc.), consequence of contamination (e.g., population, and land use), and operational factors (e.g., water pressure) integrated through a geographical information system using advanced ArcMap 10 operations. The contaminant intrusion was modelled for E. Coli O156: H7 (a microbiological indicator) using the EPANET-MSX programmer’s toolkit. The quantitative microbial risk assessment and chemical (human health) risk assessment frameworks were adapted to estimate risk potentials. Booster chlorination locations and dosages were selected using a multi-objective genetic algorithm. The methodology was illustrated through a case study on a portion of a municipal DN.     

WISE USE OF WETLAND FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD THROUGH PARTICIPATORY APPROACH： A CASE OF ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE

1INTRODUCTION Hydroponics(aGreekword,hydromeanswater andponos,labour),asoil-lessagriculture,isa termtobedescribedinseveralwaysinwhichplants cangrowwithoutsoil,byuseofaninertmedium whereplantcantakeupessentialnutrients,either fromwaterinwhichanutrientsolutionisaddedor fromorganicmaterialsthatexistsinthemedium.Thesemediacanbegravel,sand,peat,vermiculate,prelite,sawdustorotherplantmatters(organiccom ponents).Therefore,theprocessinwhichaquatic weedsaredumpedonwatertoconstructfloatingbed orart…     

Lutz Creek watershed,Barro Colorado Island,Republic of Panama

Lutz creek is a small (9.69 ha) catchment located on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), a 1500-ha island in Lake Gatún, the principal freshwater reservoir (425 ha, 26 m above sea level) of the Panama Canal watershed in central Panama. In 1972, a concrete V-notch weir was installed on the creek, located at 9°09′42.8358″N, 79°50′15.6699″W, and hydrological record keeping began. The island was first established as a research station in 1923 and precipitation data collection was initiated in 1925. A meteorological tower, installed in 1972 and located a few meters from the weir, is currently instrumented to collect air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, evapotranspiration and solar radiation. In addition, since 1972, gravimetric soil moisture has been measured at least biweekly at 10 sites located throughout the Lutz Catchment above the location of the weir. Data collection and the administration of BCI are the responsibility of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI; https://stri.si.edu ) which funds the data collection and storage. Data are in the public domain, entitled ‘Lutz Watershed And Meteorological Tower’ and are available at the STRI Physical monitoring website https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/physical_monitoring/ .     

Cohesive strength and seismogenic stress pattern along the active basement faults of the Precordillera-Sierras Pampeanas ranges, western Argentina: An experimental analysis by means of numerical model

A two-dimensional finite element method （FEM） model that incorporates faults, elastic rock physical properties, topographical load due to gravity and far-field plate velocity boundary conditions was used to recognize the seismogenic stress state along the fold-and-thrust belt of the Precordillera-Sierras Pampeanas ranges of western Argentina. A plane strain model with nine experiments was presented here to examine the fault strength with two major rock phyical properties： cohesion and angle of internal friction. Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion with bulk rock properties were applied to analyse faults. The stress field at any point of the model was assumed to be comprised of gravitational and tectonic components. The analysis was focused to recognize the seismogenic shear strain concentrated in the internal-cristaline domain of the orogene shown by the modeling. Modeling results are presented in terms of four parameters, i. e., （i） distributions, orientations, and magnitudes of principal stresses （σ1 and σ3）, （ii） displacement vector1 （iii） strain distribution, and （iv） maximum shear stress （τmax） contour line within the model. The simulation results show that the compressive stress is distributed in and around the fault systems. The overall orientation of of σ1 is in horizontal directions, although reorientations do occur within some stress weaker parts, especially subsequent to the faults. A large-scale shear stress is accumulating along the active faults of Tapias-Villicum Fault （TVF）, Salinas-Berros Fault （SBF）, Ampacama-Niquizanga Fault （ANF） and Las Charas Fault （CF）, which could act as local stress and strain modulators to localize the earthquakesoccurrence.