The political ecology of alcohol as “disaster” in South Africa’s Western Cape

While attention to the socio-ecological and political economic influences on health grows, there remains a paucity of political ecological analyses of health (King, 2010). At the same time, the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Global South demands new conceptual and pragmatic engagements with their modifiable risk factors. Drawing on the example of South Africa, this paper argues that alcohol consumption might usefully be theorised in political ecological lexicon as a “disaster”. To do so, it draws attention to the upstream causes of vulnerability, rather than just the downstream effects of risky drinking. This reorientation is needed for sustainable, publicly acceptable alcohol policies. To realise this, it draws on Blaikie et al.’s (1994, 2003) political ecological approach to risk, vulnerability and coping and, more specifically, applies their Pressure and Release model to explore liquor as a situated “disaster” in South Africa’s Western Cape province. In so doing, it aims to mark out an under-explored research agenda that considers alcohol as a pervasive governance dilemma. In addition, it also reflects on the model’s utility as a means of communicating findings that might reorient policy discussions on alcohol control in both South Africa and countries of the Global South.     

An overview of the city of Gweru,Zimbabwe’s water supply chain capacity: towards a demand-oriented approach in domestic water service delivery

Following complaints about water shortages in some areas of Gweru, the paper assessed the availability of enabling capacities to efficiently and sufficiently deliver water to the residents of Gweru in line with the existing level of demand. The key inspected capacity aspects were infrastructure, human resources, finances and physical availability of raw water at source. Purposively selected informants from Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) and Gweru city council (GCC) provided data on the infrastructural, financial and human resources situation of GCC. Dam levels data for Gweru’s three supply dams were obtained from ZINWA records through the assistance of Sanyati Catchment Hydrologist. The raw water availability was assessed with the aid of Mann–Kendall test using a 10 years period data set from 2003 to 2012 for trend analysis. Findings revealed that the water sources were not experiencing major changes in water levels, to be precise, the changes were insignificant. However, given the increase in population and demand, any slightest negative change in the supply chain would further widen the gap between supply and demand. The study also uncovered that GCC had challenges in terms of the infrastructure, mainly due to financial constraints. Notably, GCC was not experiencing high staff turnover, but it was however, seriously under staffed and failing to effectively monitor water use in the city. Therefore, strong financial injection is required to support staff and resuscitate the reticulation system. Given the perpetual water shortages in Gweru and the status quo in the supply chain, water demand management strategies, wastewater use and consumer education are consequently proposed as measures that would ensure continuous water supply for all needs in the city.     

Melanesia’s violent environments: Towards a political ecology of conflict in the western Pacific

This paper draws upon Michael Watts’s work on governable spaces and “economies of violence” in the Niger Delta (2004a,b,c) and Colin Filer’s concept of the “ideology of landownership” in Papua New Guinea (1997) to explore how resource capitalism has been at the heart of violent conflict in post-colonial Melanesia. This schema of the political ecology of violence is elucidated with reference to three governable spaces – landownership, indigeneity, and nationalism; four different resource–industrial complexes – mining, oil and gas, logging, and oil palm; and the region’s three most serious conflicts to date – the Bougainville conflict, the Solomon Islands ‘ethnic tension’, and on-going violence in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, particularly in Enga and Southern Highlands provinces. It is argued that in each of these places the story of violent conflict is ineluctably one of resource capitalism and its engagement with local socio-political contexts. In sharp contrast to the resource determinism, state-centrism and ahistoricism of much of the ‘resource conflict’ literature, attention to governmentality and scale highlights the highly contextual and contingent nature of resource-related violence in Melanesia. The diverse experiences of different regulatory approaches to the encounters between resource complexes and governable spaces across time and space are also examined, giving rise to policy implications for governing resource conflict in Melanesia.     

An improved BP neural network based on evaluating and forecasting model of water quality in Second Songhua River of China

Taking the Second Songhua River which lies in the northeast of China as a study area, this paper firstly designs the improved BP neural network water evaluating and forecasting model of which 13 water evaluating items are selected as nodes in input layer; 6 classes of evaluating results are selected as nodes of output layer; then, with the ＂0, 1＂ identified pattern and continually practiced comparisons, ＂13-9-5-6＂ double hidden layers with optimized training structure are confirmed; on the basis of this work, the water quality of the Second Songhua River was evaluated and forecasted at the end. The results showed that in the six classes of predefined water quality in 157 stations, none of them belongs to class Ⅰ, and classes Ⅱ, Ⅲ, Ⅳ and Ⅴ are as follows： 8.91%, 58.59%, 18.47%, 1.91% and 12.1%, respectively; the precision of these evaluating and forecasting results is 82.8%.     

Toward vegetal political ecology: Kyrgyzstan’s walnut–fruit forest and the politics of graftability

As part of their long-running project to get beyond the nature–culture dualism, political ecologists have increasingly explored the active contributions of nonhumans to environmental politics. Upon decentering humans, however, too often posthumanist political ecologies have recentered humans and animals, indexing the enlarged category of “political actor” to narrowly shared traits like mobility or intentionality. Among other consequences, this tendency in political ecology’s posthumanism leaves the political agency of plants largely neglected. Political ecology suffers from this neglect, but the field can benefit from an integration of the insights of vegetal politics, a literature that traces the consequences of plant capabilities in more-than-human geographies. In this article, I model this integration—a vegetal political ecology—by examining human–plant partnerships in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan's walnut–fruit forest, an ecosystem distinguished by the number of its trees that can be modified by horticultural techniques like grafting. I argue that the forest’s “graftability” incrementally undermines two different hierarchies, one typifying people–plant relationships and another that characterizes state-centered regimes of post-Soviet forest governance. Graftability thus allows Kyrgyzstani villagers and trees to act with more autonomy than they otherwise would. This antihierarchical effect is a small biological determinism conferred by the capacities of the graftable tree, and it has political consequences. Vegetal political ecology aims to similarly connect plant performances to their broader political effects; by doing so, it can help political ecologists escape the residual humanism that still characterizes their efforts at posthumanism and better illuminate the political possibilities of partnering with plants.     

Correlation between water quality and the diurnal variation of Pontederia cordata’s physiology

The purifying tank containing Pontederia cordata was used to treat heavily polluted river water. The relationship between the diurnal variation of plant physiology and water quality was investigated. The study took place from 0800 to 1800?hours and in that period the physiological parameters of the plant and the water quality were analysed. Results indicated that the activity of peroxidase and catalase, the content of soluble protein and the rate of photosynthesis and transpiration were negatively correlated to the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in the river water, respectively. Higher sunlight intensity increased the activity of peroxidase and catalase, the content of soluble protein, rate of photosynthesis and transpiration. Sunlight also decreased the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus, the cations (Al³⁺, Fe²⁺ and Ca²⁺), the anions (Cl^?, NO₃ ^? and SO₄ ^2?) and the oxidation?Creduction potential and electrical conductivity of the river water. During the treatment from 0800 to 1800?hours, soluble protein content, photosynthesis rate of the plant and dissolved oxygen concentration of the river water showed a bimodal distribution, with peaks at 1200 and 1400?hours and a decrease at 1300?hours due to decrease in photosynthesis at midday. Peroxidase and catalase activity, soluble protein content, photosynthesis and transpiration rate were highest between 1000 and 1400?hours, while nitrogen and phosphorus concentration of the polluted water decreased significantly during this time. The correlation between plant physiology and water quality provided valuable data on the role of this plant in the ecological restoration of polluted water.     

Groundwater recharge and evolution of water quality in China’s Jilantai Basin based on hydrogeochemical and isotopic evidence

We investigated major ions, stable isotopes, and radiocarbon dates in a Quaternary aquifer in semi-arid northwestern China to gain insights into groundwater recharge and evolution. Most deep and shallow groundwater in the Helan Mountains was fresh, with total dissolved solids <1,000 mg L^?1 and Cl^? <250 mg L^?1. The relationships of major ions with Cl^? suggest strong dissolution of evaporites. However, dissolution of carbonates, albite weathering, and ion exchange are also the major groundwater process in Jilantai basin. The shallow desert groundwater is enriched in δ¹⁸O and intercepts the local meteoric water line at δ¹⁸O = ?13.4 ‰, indicating that direct infiltration is a minor recharge source. The isotope compositions in intermediate confined aquifers resemble those of shallow unconfined groundwater, revealing that upward recharge from intermediate formations is a major source of shallow groundwater in the plains and desert. The estimated residence time of 10.0 kyr at one desert site, indicating that some replenishment of desert aquifers occurred in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene with a wetter and colder climate than at present.     

Drinking water quality in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley: a survey and assessment of selected controlling site characteristics

Water was sampled from over 100 sources in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley, including municipal taps, dug wells, shallow-aquifer tube wells, deep-aquifer tube wells, and dhunge dharas (or stone spouts, public water sources that capture groundwater or surface water). Information was gathered on user preference and site and well characteristics, and water was examined for indicators of contamination from sewage, agriculture, or industry. Most problematic were total coliform and Escherichia coli bacteria, which were present in 94 and 72% of all the water samples, respectively. Contamination by nitrate, ammonia and heavy metals was more limited; nitrate and ammonia exceeded Nepali guidelines in 11 and 45% of the samples, respectively. Arsenic and mercury exceeded WHO guidelines in 7 and 10% of the samples, respectively, but arsenic never exceeded the less strict Nepali guideline. Significant differences existed in contamination levels between types of sources; dug wells and dhunge dharas, being the shallowest, were the most contaminated by bacteria and nitrate; deep-aquifer tube wells were the most contaminated by arsenic. Whereas E. coli concentrations decreased with depth, iron and ammonia concentrations increased with depth. These relationships account for people choosing to drink water with higher levels of bacterial contamination based on its superior (non-metallic) taste and appearance.     

Crystal chemistry of wadsleyite II and water in the Earth’s interior

Wadsleyite II is a variably hydrous magnesium-iron silicate phase similar to spinelloid IV and a potential host for H in the Transition Zone of the Earths mantle. Two separate samples of wadsleyite II synthesized at 17.5 GPa and 1400°C and at 18 GPa and 1350°C have been characterized by electron microprobe, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, visible, IR, Raman, and Mössbauer spectroscopies, and transmission electron microscopy including electron energy-loss spectroscopy. The two samples have the following chemical formulae: Mg_1.71Fe_0.18Al_0.01H_0.33Si_0.96O₄ and Mg_1.60Fe_0.22Al_0.01 H_0.44Si_0.97O₄. Mössbauer spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) indicate that about half of the iron present is ferric. Refinement of the structures shows them to be essentially the same as spinelloid IV. Calculated X-ray powder diffraction patterns show only subtle differences between wadsleyite and wadsleyite II. The hydration mechanism appears to be protonation of the non-silicate oxygen (O2) and possibly the oxygens surrounding the partially vacant tetrahedral site Si2, charge-balanced by cation vacancies in Si2, M5 and M6. The unit cell volume of this phase and its synthesis conditions indicate that it may be an intermediate phase occurring between the fields of wadsleyite and ringwoodite, if sufficient trivalent cations are available. The unit cell parameters have been refined at pressures up to 10.6 GPa by single-crystal X-ray diffraction in the diamond anvil cell. The refined bulk modulus for the sample containing 2.8 wt% H₂O is 145.6 ± 2.8 GPa with a K of 6.1 ± 0.7. Similar to wadsleyite and ringwoodite, hydration has a large effect on the bulk modulus. The presence of this phase in the mantle could serve to obscure the seismic expression of the phase boundary between wadsleyite and ringwoodite near 525 km. The large apparent effect of hydration on bulk modulus is consistent with hydration having a larger effect on seismic velocities than temperature in the Transition Zone.     

Investigation of the quality and physical-geochemical characteristics of the drinking water in Gümüşhane (Turkey) city central

The physical (turbidity, color, smell, taste, pH, and conductivity) and geochemical properties (Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Al, K, Cl^?, HCO₃ ^?, SO₄ ^2?, Fe, Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Cr) of the drinking water in Gümü?hane city center were determined. This city center constitutes the study area. The pH levels of the water samples ranged from 6.3 to 8.2, and their conductivities ranged between 240 and 900 μS. These findings were concordant with the drinking water standards of the Turkey Standard Institute and the World Health Organization. The hardness of the water samples in the study area was between 18.1 and 115.1 °Fr. These samples were classified as extremely hard, hard, and quite hard. In addition, an assessment using the criteria for Inland Surface Water Classification indicated that considering certain parameters (pH levels, amount of Na, SO₄ ^2?, Fe, Mn, Al, Co, Ni, Cu, and Cr), the samples belonged to class I (high quality) water. When Cl^? amount and conductivity were considered, the samples belonged to the first and second classes (less polluted) of water. The water in the study area was generally classified as carbonated and sulfated (Ca + Mg > Na + K) water classes. This water contained more weak acids than strong acids (HCO₃ ^? + CO₃ ^2? > Cl^? + SO₄ ^2?). The pH levels (6.3–8.2) of the water in the study area were unrelated to the varying concentrations of metals in the water. Elements such as Fe, Ni, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu increase in the water through the water–rock interaction in the area in which water rises or through the mixture of water with either mine or industrial wastes. In addition, several water samples belonged to an acceptable water class for drinking and usage.     

Selenium in soil,grain, human hair and drinking water in relation to esophageal cancer in the Cixian area,Hebei Province,People’s Republic of China

Selenium deficiency was suspected to be a factor in the aetiology of esophageal cancer in the Linxian and Cixian regions of the People’s Republic of China and vitamin trials in the Linxian area indicated that combined supplementation with β-carotene, vitamin E and Se reduced the mortality rate. In order to further evaluate the role of Se, the distribution of total Se in cultivated topsoils, grain, human hair and drinking water was studied in 15 villages in the Cixian area, People’s Republic of China, which in the 1980–1990s had one of the highest mortality rates from esophageal cancer in the world. This study demonstrated that total Se concentrations in drinking water, soil, grain and hair increase from the low esophageal cancer area to the high cancer area, contrary to the expected trend. This suggests that Se deficiency does not play a major role in the aetiology of esophageal cancer in the study area. Nitrate in drinking water is much higher in the area with high esophageal cancer mortality rate than in the low mortality rate area, and this may be a significant factor. Mycotoxins (especially fumonisin), nitrosamine and nitrosamine precursors in grain, ${\mathrm{NO}}_3^{-}$ in drinking water, and dietary β-carotene and Vitamin E remain as potential factors which need to be evaluated further.     

An overview of satellite remote sensing technology used in China’s environmental protection

Satellite remote sensing technology has been widely used in environmental protection in China. Based on China’s environmental protection characteristics, this paper reviews the application advancements of optical, infrared, microwave and hyperspectral satellite remote sensing techniques in atmospheric environment, water environment and ecological environment, respectively, including the atmospheric environment monitoring of aerosols, particulate matter, pollution gases, and greenhouse gases; the water environment monitoring of water blooms water quality, oil spills, water pollution and drinking water safety; the ecological environment monitor of national nature reserves, environmental damages from mines development, soil contamination, urban/rural ecological environment and biodiversity richness. Furthmore, it summarizes the limitations and future directions of satellite remote sensing studies in China environmental protection. The paper specifically notes that the development of high-resolution satellite remote sensing technology, as well as the launch and use of China series satellites could significantly improve the level of government’s environmental management.     

Assessment of changes in the area of the water conservation forest in the Qilian Mountains of China’s Gansu province, and the effects on water conservation

The Qilian Mountains water conservation forest in Gansu province is an important ecological barrier surrounding the oasis in China’s Hexi Corridor. The water they provide is the basis for the existence and sustainable socioeconomic development of those oases. As a result of unsustainable use of the water conservation forest until the 1980s, the oasis ecosystems of the Hexi region were seriously damaged, and the oasis areas experienced deterioration of their ecological environment. In this paper, Landsat images were used to monitor the temporal and spatial changes in area of water conservation in Qilian Mountains of China’s Gansu province and to assess the effect on water conservation by analyzed relationship between water conservation forest area, climatic data and hydrological data. The results showed that the forest covered 15.1% of the study area in 2007 and has followed different trends during the study period. From 1978 to 1990, the forest area decreased; however, from 1990 to 2007, the forest area increased, with a faster rate of increase from 1990 to 2000, and the rate of increase averaged 2,733.89 ha per year since 1990. The water conservation forest appears to play an important role in flood control, runoff regulation, the prevention of soil erosion, and water conservation; and these benefits increase with an increasing area of forest.     

An indicator based approach for assessing household’s perceptions of landslide risk in Murree hills of Pakistan

Natural Hazards - The Murree region in Pakistan is frequently affected by landslides and causes damages to lands, houses, life lines and even loss of livestock and human life. We have attempted in...     

An Extension of Marston’s Solution for the Stresses in Backfilled Trenches with Inclined Walls

Infrastructure rehabilitation and development are very active fields around the world. Many of these activities involve the installation of conduits buried in trenches. The analysis and design of such conduits often rely on a solution developed by Marston and his coworkers who used the basic arching theory proposed by Janssen. This solution is theoretically only valid for vertical trenches, but it has been used for trenches with different wall inclinations, which sometimes leads to non-conservative stresses. In this paper, a more general solution for the stress state in backfilled trenches is developed based on the approach adopted by Marston and his coworkers. The effects of wall inclination and of a surcharge on top of the backfill are introduced in the analytical solution. Numerical modeling is performed and the results are used to adjust some components of the equations, leading to a more general solution. The good correlation between the vertical stress distributions given by the proposed solution and additional numerical simulations indicates that this new solution is representative of the stress state in backfilled trenches, and can thus be used for the design of infrastructure rehabilitation and development.     

The hydro geochemical characterization of ground waters in Tunisian Chott’s region.

Tunisian Chott’s region is one of the most productive artesian basins in Tunisia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country, and its groundwater resources are developed for water supply and irrigation. The chemical composition of the water is strongly influenced by the interaction with the basinal sediments and by hydrologic characteristics such as the flow pattern and time of residence. The system is composed of an upper unconfined “Plio-Quaternary” aquifer with a varying thickness of 20–200 m, an intermediate confined/unconfined “Complex Terminal” aquifer about 100 m in thickness and a deeper “Continental Intercalaire” aquifer about 150 m in thickness separated by thick clay and marl layers. The dissolution of evaporites and carbonates explains part of the contained Na⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, SO₄²⁻ and Cl^-, but other processes, such carbonate precipitation, also contributes to the water composition. The stable isotope composition of waters establishes that the deep groundwater (depleted as compared to present corresponding local rainfall) is ancient water recharged probably during the late Pleistocene and the early Holocene periods. The relatively recent water in the Plio-Quaternary aquifer is composed of mixed waters resulting presumably from upward leakage from the deeper groundwater.     

Monitoring of the temperature–moisture regime in St. Martin’s Cathedral tower in Bratislava

Buildings are often composed of materials with a porous structure. Moisture in the masonry has a destructive impact caused by cycles of drying–wetting and freezing–thawing. A new sensor principle for monitoring moisture in the masonry is presented herein. This sensor utilizes changes in the thermal conductivity of porous structures when they are filled with moist air, water, or ice depending on the existing thermodynamic conditions. Herein, the “hot-ball” method is used to measure the thermal conductivity. The moisture sensor is prepared for porous material corresponding to the parent material, whether it is rock, brick, or concrete. This parent sample is taken from a borehole drilled into the wall. Methodology for moisture sensor calibration is also presented. Sensors were placed in the masonry walls of St. Martin’s Cathedral tower in the North, South, and West orientations. The sensors were placed in the plaster and bricks at depths up to 60 mm in the wall surface, just below the window sill. The temperature–moisture regime was monitored from August 19th, 2011 to March 30th, 2012. Changes in temperature and moisture were then correlated with meteorological data.