The role of women peasants in the process of desertification in Western Sudan

Women peasants in the Sudan are both agents of and sufferers from the process of desertification which is taking place in the arid and semi-arid zone. The researchwork done by the author on the problem of desertification in the west of the Republic of the Sudan convinced him that women there suffer much more than men do from the decrease of land productivity. Paradoxically enough, women themselves have actively taken part in desertifying their environment in their desperate attempt to keep their families living. This paper endeavours to highlight the role of peasant women in areas prone to or already stricken by desertification. Especially in the transitional phases following drought disasters and loss of live-stock the whole brunt of catering for the family falls on the shoulders of peasant women. Three main issues are being tackled: Millet production as essentially women's task, rainfall variability and its impact on women cultivators, the settlement of nomads and semi-nomads as a new burden laid on women. Finally, some suggestions are made to improve the conditions of women's work to provide nutrition for their families without doing much destruction to the fragile environment and its limited resources.     

Cumulative subject index volumes 34–38, 1980

The coast of the State of Kuwait is characterized by a relatively wide intertidal flat area. At the north, where it is close to Shatt-al-Arab estuary, the intertidal sediments are mainly fluviomarine, while open marine sediments dominate the southern intertidal flat area. Samples were examined from the intertidal zone of deposition from the fluviomarine and open marine environments.The sediments consist mainly of carbonate minerals (low-Mg calcite, high-Mg calcite, aragonite and dolomite), quartz, feldspars, clay minerals and heavy minerals. The mineralogy of the clay fractions of the sediments is dominated by illite, mixed-layer illite—montmorillonite, montmorillonite, chlorite, kaolinite and palygorskite with only minor amounts of quartz. Heavy minerals are concentrated in the very fine sand fraction and are dominated by opaque minerals, amphiboles, pyroxenes, epidotes, garnet, kyanite and sillimanite. Zircon, tourmaline, andalusite, staurolite and rutile are present in subordinate amounts.Three main sources are suggested for the intertidal sediments of Kuwait: (a) Shatt-al-Arab fluviatile deposits, (b) aeolian dust fallout, and (c) direct chemical and biogenic precipitation from the Gulf water.     

Structural patterns in river network organization at both infra‐ and supra‐basin levels: the case of a granitic relief

Within a landform, the channelized water path from any point to the corresponding outlet is split into successive components within the Strahler ordering scheme. The probability density functions (pdf) of the length L of the whole channelized path and of the lengths of the components are studied as multi‐level structural functions. We have considered a granitic area and studied both its main basin and the set of its 48 constituent basins. With respect to the main basin, the pdf of the component lengths exhibit a strong scaling property, except for the highest orders, due to a hierarchical constraint; hence, the pdf of sum L has no particular shape. We have nevertheless identified an underlying structural pattern at particular infra‐ and supra‐basin levels, where the hierarchical constraint is weaker. This identification process entails noting structurally emerging patterns based on multi‐level variables and distributions, which satisfy the general self‐similarity of networks. The fairly good fit of an analytical gamma law with most of these emerging patterns can prove to be a positive step towards both a general modelling approach to the geomorphometric functions and a stronger geomorphological basement of hydrological transfer functions. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization, classification, bacteriological, and evaluation of groundwater from 24 wells in six departments of Algeria

This is a conducted study of the physicochemical and the bacteriological characteristics of groundwater from 24 wells in the six departments of Algeria: Mostaganem, Mecheria, Naama, Tiaret, Bechar, and Adrar. The six departments and surrounding areas depend heavily on water from wells as a resource for drinking water, as well as domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses. Understanding the groundwater chemistry provides insight into the interactions of water with the environment and contributes to better resource management. In total, 24 water samples from wells have been analyzed for major physical–chemical elements and metals. The results show that the water have pH values ranging between 7.1 and 8.2, salinity between 213 and 1,273 mg/L, and nitrate concentrations between 30 and 48.7 mg/L. The high concentration of nitrates is explained by the utilization of chemical fertilizers in agriculture. Almost all the samples are of type Na–SO₄ and Na–HCO₃, and the trace metal concentrations are within the admissible standard ranges. The bacteriological analysis of 24 samples analyzed showed that nine samples (nos. 3, 5, 8, 12, 14, 16, 17, 22, and 23) are contaminated. We conclude that the groundwater samples may safely be used for drinking, domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes with the exception of the following samples: nos. 3, 5, 8, 12, 14, 16, 17, 22, and 23.     

Geochemical study of clays used as barriers in landfills

This is a hydraulic and geochemical study on 2 materials: natural clay (AN) and a regenerated material made up of a sand-bentonite (SB) mixture. The hydraulic part allowed us to conclude that a 10% industrial bentonite content mixed with sand offers hydraulic properties that are similar to those of AN material and are lower than the required standards. The geochemical properties of both AN and SB matrixes are comparable with those of some of the synthetic leachates studied. Furthermore, the Langmuir model helped us to identify the adsorption capacities of both matrixes with the following selectivities: Pb > Cu > Cd > Zn.