Drinking water quality in villages of southwestern Haryana,India: assessing human health risks associated with hydrochemistry

The chemical quality of groundwater of western Haryana, India was assessed for its suitability for drinking purposes. A total of 275 water samples were collected from deep aquifer based hand-pumps situated in 37 different villages/towns of Bhiwani region. The water samples were analyzed for different physico-chemical properties, e.g., pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total harness (TH), total alkalinity (TA), calcium, magnesium, carbonate, bicarbonate, sulphate, chloride and fluoride concentrations. In this study, the average TDS content was greater ranging 1,692 (Bhiwani block) to 2,560 mg l⁻¹ (Siwani block), and other important parameters of water, e.g., TA (442–1,232 mg l⁻¹), TH (437–864 mg l⁻¹) and bicarbonate (554–672 mg l⁻¹), were also higher than maximum permissible limit by WHO or BIS. The fluoride appeared as a major problem of safe drinking water in this region. We recorded greater fluoride concentration, i.e., 86.0 mg l⁻¹ from Motipura village that is highest fluoride level ever recorded for Haryana state. The average fluoride concentration ranged between 7.1 and 0.8 mg l⁻¹ in different blocks of western Haryana. On the basis of fluoride concentration, Siwani block showed the maximum number of water samples (84% of total collected samples) unsuitable for drinking purposes (containing fluoride >1.5 mg l⁻¹) followed by Charki Dadri block (58%), Bhiwani block (52%), Bawani Khera block (33%) and Loharu block (14%). This study clearly suggest that some health deteriorating chemicals in drinking water were at dangerous level and; therefore, water quality could be a major health threat for local residents of western Haryana. The high fluoride level in drinking water has posed some serious dental health risks in local residents.     

大气污染对中国重点城市地面总辐射影响的时空特征

利用2000年6月\_2003年12月全国33个重点城市的PM10日监测数据与地面总辐射日观测数据, 结合总云量、 降水量等气象观测数据, 定量分析了人类活动排放的污染物质与地面总辐射的关系, 并分析了人类活动影响下的地面总辐射减少的时空分布特征。结果表明： 各观测站点的总辐射随着PM10浓度的增大而减小; 其空间特征表现为西北、 华北和华中地区的重点城市所受的影响较大, 而华南、 西南地区的重点城市所受影响较小; 其时间特征表现为春、 秋季影响较大, 而夏、 冬季影响相对较小\.总的来说, 在2001\_2003年人类活动产生的气溶胶使我国晴天地面总辐射减少20.1±1.9 W·m-2。     

Contracts,Seagrass, and Discourses: nonhuman mediators in the planning of the Mangles Bay Marina

ABSTRACT

Planning with things other-than-human and exploring the more-than-human dimensions of cities has failed to ignite within the discipline of planning. Humans and the human perspective remain privileged throughout both planning theory and practice. However, slowly over the course of the past two decades there has been a trickle of Actor Network Theory-based planning studies allowing the discipline to dip its toes into the more-than-human realm. This paper uses empirical evidence to demonstrate the role and influence of particular nonhumans as active mediators in the politics of planning processes and the production of more-than-human urban spaces. In doing so, the paper raises ethical questions around the existing anthropocentric approach to the assessment and deliberation of planned development where living nonhumans are affected. Utilising the case study of the proposed Mangles Bay Marina, in the southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, the paper will illustrate the influence of three types of nonhuman actors: living nonhuman species; discursive text and talk; and technical artefacts.     

气候变化对宁波四明山人体舒适度的影响

利用宁波四明山区域气象观测站逐日和逐小时气象要素观测资料,分析该区域气候条件,并以舒适度指标等评估其气候生态。结果表明,1961—2017年四明山区域气温持续上升,降水增多,日降水峰值集中在16—18时且未出现明显变化,小风日数增多,气候适宜日数明显增加。气温是影响该区域人体舒适度的主因,其次是相对湿度和风;春秋舒适日数多,气候温润,日晴夜雨特征明显;夏季凉爽,是理想的避暑休闲胜地;年舒适时数高山与平原相近,但季节差异明显,夏季高山地区非常舒适,其他三季平原更舒适。区域气候模式结果显示,未来四明山区域气温继续维持升高趋势,降水有所增加,极端高温事件增多,极端低温事件减少,人体舒适日数呈减少趋势,春、秋季略增加,夏季减少明显。     

Heat health planning: The importance of social and community factors

Extreme heat events frequently have adverse effects on population health. Within every population certain groups and individuals are at a greater risk of heat-related morbidity and mortality than others. While certain physiological characteristics (advanced age, chronic conditions, etc.) are known to increase the risk of illness and/or death during periods of extreme heat, the role of social and community level factors in aggravating or mitigating this risk is poorly understood. This paper reviews the literature on the social and community level factors that affect heat-related morbidity and mortality in order to identify shortfalls in current heat health response plans so that new approaches can be recommended. While social isolation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and neighborhood characteristics have all been identified as potential factors affecting the risk of heat-related illness and mortality, these are rarely, if ever, identified as heat health research priorities and are thus often neglected in heat emergency planning. Current research and programming practices are often prioritized from the top down where decisions are made at the federal level and research priorities are determined by national research bodies. This, unfortunately, may not allow enough flexibility to meet the needs of physically, socially and culturally diverse communities. A more socio-ecological approach to heat health research and planning would better allow for the identification of community level vulnerabilities and available resources and would encourage communities to work with regional or national partners to adapt response plans accordingly. The development of future plans should involve more partnerships at the community level so that social and community level factors that are currently overlooked may be included in heat health response strategies.     

Levels of Organohalogenated Pollutants in Human Milk Samples from Konya City,Turkey

This study reports the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs, α‐, β‐, γ‐ and Δ‐HCHs, p,p′‐DDE, p,p′‐DDD and p,p′‐DDT), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, PCB 28, 52, 101, 153, 138 and 180 congeners) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs, PBDE 47, 99, 100, 153 and 154 congeners) in 45 individual human milk samples collected from Konya City, Turkey. Average concentrations of ΣHCHs, ΣDDTs, ΣPCBs and ΣPBDEs were 22.62, 37.10, 104.95 and 67.34 ng/g lipid wt., respectively. No significant differences in investigated pollutants were found between primiparous and multiparous mothers. There was no correlation between levels of each group of pollutants in human milk and the age of mothers. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the levels of ΣDDTs, between mothers who have eaten fish more than once a week and those who consumed fish less than once. An analysis of the infant exposure to DDTs, HCHs and PCBs via mother's milk indicated that the estimated daily intakes of these pollutants were below the guideline proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Health Canada which means that there is definitely no concern on children health.     

Provisioning systems for a good life within planetary boundaries

The concept of provisioning systems has recently emerged as a promising way to understand the differences between levels of resource use and social outcomes observed across societies. However, the characteristics of provisioning systems remain poorly understood. Here, we make a new contribution to conceptualising provisioning systems and to understanding differences in the resource efficiency with which they achieve social outcomes. We define a provisioning system as a set of related elements that work together in the transformation of resources to satisfy a foreseen human need. We analyse six theories in terms of their contribution to understanding provisioning systems within the biophysical and social constraints of Raworth’s “Safe and Just Space” framework. We find that most of these theories fail to prioritise human needs and well-being, and do not incorporate explicit environmental limits. However, they provide important insights that we draw upon to identify six important provisioning system elements (households, markets, the commons, the state, techniques, and material stocks). Based on the theories, we also identify two important relationships between elements, namely feedbacks and power relations. We further propose the concept of “appropriating systems” as a component of provisioning systems. Appropriating systems reduce the resource efficiency of human well-being via rent extraction, and act as a barrier to meeting human needs at a sustainable level of resource use. We combine these concepts into a new framework, and discuss applications to energy systems.     

关于地质灾害与地质环境关系的探讨

本文主要介绍了地质灾害与地质环境的分布关系,并得出地质环境对地质灾害易发程度的影响等级,为地质灾害易发区划或预警区划因子权重的确定提供参考。     

青海湖地区人类活动对生态环境影响及其保护对策

本文根据作者近年来对青海湖地区人类活动和环境现状的调查，探讨了该区人类活动和环境和现状的调查，探讨了该区人类活动和生态环境的关系及特点，分析了人为活动对生态与环境影响的空间、时间及动态特征；并针对该区目前的环境状况提供出保护对策。     

地下水资源与江苏地面沉降研究

介绍了当前国内外水资源研究的发展趋势（研究特点、总的趋势）。强调要从整体、系统的观点出发，把资源与环境作为一个整体系统来研究。不仅研究资源、环境的自然属性，还加强其社会属性的研究，关注人类活动对自然生态系统的影响机制。其次，介绍了水资源研究的前沿领域。从江苏地面沉降现状出发，分析当前研究特点、存在问题，提出了相应的长江三角洲地面沉降研究建议。