The large transmission of COVID-19 has resulted in a deep impact on the surrounding urban environments, especially on air quality and traffic flows. The objective of this study was to analyze air pollutant concentrations (PM10, SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃) and traffic volumes at five congested districts (Bundaran HI, Kelapa Gading, Jagakarsa, Lubang Buaya, and Kebon Jeruk) within Jakarta city impacted by the large-scale social restriction (LSSR) policy. Air quality data during three periods; before, during, and after the LSSR at five observed districts was obtained from the Department of Environment of Jakarta using the Air Quality Monitoring (AQMS) tool. While vehicle speed data were obtained from the waze data during the study period. In this study, air pollutant data during three periods; before, during, and after the LSSR were compared with vehicle speed and meteorological data using a statistical analysis. Results revealed the mean traffic volume at all five districts has greatly reduced by 19% from before to during the LSSR period. It was consistent with the mean PM10, NO₂, CO, and SO₂ concentrations which also dropped about 46%, 45%, 30%, and 23% respectively. In contrast, the concentrations of air pollutants significantly increased after the LSSR period. During the LSSR period, the traffic volume was negatively associated with the O₃ concentration (r = −.86, p < .01), it was different with before the LSSR periods where the traffic volume associated with CO (r = .88, p < .01) and NO₂ (r = .89, p < .01). The broad analysis of changes in air pollutants and traffic volumes can be used by the authorities to arrange a good air quality management and an effective way for current and future scenarios.

This study looked at patterns of erratic climate and farmer perceptions in the Gelda watershed of Lake Tana Basin in northwestern Ethiopia. The National Meteorological Agency of Ethiopia provided essential climatic data for the period between 1981 and 2011. A household survey and focus group discussions were also used to understand about local communities’ perceptions of climate variability and its impact on food production. Time series trend analysis of observed rainfall and temperature conditions was detected using linear regression analysis. To compare the means of climatic parameters and determine whether the average difference was significantly different from zero, the paired sampled t-test was used. The study found that the average annual temperature trend increased by 1.1°C, while the amount and distribution of annual and monthly rainfall decreased, varied across the catchment, and fluctuated during the study periods (1981–2011) at mean temperature rise with an average rate of 0.17°C in the last decade. The variability of annual and monthly rainfall in terms of intensity and distribution has decreased and varied across the watershed. The analysis revealed that annual rainfall variability was variable in the upper catchment (CV > 11.7%) and lower catchment (CV > 14.4%). The amount and intensity of temperature, on the other hand, increased throughout the study watershed, despite observed variation both spatially and temporally (stated decades). Farmers’ understanding and expression of climate variability in terms of erratic rainfall distribution, decreasing amount, and increasing temperature over the last three decades, however, matched the observed data. Moreover, farmers are pointed out that high population pressure; deforestation and intensified agriculture are responsible factors for the variability of climate in the study watershed. Therefore, based on the findings, scientist and policymakers has to design appropriate adaptation measures that can tackle the aggravation of climate variability for future.

Quantifying the influence of climate change on the crop growth period, water requirement, and drought conditions is essential for integrated crop production system planning. In this study, the effects of climate models from the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Product (CMIP5) on Crop Water Requirement (CWR), Length of Growth Period (LGP), and drought conditions were quantified for Lake Hawassa watershed in Ethiopia. In this study, two regional climate models were selected that showed better performance on the evaluation criteria after applying a quantile mapping bias correction procedure. The impact analysis was conducted for two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) (RCP4.5 and RCP 8.5). Drought analysis was performed using the standardized anomalies of rainfall (S-index). The future growing season of the area is projected to be between April 15 and May 1 on average for all years. The total crop water requirement was projected to increase to a value of 3,258.7 mm on average under both the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios for all the stages at the end of 2080s from its baseline value of 3,180.4 mm. In addition, the drought forecast analysis shows extreme drought with S-index values <−1.6 in the 2050s and 2080s under RCP 8.5. Of all the time periods, the 2050s recorded the smallest number of years (10 out of 30 years) with a positive S-index value, indicating projected precipitation shortages during these time periods under RCP 8.5. With this result, the combined impacts of climate change on crop production factors are expected to be high in the region. The results suggest an early warning for the study region considering low economic and technological development as in many developing parts of the world. Therefore, understanding the future changes in climate variables and their impacts can be an important input for developing a better plan for adaptation and mitigation measures.

Microplastics (MPs) are among the emerging pollutants that recently attracted the researcher’s attention around the world. These particles can absorb other chemicals, and microbial contaminants and enter them into the food chain, and environment. This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence of MPs in raw and treated drinking water and evaluate the MPs removal efficiency in a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) in Iran. MPs particles were counted at different stages of DWTP, using a scanning electron microscope after the initial preparation steps include filtration, and chemical digestion, and then examined for the nature of the particles using a micro-Raman spectrometer. The concentration of MPs in influent, clarifier’s effluent, and DWTP’s effluent were 1597.7 ± 270.3, 676.2 ± 69.0, and 260.5 ± 48.9 MPs/L, respectively. The total efficiency of the DWTP in MPs removal was 83.7%, which the clarification and filtration stage removed 57.7%, and 26.0% of total MPs, respectively. The most abundant polymers identified were PP, PE, and PET. Despite the effective removal of MPs in the DWTP, on average 2.25 × 10¹¹ ± 4.23 × 1010 MPs are daily discharged into the water distribution system through the effluent of this DWTP.

The present study was undertaken to determine a holistic picture of pollution comprising the physicochemical and microbiological properties of the Halda River water of Bangladesh. A total 45 samples were collected from five sampling sites. Different water quality parameters including temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), total solids (TS), turbidity, concentration of heavy metals, total bacterial count (TBC), total coliform (TC), and fecal coliforms (FC) were assessed. Isolation and identification of 10 bacterial isolates was done using their cultural, morphological, physiological, biochemical characteristics, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. Antibiotic sensitivity of selected isolates was also investigated. DO (6–14.67 mgL⁻¹), BOD (2–8 mgL⁻¹), COD (40.43–107.63 mgL⁻¹), TSS (818.33–3,180 mgL⁻¹), TS (1,039.33–3,897.33 mgL⁻¹), and turbidity (40.09–355 NTU), TBC (7.2 × 10³–3.83 × 10⁵ CFU/mL), FC (0.7 × 10²–3.9 × 10³/100 mL) were measured in both non breeding and breeding time that implies the pollution of the Halda river water. Heavy metal concentration was found within standard limit. Among the isolates, Bacillus wiedmannii strain HSA2 (accession no. MT102620) showed multidrug-resistant, which is a matter of great concern. According to the study findings, the water quality of the Halda river is being deteriorated, posing a threat to public health as well as the aquatic environment.

The Cikapundung Watershed is part of the Citarum watershed, which functions as the main drainage of the center of Bandung City. High exploitation of space and water resources can trigger flooding, as is often the case in the Cikapundung watershed. Flooding can be caused by rapid population growth, land degradation, and climate change. In this study, four types of methods were used to analyze rainfall frequency, and the type III Log Pearson distribution method was found to meet the requirements for use. A match test was carried out using the chi-squared method and the Smirnov-Kolmogorov method. Hydraulics analysis was carried out by the HEC-RAS method with different return periods to calculate the depth of flooding. HEC-RAS was used because it is considered highly compatible and relevant to geatographic information systems. The return periods modeled with HEC-RAS were 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 years. Based on the calculation results, the Cikapundung watershed runoff coefficient in 2020 was .43. The increased return period suggests that the area of flood inundation is becoming wider. The downstream impacts of wider flood inundation include all sectors that are more affected by flooding. This causes losses to increase as the flood payback period increases. The total estimated loss for the 25 return periods of flood events in the Cikapundung watershed is around 1,124 million rupiah, and the affected population is around 700,000 people.

As mediators in soil formation, lichens play an essential role in the physical and biological formation of the natural environment. A recent study showed that they are capable of biodegrading stone substrates in a little amount of time, despite being excluded in a geological setting. Many species, mainly those able to produce an oxalate at the thallus-substratum interface, can alter the surface, affecting it chemically. The oxalate remains a noticeable increase even after the lichen has faded, and it makes a major contribution to the structure and composition of the thallus itself. These severe oxalate deposits on historical sites have been alternatively attributed to the earlier as the consequence of air pollutants, prior mechanical/chemical renovation treatments, as well as environmental deterioration. Lichen growth on building materials and biodegradation are frequently based on environmental variables. The biogeophysical and biogeochemical weathering of the substrate by the lichens is the mechanism underlying biodegradation. For stone surfaces, lichens can endeavor bio protection by acting as a barrier against weathering, holding humidity, improving permeability, reducing heat stress and erosion, and absorbing contaminants. Lichen’s significance as a biodeteriorant, its colonization and impact on monuments, as well as bioprotection, are all discussed in the current review.

Agricultural activity is the major anthropogenic source of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from terrestrial ecosystems. Conservation agriculture including crop residue management can play a key role in enhancing soil resilience to climate change and mitigating N₂O emissions. We investigated the effects of crop residue rates, including 100 % (R₁₀₀), 50 % (R₅₀), and residue removal (R₀), on N₂O emissions in corn-wheat rotation under conventional (CT) and no-tillage (NT) systems. The key factors evaluated affecting N₂O emissions included soil temperature, soil moisture, soil ammonium, and soil nitrate concentrations. Results showed that the N₂O emissions increased with the increasing rate of residue under both CT and NT systems. Both R₁₀₀ and R₅₀ significantly (p < .05) increased the N₂O emissions compared to R₀ during the annual rotation cycle. Soil moisture and mineral nitrogen (ammonium and nitrate) were the main driving factors that stimulated N₂O emission in both CT and NT systems. In the NT and CT systems, cumulative N₂O emissions showed a significant increase with R₅₀ (+75.5 % in NT, +36.5 % in CT) and R₁₀₀ (+134 % in NT, +40 % in CT) as compared to R₀. Furthermore, no significant differences were found between R₁₀₀ and R₅₀ in the CT system, while in the NT system significant increases were observed for R₁₀₀ compared to R₅₀. Overall, our study justified as a first approach only during the first year that crop residue removal led to decreased N₂O emissions under semi-arid conditions. However, due to the deteriorating impact of crop residue removal on crop productivity and soil C sequestration, this management method cannot be considered a sustainable agronomic practice. We suggest long-term studies to determine the appropriate rate of postharvest crop residue to achieve less N₂O emissions and climate-friendly agricultural practices.

Empirical evidence and a better explanation of the effect of exclosures on soil properties are needed to rehabilitate degraded land and properly utilize the restored ecosystem. This study was conducted to determine soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks and to map their spatial distribution and aggregate stability along open grazing land, 5, 15, and 20 years exclosure, and three slope positions. To map the spatial distribution of SOC and TN stocks an ordinary kriging interpolation method was applied. The results showed that the age of exclosure had significantly (p < .05) affected SOC and TN stock. Soil organic carbon stock was the highest in the 15-year-old (18.43 Mg ha⁻¹) and lowest (14.22 Mg ha⁻¹) in the 5-year-old exclosures. Similarly, the 15-year-old (1.81 Mg ha⁻¹) and 5-year-old (1.41 Mg ha⁻¹) exclosures had the highest and the lowest TN stock, respectively. Soil organic carbon associated with macroaggregates (>250 µm) and microaggregates (<250 µm) varied significantly (p < .05) between ages of exclosures and adjacent open grazing land. Significantly (p < .05) higher SOC stock (16.99 Mg ha⁻¹) and macroaggregate associated SOC (3.05%) were recorded in the upper slope position as compared to the middle and lower slope positions. Due to the variation in vegetation cover and density and topography of the area, both SOC and TN stock showed high spatial variability across all ages of exclosure and adjacent open grazing land. Despite its inconsistency, the age of exclosure had affected SOC and TN stock, mean weight diameter, water-stable aggregates, and aggregate associated SOC. It is suggested that exclosure as a restoration measure of degraded landscapes can sequester and stock a significant amount of atmospheric CO₂. Further study on soil organisms and litterfall is suggested to understand the dynamics of SOC and TN stocks in these exclosures.

The importance of water quality is well understood, and it becomes even more critical when is use for drinking purposes. A case study was carried out to know the applicability of GIS tool for determining the quality of supply water. Water samples from 21 houses at different locations of Delhi were collected. Sample analysis was done for physicochemical parameters viz., pH, EC, TDS, Total Hardness, Total Alkalinity, Chloride, Fluoride, and Nitrate. The water quality data from these selected locations was analyzed using Geographical Information System (GIS) Technique. GIS software did interpolation through the inverse distance weighted (IDW) method to know the water quality (WQ) in different part of the city for various parameters mentioned above and prepare thematic maps from the analysis of water quality data as a database. These thematic maps show the distribution of different water quality parameters. Using Weighted Arithmetic Index (WAI) method, Water Quality Index is calculated. After that, the Drinking Water Quality Index (DWQI) map was generated using thematic layer, reclassification, and weight value assigned in weighted overlay tools in GIS software. Five categories viz., excellent, good, satisfactory, poor, and very poor is assign to describe DWQI. Out of all the selected locations, DWQI was good only at two locations, whereas, at the remaining sites, the DWQI was found satisfactory. However, the overall water quality was found suitable for human consumption. The analysis outcome was represented as maps that will be advantageous to know the water quality status for the area under study. The spatial database established can be a reliable technique for monitoring and managing water quality in the water supply system.

Meteorological parameters play a crucial role in the ambient air quality of urban and rural environments. This study aims to investigate the relationship between meteorological parameters (including temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed) and the concentrations of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ in the urban area and the rural area, northern Thailand during the haze period (January to April) from 2016 to 2020. Statistical analyses of the Spearman-Rank correlation coefficient and the multivariate gaussian regression were used to investigate the relationships. The secondary data of ambient PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentration and meteorological parameters were acquired from the Thai Pollution Control Department. The measurements are obtained using the Beta Ray attenuation method. The results showed that approximately 24% to 65% of daily average PM_2.5 concentrations in the urban area over the study period exceeded Thailand’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The average PM_2.5/PM₁₀ ratios in the urban and the rural areas over the haze period were 0.69 and 0.66, respectively. Our analysis established a significant correlation between atmospheric temperature (r = 0.624) and relative humidity (r = −0.722) with the concentrations of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀. In both areas, PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations were also positively correlated with temperature. In contrast, relative humidity was significantly related with the decrease of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations. However, wind speed does not affect PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations. Additionally, the daily backward trajectories using the hybrid-single particle Lagrangian integrated trajectory model also demonstrated air mass movement in March mostly came from the southwesterly direction, which moved through the highlands, the large biomass burned areas, upwind neighboring provinces, and transboundary transports before reaching the air monitoring stations. Our findings improve the understanding of particulate matter pollution and meteorological patterns during annual haze periods in the urban and rural areas. We expect the output of this study can help improve existing haze mitigation measures for improving the prediction accuracy of air pollution under variable meteorological parameters.

Water pollution by organic contaminants is one of the most severe issues confronting the world today as a result of the rapid increase of industrialization, urbanization, human population growth, and advances in agricultural technologies. Several attempts have been made to address global water pollution issues by utilizing conventional wastewater treatment technologies. However, conventional wastewater treatment methods have several limitations such as low efficiency, high operation costs, generation of secondary waste, require additional chemicals as oxidants and extra energy. Therefore, Heterogeneous photocatalysis has gained a lot of attention in the degradation of persistent organic pollutants because it combines high efficiency, environmental friendliness, cheap cost, and safety. Subsequently, the designing of novel nanocomposite photocatalysts with strong visible light-harvesting ability, efficient charge separation and transportation, and superb stability is imminently desired for wastewater treatment. Recently, the notion of combining g-C₃N₄ with TiO₂ to design high photocatalytic performance heterojunction photoactive nanocomposites for organic pollutant degradation has received a lot of attention. Meanwhile, the construction of g-C₃N₄/TiO₂-based heterojunction nanocomposites may enhance the ability of harvesting visible light, boost charge separation and transfer efficiency, and robust photocatalytic activity. Firstly, this review concisely explained the main sources of water pollution, as well as potential treatment approaches and the fundamental mechanism of heterogeneous photocatalysis. Subsequently, the details of properties, synthesis techniques, photoactivity modification strategies, and photocatalytic applications of g-C₃N₄, TiO_2, and g-C₃N₄/TiO₂ heterojunction photocatalysts are presented. Following that, the recent advances aimed at improving the photocatalytic performance of various types of visible-light-driven g-C₃N₄/TiO₂ heterojunction photocatalysts for organic pollutant degradation in wastewater are presented in detail. Finally, some concluding remarks and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for constructing different types of g-C₃N₄/TiO₂-based heterostructured photocatalysts are presented.

The degree to which ozone (O₃) exposure and drought affect stomatal control of water loss and respond to environmental stimuli such as varying light is poorly characterized. To that end, we exposed Pima cotton to chronic O₃ exposure (month-long daytime exposures) with and without sufficient water, as well as short term acute O₃ exposure and varying light levels to understand stomatal kinetics. Chronic, month-long exposure to moderately high O₃ (~114 ppb) reduced daytime steady state stomatal conductance (g_s), as did water deficit. Both stomatal opening and closing displayed dose specific, “sluggish” responses to step-changes in illumination with acute, 1-day, O₃ exposures of 0, 50, 100, and 125 ppb. At higher concentration (150 ppb), stomatal control of both opening and closing was degraded. Altered steady state and dynamic stomatal function suggest that elevated ambient O₃, expected to increase in the future, may increasingly influence field water management and appropriate crop choices.

Contamination of domestic water sources is a major concern in estuarine islands of coastal Karnataka. Awareness about practices for waste management and protection of water sources on these islands is poor. Using water having bacterial presence for domestic purposes can lead to various health risks in humans. The research investigates various factors leading to bacterial contamination of domestic water sources at Mudukudru island of Swarna river, in the Udupi district of Karnataka. Samples were collected during the Pre-monsoon (December–May) and Monsoon (June–September) seasons from 43 wells of individual houses on the island. The total concentration of bacteria, in the water samples was determined from microbial analysis. The multiple tube, most probable number (MPN), fermentation technique was adopted to determine the total coliform in the samples. Factors like the presence or absence of well lining, well housing, wellhead above or below ground level, the distance of well from sewage pits, and the distance of livestock from the wells were correlated. The results indicated bacterial contamination in 32 wells during the monsoon as compared to pre-monsoon data, with the total coliform count exceeding the standard of 500 MPN/100 mL. A significant relation between total coliform count in the water samples and the absence of well lining with sanitary protection is observed with p-value = .00 (p ⩽ .05) and wells located near (<10.0 m) to sewage pit with p-value ⩽ .05, were recorded respectively during both the seasons of sampling. The study highlights the major factors leading to bacterial contamination of wells on the island. Awareness about the planning of domestic wells through community-driven programs and hygiene education can be beneficial for the sustainable future of these islands.

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) influences many soil properties including nutrient and water holding capacity, nutrient cycling and stability, improved water infiltration and aeration. It also is an essential parameter in the assessment of soil quality, especially for agricultural production. However, SOC mapping is a complicated process that is costly and time-consuming due to the physical challenges of the natural conditions that is being surveyed. The best model for SOC mapping is still in debate among many researchers. Recently, the development of machine learning and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) has provided the potential for more accurate spatial prediction of SOC content. This research was conducted in a relatively small-scale capacity in the Central Vietnam region. The aim of this study is to compare the accuracy of Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW), Ordinary Kriging (OK), and Random Forest (RF) methods for SOC interpolation, with a dataset of 47 soil samples for an area of 145 hectares. Three environmental variables including elevation, slope, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were used for the RF model. In the RF model, the values of the number of variables randomly sampled as candidates at each split, (mtry), and the number of bootstrap replicates, (ntree), were determined in terms of 1 and 1,000 respectively The results at our research site showed that using IDW is the most accurate method for SOC mapping, followed by the methods of RF and OK respectively. Concerning SOC mapping based-on auxiliary variables, in areas where there is human activity, the selection of auxiliary variables should be carefully considered because the variation in the SOC may not only be due to environmental variables but also by farming technologies.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination is considered as one of the most important environmental and human health issues worldwide. The occurrence of Cd in air, water and soil is resulted from massive industrialization, uncontrolled agricultural system and anthropogenic activities in urban lives. The presence of Cd in soil threatens human health through food chain bioaccumulation, negatively affect soil quality and also reduce the productivity of agricultural crops. Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) is an alternative cereal food that is highly tolerant to abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity. However, the mechanism underlying its response to the stress caused by heavy metals, such as Cd, remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the effects of Cd stress on morpho-physiological responses of the foxtail millet accession Buru Merah, cultivated using the hydroponic method. To this end, four levels of Cd concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 µM in ABmix™ growth media) were applied for 4 weeks followed by morpho-physiological assessements, including plant height, root length, shoot and leaf number, panicle biomass measurements and chlorophyll content evaluation. Our results demonstrated that Cd stress perturbed the growth of foxtail millet on morpho-physiological parameters, particularly at the highest Cd concentration (1.5 µM). The negative effects of Cd stress included decrease in shoot length, root length, number of leaves and shoots, panicle biomass, and chlorophyll content. Furthermore, our findings showed that Cd stress affected the growth of foxtail millet in a concentration-dependent manner. Taken together, our findings might be useful for further development of strategies to increase plant tolerance to heavy metal stress and ensure sustainable food production. In addition, this study also demonstrated the importance of protecting nature from Cd contamination.

The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of urban runoff in pollutant delivery to standing water pools within the Edwards Aquifer region of Texas. Grab samples of water were collected weekly over 5 months at one urban pool, one undeveloped pool, and one control pond that received minimal runoff. Samples were tested for nitrates, total dissolved phosphorus, Escherichia coli, and other coliform bacteria. The urban site had higher nitrate, E. coli, and other coliform bacteria concentrations than the undeveloped site. Significant positive linear relationships between weekly antecedent rainfall and both nitrate and E. coli were found at the urban site but not the undeveloped site. Water quality parameters at the control site remained stable, suggesting increases in nitrate and E. coli at the urban site were caused by runoff. Using publicly available data, relationships between water quality and weekly antecedent discharge were tested at 24 additional sites varying in land use. Positive relationships for E. coli were found at several urban sites, supporting runoff as a contributor to bacterial loading. Relationships for nitrate were variable, but all additional sites had flowing water, suggesting a unique response of water quality to urban runoff at the sampled urban pool.

Crop modeling is a powerful tool for estimating yield and water use efficiency, and it plays an important role in determining water management strategies. Under the condition of scarce water supply and drought, deficit irrigation can lead to greater economic gains by maximizing yield per unit of water. Studies have shown that deficit irrigation significantly increased yield, crop evapotranspiration, and water use efficiency as compared to full irrigation requirement. However, this approach requires precise knowledge of crop response to water as drought tolerance varies considerably by growth stage, species and cultivars. This study was conducted in Lasta district, for two successive years to evaluate the effects of water shortage on potato production and water use efficiency, as well as to test the AquaCrop model for potato-producing areas. The irrigation water levels for potatoes were 100%, 75%, and 50% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc). Six treatments were arranged using a randomized complete block design. Climate, soil, and crop data were calibrated using observed weather parameters, and measured crop parameters conducted in the 2018/19 growing season. The model was validated using the observed data conducted in the 2019/20 growing season. The calibration of the model revealed a good fit for canopy cover (CC) with a coefficient of determination (R²) = .98, Root mean square error (RMSE) = 9.6%, Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (E) = 0.92, index of agreement (d) = 0.98, and coefficient of residual moss (CRM) = −0.07, and good prediction for biomass (R² = .98, RMSE = 1.8 t ha⁻¹, E = 0.96, d = 0.99, CRM = −0.13). Similarly, the validation result showed good fit for CC by 100% water application at development and mid growth season and a 75% water applied at the other stages (R² = .98, RMSE = 9.4%, E = 0.94, d = 0.98, CRM = −0.12). The AquaCrop model is simple to use, requires fewer input data, and has a high level of simulation precision, making it a useful tool for forecasting crop yield under deficit irrigation and water management to increase agricultural water efficiency in data-scarce areas.

Management of groundwater quality is becoming a key feature of a sustainable future while implementing sustainable development goals which are given by United Nations. During past decades, rapid land-use changes, urbanization, and population expansion are highly influenced the groundwater quality. To provide policymakers and water managers with reliable information on groundwater quality is a challenge to achieving sustainable development goals in developing countries. Therefore, this study intended to assess the spatial variability of groundwater quality using selected physicochemical parameters at the 39 available groundwater wells during the southwest monsoon period. Spatial variability is explained in 13 Divisional Secretariat Division (DSD) levels in Colombo district due to easier interpretation and management purposes. Afterward, groundwater quality was related to urbanization using population density and built-up density in 13 DSD levels in Colombo district, Sri Lanka. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) shows that 08 DSD levels are urban and 05 DSD levels are rural. pH (3.22–6.73), COD (8.91–52.9 mg/L), BOD₅ (1.2–9.9 mg/L), and DO (2.17–5.05 mg/L) showed deviations from the given standards by local authorities in Sri Lanka. A significant relationship (p < .05) was found between urbanization and physicochemical parameters in regression analysis. The water quality index shows poor water quality indices in urban areas and vice versa in rural areas which is similar to the results obtained by statistical analysis. A sustainable urban development plan with continuous groundwater quality monitoring is necessary to protect groundwater resources in Sri Lanka.

Indoor air pollutants have various emission patterns and are influenced by indoor microclimate, the physical properties of building materials, and types of chemical substances. The difference in these emission patterns affects the prediction via simulation. This paper aims to extract factors that have an important influence on selecting empirical models by examining the emission pattern of formaldehyde (HCHO) from building materials. As a methodology, Small Chamber Pollutant Emission Test was used for six different flooring and wallpaper specimens, and HCHO was sampled and analyzed using HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography). The result showed that the higher the linear relationship between emission intensity and time, the more appropriate the first-order reduction model, such as flooring-A (R² = .99), flooring-B (R² = .94), wallpaper-A (R² = .99), and wallpaper-C (R² = .98). The emission pattern of HCHO in building materials is classified into three types: In type I (R² = .00–.11), the emission of chemical substances reaches the maximum after the start of the experiment and decreases relatively rapidly. Type II (R² =.00–.41), the emission pattern having the shape of a vertex with a refined concentration ascending and a gentle descending and is a type in which the suitability is significantly high in the concentration descending section, and Type III (R² = .33–.60), which shows a mild linear increase and decreases trend in the ascending and concentration dropping sections. It is a type that indicates the suitability with the predicted value in a meaningful way in the entire area. Even though many previous studies focused on the concentration descending section in different materials (R² = .51–.95), it was confirmed that the emission characteristics in the initial concentration ascending section are also critical points for simulation model selection since R² of ascending section of Type II (.67–.70) and Type III (.77–.93) turned out statistically meaningful except Type I (.02–.25).

Antibiotics are non-biodegradable drugs that inhibit the expansion and growth of microorganisms. Especially with the prevalence of Covid-19, the consumption of antibiotics has increased. Therefore, the presence of most prescribed antibiotics from ß-lactams including amoxicillin and cephalexin were studied at two municipal WWTPs in Isfahan. The analytical method was to extract antibiotics from the aqueous phase and then detected them via HPLC/UV. Samples were collected from 2 WWTPs for 13 sampling periods over 2 months between February and March 2020 during the outbreak of Covid-19. In WWTP A, the average concentration of amoxicillin in influent, effluent, and its removal efficiency was 509.64 ± 161.97 µg/L, 352.96 ± 203.88 µg/L, 34.35 ± 31.38%, and the average concentration of cephalexin in influent, effluent, and its removal efficiency was 189.42 ± 176.06 µg/L, 32.6 ± 49.59µg/L, 78.75 ± 23.81%, respectively. In WWTP B, the average concentration of amoxicillin in influent, effluent, and its removal efficiency was 2134.82 ± 3031.53µg/L, 401.09 ± 205.86µg/L, and 54.82 ± 33.29%, respectively. Also, the average concentration of cephalexin in influent, effluent, and its removal efficiency was 183.69 ± 123.48 µg/L, 23.01 ± 40.71 µg/L, and 87.65 ± 21.76%, respectively. According to Mann–Whitney test results, the concentration of antibiotics in both WWTPs had significant differences (p-value < .05), and according to results from the Spearman test no correlation between removal efficiency of antibiotics with other principles wastewater parameters was observed.

One of the major events transpiring in the 21st century is the unforeseen outbreak due to COVID-19. This pandemic directly altered human activities due to the forced confinement of millions of inhabitants over the world. It is well known that one of the main factors that affect global warming is human activities; however, during the first part of 2020, they were severely reduced by the spread of the coronavirus. This study strives to investigate the possible impact of quarantine initiation worldwide and the linked outcomes on a global scale related to the temperatures since the worthwhile. To achieve this goal, the evaluation of the short-term temperature status at the continental scale was conducted in two particular forms: (i) concerning the short-term comparing the data from 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019; and, assessing the long-term differences comprising 30 years of data (1981–2010). The data employed in this study were obtained from the respective NASA and Copernicus databases. The temperature maps and temperature differences of different years before the pandemic was compared to the Coronavirus onset (winter and spring) data with the aid of Python programing language. Continental temperature mapping results showed that the temperature difference of the American continent had attained its maximum value in January 2016, and yet, the temperature is observed to be warmer than in 2016. The largest difference in the short-term temperature in terms of comparison to 2020 referred to the months when the maximum quarantine began, that is, February and March, and the temperature was cooler in comparison to the prior years. The long-term mean study denoted that the temperatures throughout the South American continent remained consistent during the first part of 2020 in comparison to the 30-year average data, but temperatures in North America declined from February to April. Similarly, the temperatures in Eurasia in April is observed to be lower compared to the 30 years average in February and March. Accordingly, the average temperature of the Earth has dropped about 0.3°C compared to 2019. We concluded that temperature could show some specific changes and hypothesize that under the COVID-19 pandemic, it could manifest different trends. The next step would be to conduct further analysis to observe at the regional scale if under unforeseen phenomena are or not affecting global warning during the coming years.

The study investigates the impact of land use/cover changes on the dynamics of surface temperature in the Abaminus watershed, Northwest Ethiopia. Landsat-5 images of 1987, 1999, and 2010, and the Landsat-8 image of 2018 were used as the sources of data. The land use/cover changes were calculated using a land-use transition matrix. Data generated from household surveys were presented using percentage values to identify the driving forces of land use/cover changes. The land surface temperature (LST) result was quantified using the respective index equation. Results indicated that wetland, forest, shrublands, and grasslands declined by 96.6%, 72%, 77.7%, and 89.4% respectively over the analysis period. The encroachment of cultivation and overgrazing to marginal lands, weak institutional arrangement, sedimentation, high drainage of wetlands for crop production, and recurrent drought were the major driving forces behind the land use/cover change. Within this effect, the average land surface temperature was increased by 11.5°C, 3.22°C, and 2.02°C due to wetland loss, clearing of the forest, and decline of shrublands respectively for the last 31 years. LSTs had correspondingly decreased by 5.42°C and 3.77°C on the afforested barren surfaces and planted shrublands. Hence, there should be an improved institutional arrangement for managing open access resources through the participation of local people in the management for minimizing the increase of land surface temperature in the study watershed. Moreover, enclosure management and plantation of multipurpose species on degraded communal lands shall be scaled-up to significantly reduce land surface temperatures.

In this study, we evaluated the present and future irrigation potential and irrigation water requirement (IWR) in Ethiopia’s Abbay River Basin using the MIKE HYDRO River modeling software. Relative changes in IWR were determined and analyzed at six irrigation nodes for 19 crops and 23 traits. Four irrigation scenarios were compared: low, medium, full (FULL), and high growth (HIGH). Significant IWR changes were observed in FULL and HIGH irrigation scenarios, with highly intensive irrigation conditions resulting in high IWR. The MIKE HYDRO model was used to simulate the IWR historically for two scenarios: (1) scenario representing the current total irrigable cropland (79,800 ha) and (2) scenario projecting the basin’s potential cropland (658,384 ha). As a result, the area under IWR analysis was 738,184 ha. The annual IWR was 9 billion cubic meters (BCM) and 18 BCM in FULL and HIGH irrigation scenarios, respectively. We found that uncertainties in crop migration, cropping patterns, and adaptation rates to climate change significantly affected irrigation and crop production. It is necessary to investigate the effects of HIGH irrigation on yield and economic benefits of FULL irrigation before adopting different irrigation development methods. Further research is required to adapt to changing climate for development of targeted IWR strategies.

Virtual conferences are environment-friendly alternatives to physical conferences. COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of virtual conferences. However, they are not without their share of impact on the environment. We assessed the carbon emissions (CE) of a three day national public health conference with 1474 attendees held in virtual mode and the potential CE saved compared to the physical mode. The CE of the virtual conference were estimated to be 6.44 Metric Tonne (MT) carbon dioxide (CO₂) Equivalent (Eq). Potential CE that would have resulted from the physical mode of the conference were 355.85 MT CO₂ Eq which is 55 times higher than the virtual mode. The live video streaming of the proceedings was the highest contributor to the virtual conference’s overall CE (81.5%). A digitally sober conference would have emitted 1.27 MT CO₂ Eq, translating to a CE reduction of 80.3% from the estimated virtual conference emission. Academic conferences should strive to become carbon neutral by adopting the virtual mode of conferencing, and within that, digital sobriety should be the policy of action. Policies to motivate the adoption of virtual conferencing and digital sobriety need to be undertaken at the organizational and individual levels.

Several physicochemical techniques have been widely studied for heavy metals removal despite most of them are associated with challenges of higher cost, accessibility, and complex technical feasibility. In this study, nano-sorbent materials were developed from a naturally available clay matrices and its heavy metals (Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺) removal capacity was tested at its pristine and iron impregnated form. Both top to down and borohydride reduction methods were used to produce the nano-sorbents. The nano-sorbents were characterized by XRD, XRF, SEM, FTIR, BET, and TGA/DGA. The sorption was studied in batch experiments. The surface area, pore-volume, and pore diameter of nano-clay were found 43.49 m²/g, 0.104 cm3/g, and 2.81 nm, respectively while iron impregnated nano-clay has shown a surface area (73.11 m²/g), pore-volume (0.153 m³/g), and pore diameter (3.83 nm). Both nanoparticles have shown a mesoporous nature. The highest Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ removal capacity of nano-clay was 99.2% (~11.9 mg/g) and 99.6% (~11.95 mg/g), respectively. Whereas, the iron impregnated nano-clay has achieved the highest Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ removal efficiency 99.8% (~11.97 mg/g) and 99.7% (11.96 mg/g), respectively. The highest Cu²⁺ adsorption efficiency of iron impregnated nanoclay was achieved at pH 5.0, adsorbent dose 0.83 g/L, contact time 150 minutes, and Cu²⁺ initial concentration 4 ppm while its highest Pb²⁺ adsorption activity was achieved at pH 5.0, contact time (90 minutes), Pb²⁺ initial concentration (6 ppm), and the adsorbent dose (0.67 g/L). Whereas, the Cu²⁺ adsorption using nano-clay was highest at pH 5.0, contact time (180 minutes), adsorbent dose (1.0 g/L), and Cu²⁺ initial concentration (2 ppm). While, pH 5.0, contact time (90 minutes), adsorbent dose (0.83 g/L), and Pb²⁺ initial concentration (4 ppm) was found to the conditions of highest Pb²⁺ removal. In all cases, the pseudo-second-order kinetics indicated the presence of chemisorption. Langmuir adsorption characteristics has been reflected on Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ removal activities of the nanoclay and iron impregnated nanoclay, respectively. Whereas, Freundlich isotherm model was better fitted for Cu²⁺ adsorption activity of the nanoclay. The −ΔG (<−20 KJ/mol), +ΔH°, and +ΔS° have shown a spontaneous and endothermic adsorption activity with a high level of adsorbents disorder. In general, the result of iron impregnated nano-clay has shown a promising result for the removal of Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ aqueous solution.

Sustainability of phosphorus (P) requires detailed and serious key management strategies to control the P flow balance across the environmental systems. During the 1970s, the reserve of phosphate in Malaysia was at its highest level, which led to a decline in resources to the continuous demand increased the import trading of these resources from foreign countries. Consequently, the increased import rate led to imbalanced essential nutrient flow that could impact the national security. The depletion of P reserves initiated in the 1970s triggered the Malaysian government to act quickly by comparing the performance of P accounting indicators according to its primary flow in different ministries. However, the capital injections to Small Medium Industry (SMI) and non-SMI players that increased since the mid-2000s returned the imbalanced P loss to normal. This study utilised extant literature for the development of guidelines in identifying ‘hotspots’ in P flow return, with particular emphasis on national P security achievements. Based on the findings, this study successfully documented the current research patterns of P flow in various systems related to the main P problems, evaluated flow chain requirements and possible impacts of P inputs-outputs, apart from developing solutions to guide policymakers in considering the aspects of substance flow analysis (SFA) approaches in establishing the national P modelling. To reduce the P nutrient leaching down to the levels observed in the early 1990s, a fundamental and better understanding of nutrient management practices coupled with minimised uncertainty of the P catchment scale is required. Monitoring the dispersion of P nutrient can prevent environmental degradation. In conclusion, this review provided a potential approach to achieve new management targets by proposing P load reduction strategies which focuses on the current trend of P demand-production for long-term sustainability of non-renewable resources.

Organic fertilisers could contribute to addressing the issues of declining soil fertility, food security and waste management by recycling human waste for use in sub-Saharan Africa. The variable nutrient content of such products can make targetted application more difficult than in chemical fertilisers. One solution to this could be the use of in-field soil testing and information, particularly with the expansion of mobile technology. This research investigated the role of information and soil testing in 43 farmers using human waste derived fertilisers in Kenya and Ghana. Interviews were conducted to understand the use and sources of information in farming and the perception of soil testing technologies. It was found that mobile based testing was unlikely to be adopted for reasons of low priority, the type of knowledge being shared and trust after failures of different projects. Farmers did not see soil testing as the major issue that they needed to solve. Mobile technology was mostly used for visual and oral communication whereas soil testing often provided information in an unsuitable way. Farmers also had limited trust in new projects as they had previously had project failures that did not help them. In order to achieve sustainable adoption of technology there needs to be improved methods of disseminating and learning from project failures to prevent repeated attempts at inappropriate technology in the future.

In this paper, the performance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Geospatial analysis and GIS platforms for the prospecting of potential groundwater zones was evaluated in Fincha catchment, Abay, Ethiopia. Components of geospatial data under morphometric, hydrologic, permeability, and surface dynamic change were confirmed as the criteria for prospecting groundwater potential zones. The influence of the individual criterion was ranked and weighted in Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) training model and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The correctness of the weights fixed in the ANN and AHP was evaluated with target data assigned to the networks and consistency index (CI) respectively. The weighted overlay analysis in the GIS environment was implemented to generate the promising zones in both approaches (ANN and GIS). The results obtained in the ANN model and GIS were evaluated based on pumping rate and ground-truthing points. Groundwater potential zones of five and four classes were delineated in AI and GIS techniques respectively, and this is an indicator for the effectiveness of AI in geospatial analysis for prospecting of potential zones than the traditional GIS technique. The percentage of accuracy in both methods was measured from the ROC curve and AUC. Therefore, it was found that the delineated groundwater potential zones and the ground-truthing points were agreed with 96% and 91% in the AI and GIS platforms respectively. Finally, it is concluded that the ANN model is an effective tool for the delineation of groundwater prospective zones.

Iranshahr Basin is located in the Sistan and Baluchistan province, subject to severe drought and excessive groundwater utilization. Over-reliance on groundwater resources in this area has led to aquifer drawdowns and socio-economic problems. The present study aimed to identify appropriate sites for Artificial Recharge Groundwater (ARG) in a single platform by applying GIS fuzzy logic spatial modeling. Three stages were performed. In stage one, nine factors affecting ARG were collected based on the literature review. In stage two, geology, soil, and land-use layers were digitized from the existing maps. Some layers such as rainfall, unsaturated thickness, water quality, and transmissivity data were imported to ArcGIS environments, and their surface maps were made by Ordinary Kriging (OK) method. In stage three, the parameters were standardized with the fuzzy membership functions, and the GAMMA 0.5 fuzzy overlay model was applied for aggregation parameters. Results showed that 72.8%, 16.7%, 7.7%, 2.5% of the areas were classified as unsuitable, moderate, suitable, and perfectly suitable sites for planning a groundwater recharge site. Subsequently, the minimum area required regarding the possible errors based on the literature review determined six sites (A–E) as areas with higher priority. Then, the recommended unsuitable/suitable sites were validated and omitted by using some more detailed views. Finally, two sites (E and F) were omitted, and four sites (A, B, C, D) were recommended for future artificial recharge planning.

This study developed an innovative method for phosphate recovery contained in wastewater using air cathode electrocoagulation (ACEC) technology. This technique has the advantage of low energy consumption since it can effectively produce the struvite precipitate without any electrical-grid energy consumption. The experiments were conducted under recirculating batch mode by varying the recirculation rate and initial pH of wastewater to investigate their effects on the ACEC reactor performance. SEM-EDS and XRD analyses were performed to examine the morphology and structure of the produced crystals. The result showed that the precipitates exhibited in the form of crystals with irregularly shaped accompanied by a sharp at the surface and composed of Mg (6.67%), P (6.78%), N (1.66%), and O (47.41%). XRD chromatogram showed that the precipitate matched the reference pattern for struvite. The recirculation rate of 2.0 mL min⁻¹ was determined as an optimum condition with nitrogen and phosphate removal, nitrogen and phosphate removal rate, and struvite precipitation rate was 14.7% ± 1.2%, 57.1% ± 1.1%, 22.9 ± 0.9 mg L⁻¹ h⁻¹, 18.6 ± 0.9 mg L⁻¹ h⁻¹, and 498 mg h⁻¹, respectively. The recirculation rate affects the reactor performance through the magnitude of the hydraulic retention time of nutrients on the reactor and the potential electrical energy generated in the reactor. On the other hand, the reactor with initial pH 8 achieved the best performance with the nitrogen and phosphate removal of 24.6% ± 1.6% to 88.4% ± 3.8%, nitrogen and phosphate removal rate of 24.2 ± 2.1 mg L⁻¹ h⁻¹ and 35.3 ± 2.1 mg L⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively, and the struvite precipitation rate of 900 mg h⁻¹. Furthermore, when the initial pH of wastewater increased from 7 to 8, the struvite precipitation rate increased from 499 to 900 mg⁻¹. However, increasing the initial pH of wastewater from 8 to 9 caused a decrease in struvite precipitation rate from 900 to 656 mg h⁻¹. These results demonstrated that the recirculation rate and initial pH of wastewater control the process of the struvite precipitation process in ACEC technology.

Prioritization of pathways to perform asphalt pavement operations has always been one of the most important concerns for municipalities, for which, currently there is no specific planning and pattern. In the present study, using (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) UAV images, a land cover map of the case study was prepared. For this purpose, the accuracy of various object-based classification methods including the Bayes method, the Support Vector Machine (SVM), the K nearest neighbor (KNN), the Decision tree (DT), and the Random tree (RT) was investigated. Findings of the study showed that by increasing heterogeneity in the composition of the studied phenomenon in the image, different classification algorithms offer results different from each other. The obtained results of the accuracy evaluation of classification methods indicate that the SVM method with 80% kappa coefficient and 89% overall accuracy had the best performance compared to other methods. As a result, built-up land covers, bare land, vegetation cover, and paved roads were separated using this method. Then, the exact boundary of pathways was prepared using Google Earth images, and then, using the land-use map prepared from the case study, the roads were divided into two categories: paved and unpaved. To determine the prioritization of unpaved roads for applying asphalt, the proportion of built-up lands (BUL) to bare (non-built-up) lands (BL) was used in each path. Based on the obtained results, 1% of the roads in the case study was placed on a very high level of asphalt, and then 9%, 3%, 49%, 38%, were placed on a high priority to low priority, respectively.

Reuse of treated wastewater in irrigation is an alternative to achieve greater water availability and benefits to the soil due to its nutrient content. It represents a solution to challenges in water management, climate change and water scarcity in dry seasons. In Panama’s Dry Arch, the lack of water is critical during dry season months, which makes it essential to look for sustainable alternatives as water source. This paper describes the use of artificial wetlands with horizontal subsurface flow, and we are going to use partially treated domestic wastewater. The aquatic plant types employed were Echinochloa polystachya (German grass) and Brachiaria arrecta (Tanner grass) with the objective of improve the quality of the effluent from the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Chitre for the irrigation of forages. This study was carried out from August to December 2019. Fine Gravel was used in this study as a substrate. The parameters analyzed were pH, Total dissolved solids, Electrical Conductivity, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Turbidity, Chlorides, Sulfates, Iron, Chromium+6, Copper; nutrients such as Total nitrogen and Total phosphorus. Fecal coliforms were also analyzed. Results showed that treated wastewater is a viable alternative for irrigation due to its high nutrient content, but it must be managed safely so as not to generate risks to public health.

Our ecosystems are facing changes at a local andglobal scale because of human interventions. These transformations are a result of drastic urbanization, rapid industrialization, and natural resources exploitation to provide livelihoods and commodities for the increasing population. Recent global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic or cross-bordering conflicts are not delaying these changes. To understand these changes, increasing efforts of the scientific community to find sustainable solutions is vital as it is consistent financial support from governments and scientific agencies. Air, Soil and Water Research (ASW) Editorial Board envision multidisciplinary and transversal research as an interesting strategy to develop knowledge and useful datasets which can directly benefit society through efficient land management plans.

Antibiotic-resistance genes carried by coliforms in drinking water is a concerning issue for public health in Bangladesh. This research was carried out to identify coliforms in drinking water and to understand the importance of the int1 gene of coliforms in the spread of resistance to bacterial antibiotics through consumption of contaminated water. A total of 31 drinking water samples were collected from restaurants (n = 18), health center (n = 9), and residences (n = 4) located in Chattogram City, Bangladesh. The isolation and identification of coliforms was performed on selective media with a combination of biochemical and molecular analysis. PCR amplification of the LacZ, uidA and int1 genes was carried out for the identification of the coliform and fecal coliform and antibiotic resistant gene, respectively. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed according to the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method with McFarland standard against three selective antibiotics including co-trimoxazole, ciprofloxacin, and ampicillin. Of 31 drinking water samples, coliforms were detected within 32% (n = 10) of the water samples, nine samples were collected in restaurants and one sample in a residence. But no coliform was detected in the drinking water of the health center. Among the identified coliforms, the prevalence of fecal coliforms and the int1 gene was 60% (n = 6) and 40% (n = 4), relatively. All isolates containing the int1 microbial-resistance gene were resistant to ampicillin.This study shows that drinking water consumed in different restaurants located in Chattogram, Bangladesh is contaminated by antibiotic-resistant gene bearing coliforms that not only increase the risk of water-borne disease, but also may be the major cause of antibiotic resistance transmission in this part of Bangladesh.

Water pollution and scarcity are two of the most serious problems humanity is currently facing. Therefore, it is important to develop effective and inexpensive technologies and treatments to remove key pollutants from water. Zr based Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are new materials with the potential to remove organic and inorganic pollutants. However, it is important to critically analyze their performance in laboratory trials to evaluate their scalability potential for wastewater treatment. This document presents a critical review of the most recent studies and advances regarding Zr based MOFs, specifically the UiO-66 and Ui-O67 MOFs and analogous materials. We found that, although these materials are effective at removing inorganic and organic pollutants in water, there are still available research opportunities and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed. There is a need to further understand the mechanisms involved in the removal process to be able to develop more effective materials and/or to determine the best operating conditions during its implementation. Variations in removal efficiencies between the same MOFs also call for a more detailed description of the synthesis, as well as a better characterization of the material. This is because small variations in the characteristics of MOFs lead to non-homogeneous results, making accurate predictions of their removal capacity more difficult to determine. Finally, there is a need to better understand the stability of Zr based MOFs, as well as their removal capacity and reusability in wastewater with competitive ions, at standard pH and temperature operating conditions.

The discharge of untreated wastewater causes serious public and environmental health problems. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate the combined adsorption potential of the two substrates (Pumice and Scoria) in a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland. The substrates were collected from the Ethiopian rift belt. Composite samples from tannery wastewater before and after treatment of four different retention times (RT) were collected and analyzed. Chrysopogon zizanioides was planted in one of the mixed substrate beds and grown for 5 months before running wastewater for the treatment. The maximum removal efficiency of the planted bed revealed that BOD₅ at RT 7 days effluent concentration of 59.33 mg/L (96.38% removal), COD at RT 7 days 129.33 mg/L (98.14% removal), NO₃-N at RT 7 days 0.28 mg/L (99.76% removal), TN 27.33 mg/L (95.80% removal), PO₄-P RT 9 days 0.01 mg/L (99.9% removal), TP at RT 7 days 6 mg/L (95% removal), Sulfide at RT 7 days 0.27 mg/L (99.9% removal), sulfate at RT 9 days 87.9 mg/L (91.8% removal), and total Chromium at RT 7 days 0.1 mg/L (99.45% removal) respectively. The efficiency of the study and control beds was tested by a Two-Sample t-Test. The result showed that there was a significant difference at a 95% confidence interval, p-value = .002. Hence, the mixed substrate with plants performs better than the unplanted one, which means it can be effective for the treatment of high-strength industrial wastewater using horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland.

This study investigated the effect of soil conservation tillage systems on the growth and productivity of wheat crops under surface and sprinkler irrigation. Field trials were conducted in 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 using three tillage systems under a split-plot design by a systematic arrangement with three replicates. Experimental plots included two irrigation methods (surface and sprinkler), within which were sub-plots for conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT), and zero tillage (ZT). The results show that surface irrigation treatment produced the greatest wheat crop growth (plant height, length of spike and biomass) in both seasons compared to sprinkler irrigation. The CT treatments resulted in better growth than ZT and MT. However, ZT recorded a decrease in biomass and grain yield of less than 10% compared to CT during both seasons, although superior plant height resulted from CT during the second season. Even so, ZT reduced the water use to 17% and 16% for the first and second seasons, respectively. These results indicate that ZT or MT may slightly reduce wheat yield under sprinkler and surface irrigation, but will consume less irrigation water, providing a sustainable strategy in water-deficient conditions.

This study assesses the quality of drinking water sources in the highlands of Ethiopia. The study considered a combination of users’ perceptions with the measured water quality parameters determined using the water quality index (WQI) tool. Data were collected using a cross-sectional research design for a household survey, and water quality samples were collected from improved and unimproved alternative sources. Nine physicochemical and two bacteriological analyses were performed. The result shows that esthetic water quality parameters had a potential interpretation of water quality as of the laboratory analysis. The taste was the dominant and easily detectable indicator as compared to odor and color. This is associated with the higher correlation between iron and manganese that deter the taste of water. Tap water was the only free source of bacteriological contamination. The WQI values show that one improved and three unimproved sources were found in the rank of unsuitable for drinking purposes. Unimproved sources are harmful for drinking, although they are used as an alternative source of water. Finally, the study suggests that due consideration of esthetic factors as measured parameters is fundamental for the sustainable use of drinking water infrastructures.