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Barman, S.
- Study on Arsenic Mobility through Groundwater Irrigation in a Part of Chakdah Block, Nadia District, West Bengal
Authors
1 Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani, West Bengal, IN
2 State Water Investigation Directorate, West Bengal, IN
Source
Indian Science Cruiser, Vol 30, No 2 (2016), Pagination: 9-19Abstract
Like the revolution of the earth round the sun, the God-gifted natural freshwater resource is supposed to be used by the human beings for drinking as well as irrigation purpose. This vital resource makes up 60 percent of the human body. But groundwater has been losing its potability not only due to various anthropogenic activities but also its huge development in irrigation sector. In recent-past, Arsenic (As) exposure in human beings from groundwater has been reported and millions of people have been suffering from arsenicosis both in many parts of developing and developed countries.
India is a land of agriculture including West Bengal. Agriculture is the main occupation of the villagers in West Bengal and large source of economy. However the cultivation is mostly seasonal and generally depends on grace of nature. The high As groundwater is an important issue in rural Bengal, where due to insufficient rainwater in pre-monsoon season, the local farmers are being compelled to execute by withdrawing groundwater by installing irrigation wells. Hence large-scale groundwater development for irrigation purposes has been practiced to aid in the summer crops production in West Bengal.
The present study involves the monitoring of As mobilization through irrigation groundwater in a selected area-of-interest in Chakdah block of Nadia district, West Bengal. Chemical quality parameters of groundwater have been determined through testing of collected groundwater samples during pre-monsoon season. It has been found that the As concentration of the maximum irrigation wells are relatively high exceeding the WHO's recommended safe limit (i.e. 10μg/L of As), indicating the possible chances of As migration through crops and food chain.
Surface driven fresh organic matter may have some important role in mobilizing As in groundwater. In this context, the role of iron mineralogy and anoxic environment in the shallow aquifer zone are also important factors. Therefore, groundwater irrigation beneficiary communities in this area should aware about mobility of As in groundwater for their agri-food security.
Keywords
Irrigation, Arsenic and Food Chain.- Assessing Adoption Dynamics Vis-a-Vis Constraints Faced Apropos Water Management Technologies by Trained Farmers in Assam
Authors
1 Department of Extension Education, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat (Assam), IN
2 AICRP on Water Management, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat (Assam), IN
Source
Agriculture Update, Vol 10, No 2 (2015), Pagination: 86-92Abstract
The study was conducted in two districts of Assam viz., Jorhat and Golaghat in order to assess the extent of adoption and constraints faced by the farmers in adoption of water management technologies. A purposive cum proportionate random sampling design was followed to select the respondents. All total 70 farmers trained under Scaling up of Water Productivity in Agriculture (SWPA) training programme were selected as respondents from the two districts. The study revealed that the majority of the farmers were under young age category (Below 35 years) with education up to High school level. The average land holding and annual income of the farmers were 1.50 ha and Rs. 44,000, respectively. The extent of social participation of majority of the respondents was low and more than 40 per cent farmers had regular extension contact. The extent of adoption of water management technologies were medium level for majority farmers. Size of operational holding, extent of social participation, extension contact, annual farm income were found to have a strong positive significant relationship with extent of adoption. Major problems faced by the respondents were lack of proper irrigation facilities, lack of follow-up measures, lack of proper practical demonstration, low income level, high cost of irrigation and difficulty in application of irrigation due to land fragmentation, high cost of inputs and unavailability of seeds and fertilizers in time. Proper intervention should be implemented to solve these problems in order to step up the exploitation of the full potential of these water management technologies.Keywords
Trained Farmers, Adoption, Constraints, SWPA.- Performance Verification of High Resolution Angle Measuring Equipment by Laser Interferometry Technique
Authors
1 Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Durgapur-713209, IN