Nagaland University calls for urgent action as Dhansiri river pollution worsens
Nagaland University researchers, under the leadership of Dr M Romeo Singh from the Department of Botany, have completed a comprehensive seasonal assessment of water quality in the Dhansiri River—an essential waterway in Northeast India. The study, conducted at three points along the river (upstream, midstream, and downstream), measured 16 physicochemical indicators and calculated the Water Quality Index (WQI) using the Weighted Arithmetic Index method.advertisementFindings show that water quality sharply deteriorates in summer—turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and total alkalinity exceeded national and WHO standards—rendering downstream sections non-potable. Winter eased pollution levels, but turbidity remained high year-round.Key drivers include unchecked urban discharge, agricultural runoff, improper waste dumping, religious activities, sand mining, and poor drainage—especially in downstream areas. Dr. Singh emphasised, 'This study forms a crucial first step in restoring Dhansiri and other neglected rivers, combining science, public involvement, and policy to strengthen resilience."
TO REVIVE THE RIVER, RESEARCHER PROPOSERelocating dumping zones further from waterwaysBanning direct trash dischargeUpgrading wastewater treatment and drainage infrastructureadvertisementImplementing regional water management frameworksConducting regular water monitoring and community awareness campaignsDr. Singh noted the broader benefits: safer drinking water, reduced disease risk, healthier irrigation, ecological restoration, and support for local biodiversity. He also urged future research into biological indicators, heavy-metal contamination, and emerging chemical pollutants.This landmark study fills a crucial data gap and sets a model for managing smaller, under-studied rivers in India through evidence-based restoration strategies.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
New Covid-19 variant causes sore throat that feels like 'razor blades': Everything to know about NB.1.8.1 aka Nimbus
The variant, NB.1.8.1, has been informally dubbed 'Nimbus' and causes a severe sore throat that's been likened to 'razor blades'. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is monitoring it, as this latest mutation of the contagious virus already makes up over 10 percent of cases in Asia, Salon said in a June 11 report. The portal added that NB.1.8.1 has now been detected in multiple countries, including the US and Canada. Also read | Covid-19 comeback: Here's why coronavirus is spreading again and new symptoms you should watch out for The Covid-19 variant NB.1.8.1, also known as Nimbus, is a descendant of the Omicron family and has been classified as a Variant Under Monitoring (VUM) by the WHO. To mitigate the spread of NB. 1.8.1, it's essential to practice good respiratory hygiene, maintain social distancing, and follow public health guidelines. Salon reported that this strain causes 'razor blade throat' or a severe sore throat. Other symptoms include flu-like symptoms such as congestion, fatigue, a mild cough, fever, and muscle aches, and more infrequently diarrhoea and nausea, The Independent said in a June 10 report. Per that portal, WHO says global risk is 'currently low, and existing Covid-19 vaccines are considered effective in preventing severe disease'. Salon said that Nimbus has recombined genetic material from other strains three times – although the process of recombination is a natural process of viruses trying to evolve to survive among the population, recombination events are concerning because each time a virus does so, it has the potential to evolve into something that is more infectious or causes more severe disease. The portal quoted Dr Rajendram Rajnarayanan of the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Arkansas, as having said that one of these mutations in Nimbus allows it to evade the immunity we have built against the virus from prior infections, so transmissibility might be slightly higher. Dr Rajnarayanan also said: 'We haven't seen a big surge in emergency departments due to Covid-related conditions and respiratory things in this term yet. We have to wait and watch.' Dr T Ryan Gregory, an evolutionary and genome biologist at the University of Guelph in Canada, added, 'We learned from Omicron that high transmissibility can cause as much damage as high per infection virulence, and at this point it is not just acute severity that is of concern, but longer-term impacts of repeated infection.' Such impacts include conditions like 'long Covid', in which the symptoms of Covid-19 last for months or years, often disabling patients, the report added. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Time of India
Dhansiri River: A Silent Cry for Help Amid Pollution and Neglect
MUMBAI: There's a river in the North East that the rest of the country has forgotten. The Dhansiri, which threads through the hills and valleys of Nagaland and Assam, is not just a lifeline for those who live along its banks—it is also an archive of their waste. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It carries with it traces of careless urban planning, unregulated sand mining, the aftertaste of pesticides, and the silent seepage of sewage. But now, for the first time, scientists are listening to what the river is saying, in all four seasons. Led by Dr M. Romeo Singh from the Department of Botany at Nagaland University, a team of researchers spent a year travelling between the upstream serenity, the muddled middle, and the choked tail of Dhansiri. What they found was sobering: in the peak of summer, when the river is thinnest and the heat cruel, its waters breach national and global health standards. Turbidity, total alkalinity, dissolved solids—each measure became a red flag waving from the river's surface. By winter, the water rests and clears, as though it were briefly allowed to breathe. Using the Weighted Arithmetic Index (WAI)—a more nuanced model that gives greater importance to the parameters most crucial to human health—the team developed a Water Quality Index (WQI) that paints an exacting portrait of decline. In the downstream stretch, where urban runoff and religious offerings accumulate, the water was rated 'non-potable' in all seasons. Dhansiri is not the Brahmaputra. It does not command headlines or policy attention. But it is a river of consequence—for the farmers who use it to irrigate, the women who wash their clothes in it, the children who wade into its shallows. For them, this is not just water. It is future. 'The study,' says Dr Singh, 'fills a critical research gap, not only because Dhansiri has long been overlooked, but because it models how science, policy, and community must intersect if we are to reverse ecological collapse.' Tired of too many ads? go ad free now His recommendations are not flashy: relocate waste dumps, ban direct discharge, invest in wastewater treatment, educate locals. But it's the quiet interventions, he says, that change the course of rivers. If implemented, the measures could prevent disease, improve crop health, and bring back biodiversity that's been driven away by years of unchecked pollution. In later phases, the team hopes to expand the study to include biological indicators—fish, plankton, and microbial life—as silent storytellers of riverine health. And to trace newer threats: heavy metals and emerging pollutants that don't float, but settle—and stay. In 2022, parts of this work were published in the International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. But the story, Dr Singh insists, is not in the journal—it is in the river. Every drop is evidence. Every season is a plea. And somewhere in Nagaland, a river still runs—wounded, but not voiceless.
India Gazette
21 hours ago
- India Gazette
Axiom-4 Mission postponed due to technical issue: Union Minister Jitendra Singh
New Delhi [India], June 11 (ANI): Union Minister for Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesday informed that the launch of Axiom-4, carrying Indian astronaut Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), has been postponed due to a technical issue. According to Singh, a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak was detected during a 7-second hot test of the Falcon 9 booster, prompting a joint review by ISRO, Axiom, and SpaceX teams. In a post on X, Singh stated, 'Mission Update | Axiom-04 The launch of Axiom Mission 4, carrying India's astronaut Shukla to the ISS, is postponed. A liquid oxygen (LOX) leak was detected during a 7-second hot test of Falcon 9's booster. After a joint review by ISRO, Axiom & SpaceX teams, it was decided to rectify the issue & revalidate before liftoff. Safety. Precision. Commitment to excellence.' Singh emphasised the importance of safety, precision, and commitment to excellence in the mission and stated that further updates on the mission will be shared accordingly. Earlier, Union Minister Jitendra Singh spoke about the exclusive missions that Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will perform during his Axiom4 space mission. He also mentioned that the world recognises India's growth and capabilities and said that this has been possible due to recent changes in the space sector. In a video released by the Office of Jitendra Singh, speaking about Gaganyaan mission, he said, 'Gaganyaan is a very ambitious mission as far as ISRO is concerned. The whole world is closely watching it.' He added, 'Gaganyaan will also involve docking and undocking, which will happen in this. Once they go up, it will take about 28 hours, then after 28 hours, it will reach about 400 kilometres from the surface of Earth, which is in American physiology, about 250 miles, and there the docking would happen. They would then enter into the space station. And remain there for a minimum of about two weeks, which could also be extended. So the experience: getting accustomed to that kind of exercise walking into and walking out would also be required in case of Gaganyaan, and also several future experiments, and more so India's own space station. We plan to have our own exclusive space station by 2035, which will be known as Bharat Space Station, and for that also, this experience is going to come in handy.' Speaking about the role which will be performed by Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, he said, 'This time, Shubhanshu Shukla is going to play a very important role. He is going to have the most critical role because he will perform experiments which are exclusively going to have a bearing on the future space missions, not only those of India, also of NASA and other agencies. And I'm also glad to mention that it keeps up the spirit of the whole of science and the whole of government, which PM Modi keeps emphasising time and again. We got ISRO involved in an official MoU with the Department of Biotechnology. And as of now, Shubhanshu is scheduled to perform six sets of experiments. A) For example, about life sciences- the physical, physiological, and cognitive effects of being in space for a long while, which would affect the human body.'He added, 'B) of course, the behavioral responses resulting from constant watching of the computer screen which is mandatory for all the astronauts. C) He is also going to experiment on the body's response in extreme conditions. The effect of microgravity on muscle dysfunction and besides that, some plant-related research like how the cyanobacteria behave in microgravity, which could have a bearing on the production of food elements in space in times to come.' He said, 'These are very futuristic experiments which are exclusively assigned to Shubhanshu. Therefore, it's a great breakthrough. This is a moment which would make our founding fathers proud- Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan. India today has reached that pedestal where we are looked upon as not junior partners, not as followers, but as partners who offer cues to others to follow. And this could be possible because of the reorientation of the space reforms, the opening of the space sector to the private players and it could not have been possible without the political will of the government in place.' Union Minister Jitendra Singh thanked PM Modi for his leadership. 'I have to thank PM Modi for he has the cpacity to make out-of-box decisions, break the taboos of the past because for six, seven decades we got conditioned to live with the belief that space has to act behind the veil of secrecy and it is not to be opened up to the private sector. Giving up that mindset, we are now following same global strategies, parameters, in fact, marching ahead of other nations as well.' He elaborated, 'We are now equal partners. The decision to have an Astronaut from India was taken and the offer was made to India incidentally when PM Modi was on a visit to Washington DC when President Biden was in place. So you can see there is also a reflection of the recognition of the Indian capabilities, Indian human resource, which is quite a departure from the earlier times when the capabilities of Indians were not taken seriously. That perception about India has also undergone a change.' The Axiom-4 mission launch has been postponed to June 11, 2025, due to unfavorable weather conditions. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the mission, carrying Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), will now lift off at 5:30 PM IST on June 11. ISRO wrote on X, 'Launch of Axiom-4 mission to International Space Station: Due to weather conditions, the launch of Axiom-4 mission for sending Indian Gaganyatri to International Space Station is postponed from 10th June 2025 to 11th June 2025. The targeted time of launch is 5:30 PM IST on 11th June 2025: Dr V Narayanan, Chairman ISRO/ Secretary DOS / Chairman Space Commission.' The Axiom-4 mission crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with NASA. Slawosz Uznanski, European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, will be the second Polish astronaut since 1978. Tibor Kapu will be the second national Hungarian astronaut since 1980. Peggy Whitson will command her second commercial human spaceflight mission, adding to her standing record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut. (ANI)
