Feature Article

A Decision Support System (DSS)on bio-drainage for reclamation of salt affected and waterlogged lands was developed using Visual Basic (VB) protocols. The DSS permits the user to interactively enter input information viz., the area available for plantation, average annual rainfall, initial and desired water table depth, soil type and the plantation type.

Bangalore figures prominently in the world map for its contribution in Information Technology (IT). This phenomental growth over the past decade, has given rise to the generation of lot of electronic waste. E-waste thus generated contains many recoverable metals and non metals along with hazardous wastes and their improper disposal may cause environmental problems.

A decision support system was developed for reclamation and management of alkali soils. The decision support system identified different reclamation and management techniques as land levelling, gypsum requirement and its addition, cultivation of tolerant crops, cultural practices, afforestation, groundwater recharge, groundwater use and surface drainage.

Aqueous wastes containing thiocyanate (SCN) are frequently encountered from variety of industrial processes. If improperly managed, these wastes can cause reversible or irreversible impact on the soil and water environment. In the process of developing a microbial technology for the SCN removal from aqueous waste, heterotrophic bacterial consortium's capable of degrading the SCN compound were isolated by an enrichment culture technique from activated sludge and garden soil.

An evaluation of response of one disturbed, one rehabilitated and one mature forest soil in lower subtropic China to simulated acid rain (SAR) were studied using a controlled laboratory leaching experiment. Land use change is one of the important factors in controlling soil response to acid deposition.

Natural adsorbent, laterite soil was selected and found to be an effective adsorbent for arsenic removal from arsenic bearing drinking water. The real arsenic bearing groundwater was collected from Nivedita Palli, 24 Paraganas, one of the arsenic affected areas of West Bengal.

This document is limited to rehabilitation of oustees of projects in rural areas. The idea, initially was to prepare a draft enactment of Development Planning, Minimum Displacement and Just Rehabilitation. However, considering the efforts made by the relevant groups and movements as well as the National Rehabilitation Policies of the government in 2003 and 2006, it was decided to call this document National Policy only.

Following the success of watershed development operation research project Sukhomajri in Haryana, large number of water harvesting dams were constructed in the Shivaliks region of north India. The reservoirs of a number of these earthen dams got silted due to fragile geological strata, inadequate vegetation cover in the catchment areas, continued biotic interference and lack of community participation in building social pressure against grazing and illicit felling.

This paper makes an effort to provide a framework for good governance in India by identifying its essential features and shortcomings in its working. No theory of governance could be intelligible unless it is seen in the context of its time.

Hill bamboos, locally called 'Nirgal' form a very important vegetation component in the Sutlej catchment falling under the Rampur Forest Division and Kotgarh Forest Division of Shimla District in Himachal Pradesh.