Feature Article

The present work seeks to assess the spatial distribution and level of fluoride in the groundwater of different blocks of Bankura district, West Bengal. This is the first concerted attempt to highlight the vicious presence of fluoride in the sub-surface environment of Bankura and its gradual ingress in tube well water.

Photocatalysis is an advanced oxidation process aiming at the complete conversion of harmful and toxic dissolved contaminants in natural or drinking water into carbon dioxide, water and inorganics in presence of semiconducting materials such as TiO2 and ZnO, which act as catalysts.

Drinking water is most essential for livelihoods and for other consumptions. Here, the drinking water supply in Rural India was chosen for the study. Due to over population, increase in drinking water consumption was arisen. Relevant data were collected from relevant Government departments. The data were analyzed and the objective of the study was derived from the data analysis. Suitable suggestions and recommendations were made to decrease the problem of drinking water supply in a proper manner.

Ensuring that patients in the developing world get access to the medicines they need remains an unfulfilled desire. This is true in spite of the significant progress over the last decade in providing treatment to poor people suffering in particular from the "big three" pandemics, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The reasons for this access gap are manifold, which points at a need for multiple responses by a diverse set of actors: policymakers, businesses, civil society at large, as well as development partners at national and international levels alike.

Health is a crucially important social and economic asset - a cornerstone for human development. Three of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) call for specific health improvements by 2015: reducing the child and maternal mortality and slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

The Killer Jeans Campaign, launched in November 2010, called on major brands and retailers to stop sandblasting, a method of giving jeans a worn-out look. The process can seriously damage worker's health if performed without suitable protective equipment. Over 40 major brands and retailers have issued a ban on sandblasting but, as Dominique Muller explains, garment workers are still being asked to risk their lives for fashion.

Nnimmo Bassey claims that in Nigeria the authorities' efforts to curb gas flaring are being thwarted by the big oil companies.

Bent Svensson, Mauricio O. Rios explain how a World Bank-led partnership between oil-producing countries and companies is harnessing potential opportunities for reducing the waste of a valuable resource.

Chandran Nair (founder of Global Institute for Tomorrow) argues that Asia's burgeoning population means that indulging in Western-style consumption is not an option. The planet's resources, from oil to water to the rare earth metals essential for high-tech manufacturing, won't support it.

Crop residue burning is one among the many sources of air pollution. It is essential to mitigate impacts due to the burning of agricultural waste in the open fields and its consequent effects on soil, ambient air and living organisms.