Globally, shifting cultivation is known to be an important driver of tropical deforestation. However, in this paper, we argue that it can be sustainably managed if the environmental boundary conditions, laid by the traditional customs and practices, are fully respected. We narrate an empirical study from the Zunheboto district of Nagaland, India, where we deployed a mixed research method to explore the Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Practices (ILKPs) associated with shifting cultivation (aka Jhum), particularly concerning farm-level practices, forest and biodiversity conservation, and disaster risk reduction measures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaintaining quantity and quality is a primary concern in the supply of drinking water. One critical indicator of water quality is nonpoint sources (NPS) pollution. However, persistent risks regarding water quality maintenance have often resulted from compounded social dynamics occurring within and between institutions, while solutions tend to concentrate on scientific/technological treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Monit Assess
July 2011
The main objectives of this study were to investigate the concentration and lifetime cancer risk and hazard index of trihalomethanes (THMs) through multiple routes like oral ingestion, dermal absorption, and inhalation exposure in the water samples collected at water treatment plant endpoints. Bromoform has been found in highest concentration followed by chloroform. A lesser concentration of dibromochloromethane has been found than dichlorobromomethane in most of the studied water, which is an unusual scenario, in spite of the high concentration of bromide in the water which can be attributed to the formation, speciation, and distribution of THMs in the breakpoint chlorination curve.
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