Fluoride contamination in groundwater resources of Alleppey,southern India

Alleppey is one of the thickly populated coastal towns of the Kerala state in southern India.Groundwater is the main source of drinking water for the 240,991 people living in this region.The groundwater is being extracted from a multi-layer aquifer system of unconsolidated to semi-consolidated sedimentary formations,which range in age from Recent to Tertiary.The public water distribution system uses dug and tube wells.Though there were reports on fluoride contamination,this study reports for the first time excess fluoride and excess salinity in the drinking water of the region.The quality parameters,like Electrical Conductivity（EC） ranges from 266 to 3900 μs/cm,the fluoride content ranges from 0.68 to2.88 mg/L,and the chloride ranges between the 5.7 to 1253 mg/L.The main water types are Na-HC03,NaCO3 and Na-Cl.The aqueous concentrations of F- and CO32- show positive correlation whereas F- and Ca2＋ show negative correlation.The source of fluoride in the groundwater could be from dissolution of fluorapatite,which is a common mineral in the Tertiary sediments of the area.Long residence time,sediment-groundwater interaction and facies changes（Ca-HCO3 to Na-HCO3） during groundwater flow regime are the major factors responsible for the high fluoride content in the groundwater of the area.High strontium content and high EC in some of the wells indicate saline water intrusion that could be due to the excess pumping from the deeper aquifers of the area.The water quality index computation has revealed that 62%of groundwater belongs to poor quality and is not suitable for domestic purposes as per BIS and WHO standards.Since the groundwater is the only source of drinking water in the area,proper treatment strategies and regulating the groundwater extraction are required as the quality deterioration poses serious threat to human health.

Identifying coastal towns and small cities in Denmark using global population data to support climate change adaptation

Coastal settlements face many hazards from climate change.Consequently,there has been extensive focus on developing and implementing adaptation.However,these efforts have prodominantly centred on larger cities.Coastal towns and small cities(urban areas between 1000 and 100,000 people)have received little attention,despite experiencing a number of barriers to adaptation.The absence of information on the global scale of the adaptation challenge within coastal towns and small cities may have contributed to these settlements being overlooked.This paper develops a method that can be used to estimate the numbers,sizes,and locations of coastal towns and small cities worldwide from global population data(Global Human Settlement data).Denmark is used as a pilot for this method with settlements over 1000 people classified with relatively high accuracy.The method developed here represents a potentially fruitful approach to supporting coastal adaptation,as coastal towns and small cities are identifiable globally,they can be classified into types.This will support an assessment of their risk to coastal hazards,and could facilitate knowledge and practice sharing between similar coastal towns and small cities.

Review of the achievement of ssop and its inspiration for future regional cooperation

Countries in Asia and the Pacific are more prone to natural disasters than those in other parts of the world.Because of this,there is an urgent need to continue developing effective,end-to-end early warning systems that lead to an effective response by emergency managers and people at risk.ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee(TC),in cooperation with WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones(PTC),conducted a regional cooperation project on Synergized Standard Operating Procedures for Coastal Multi-Hazards Early Warning System(SSOP)with fund support from ESCAP Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Tsunami,Disaster and Climate Preparedness in Indian Ocean and South East Asia.SSOP project was conducted successfully and achieved its proposed goals.Its results and achievements greatly benefit the Members not only in the region but also in all other regions of WMO.The paper reviewed its implementation process,strategy and activities;briefed its main achievements including SSOP Manual,capacity building and cooperation mechanism between TC and PTC;summarized the experiences and lessons from project implementation;and highlighted its sustainability.The paper also suggested the approaches to enhance the sustainability of SSOP results and the cooperation between two regional bodies TC and PTC.

Perception of Disasters and Land Reclamation in an Informal Settlement on Reclaimed Land:Case of the BASECO Compound,Manila,the Philippines

Southeast Asia's coastal urban areas continue to grow,with land reclamation fast becoming an important option for megacities to address issues of economic growth and increasing population density.Experts are divided over the advantages and disadvantages of land reclamation,though this process continues unabated,exposing settlements to coastal hazards.The Bataan Shipping and Engineering Company(BASECO)compound is an informal settlement on reclaimed land in Manila,the Philippines.How informal coastal settlements view disaster risk and their more pressing socioeconomic needs is crucial to understanding the potentials and repercussions of land reclamation.Using a topographic survey,a questionnaire survey,and the protective action decision model,this study explored the perception of disasters and land reclamation of informal settlers who are living on reclaimed land.The study found that people are aware of disaster risks,but are more concerned with everyday needs.They are divided on the issue of further land reclamation.Residents on the original non-reclaimed land view it as a coastal defense,while those on reclaimed land fear potential eviction.Despite this,all locations in the community are concerned with the loss of jobs,economic opportunities,and eviction,rather than potential disasters.