International Journal of Economic and Environmental Geology
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Arsenic Contamination in Indus Alluvial Plain Sediments and Groundwater of Hyderabad and its Surroundings, Pakistan: Arsenic Contamination in Indus Alluvial Plain Sediments and Groundwater of Hyderabad and its Surroundings, Pakistan
No full textAlluvial aquifers are the main source of groundwater worldwide. In Hyderabad area of Sindh province, aquifers are naturally polluted by arsenic (As) like other alluvial aquifers of the world. Present study was carried out to decipher the mobilization mechanism of arsenic in Holocene aquifers of Indus river basin, where a large population is at the risk of arsenic ingested diseases. Fifty groundwater samples were collected from Hyderabad and its surrounding areas to examine their physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics. In 80% of the groundwater samples, TDS is above the WHO limit. Dominant (40%) hydrofacies in groundwater of study area is NaCl, which shows water-rock interaction and cation exchange mechanism. In order to investigate the source of arsenic, eleven near-surface soil samples were also collected and analyzed for elemental and mineral composition using XRD and AES techniques. Correlation Coefficient, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and multivariate statistical analyses were used to interpret the data. Arsenic ranges between 10-150 µg/L in groundwater, while in soil samples it ranges from 77 and 137µg/kg. Findings showed that arsenic is mobilized in the alluvial aquifers of Indus river through dissolution/ leaching of iron oxyhydroxides under anoxic conditions. Arsenic is mainly leached from mica and phlogopite under reducing conditions. Meandering of Indus river through different historical time periods is an important factor for the distribution of redox zones created by mirco-biodegradation of organic matter rich with clayey sediments. Irrigation return flow, infiltration of sewerage in groundwater and unlined sanitation are also important anthropogenic factors for creating local anoxic conditions to mobilize arsenic in groundwater. 
Natural and Anthropogenic Sources of Groundwater Salinization in Parts of Karachi, Pakistan: Natural and Anthropogenic Sources of Groundwater Salinization in Parts of Karachi, Pakistan
No full textThis study is aimed to evaluate the groundwater quality of Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Liaquatabad towns in Karachi. Thirty (n=30) groundwater samples were randomly collected from different locations by electrically pumped wells at various depths (14-91m). All the water samples were analyzed to determine their suitability for drinking purpose based on various physicochemical parameters. Data reveal that high concentration of TDS and hardness have deteriorated the groundwater quality of study area. The main phenomenon responsible for groundwater pollution is the seawater intrusion due to the proximity of study area to the Arabian sea. Large scale unplanned urbanization, poor waste management and other anthropogenic activities have also triggered the deterioration of groundwater quality. Study showed that local geology plays vital role in the distribution of major cations and anions. Data suggested that ground water of this study area is highly contaminated by seawater intrusion and considered not fit for drinking purpose
Determination of Performance Analysis for an Underground Colliery Utilizing Mechanized Production System: Determination of Performance Analysis for an Underground Colliery Utilizing Mechanized Production System
No full textPerformance is one of the most important parameters for today’s business organizations. An organization that is low on performance, no matter how much high quality products they have, cannot take the share they desire from the market. It is the inevitable result for organizations with low performances to lose money and get closed down. Nowadays performance is measured in many ways. In this work; the production performance of Ömerler Colliery, which is the only government controlled mechanized lignite mine authorized under the Western Lignite Corporation (WLC) and the factors that caused performance decrease has been determined. In order to gain performance measurements; effectiveness, efficiency and productivity criteria have been used and performance indexes have been acquired. As the result of the performance analysis, it is understood that there has been malfunctions with; in order; belt conveyor, chain conveyor, shearer and fortification that has been effective in the decrease of performance. Performance indexes, which are barely derived from the multiplication of performance parameters, are examined and it is deducted that the highest relation is achieved for the efficiency parameter with a correlation constant (r) of 0.9489 and a certainty constant (R²) of 0.9005 while the lowest relation is obtained for the efficiency parameter with a correlation constant (r) of 0.4621 and certainty constant (R²) 0.2135. With this acquired result it has been determined that by only measuring effectiveness, performance detection cannot be made
Precipitation and Temperature Oscillation and its Effects on the Flow of Indus Water System and Adaptation in the Arid Region, Pakistan (1940-2000): Precipitation and Temperature Oscillation and its Effects on the Flow of Indus Water System and Adaptation in the Arid Region, Pakistan (1940-2000)
No full textThe study evaluates the water discharge of the Indus and its sub-rivers in the arid region of Pakistan from 1940-2004 using the annual changes in addition to seasonal flux and inconsistencies in culmination of the water flow. Currently, in Pakistan, the gross per capita water availability shows notable dwindle during 1951 till 2000. Owing to decline in precipitation (0.6inch or 15.2mm) and amplify in degree of hotness of 1.60C for the period of 1960-2000, the water discharge throughout Pakistan particularly in the arid region reveals a susceptible stipulation from 1940-2004. During Rabi season, the decline in the water discharge of the Indus River and its tributaries show a drastic decline/reduction, while it remains stable in Kharif season and could do with adaptation instantly. The annual water discharge indicates a positive deviation in the Kabul River, while it is negative in Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, and Ravi rivers. Most of the rivers in Baluchistan are altered into seasonal torrents and the water scarcity for agriculture sector and domestic use will be at climax in the future. The decrease in the water discharge of the Indus drainage system will influence the crop pattern and its production in the rain fed as well as canals fed arid areas in the lower Punjab and Sindh province. The specific adaptations to cope with the problem are, improvement in the irrigation system, edifice of new water dams and reservoirs, construction of water course guards, innovation in sanitation and sewerage system, public awareness, policy and implementation, establishment of research and development fund, crop choices, glacier retreat and planning for water resources
The Response of Land Surface Temperature to the Changing Land-Use Land-Cover in a Mountainous Landscape under the Influence of Urbanization: Gilgit City as a case study in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region of Pakistan: The Response of Land Surface Temperature to the Changing Land-Use Land-Cover in a Mountainous Landscape under the Influence of Urbanization: Gilgit City as a case study in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region of Pakistan
No full textWith growing urbanization in mountainous landscapes, the built-up areas dominate other land use classes resulting in increased land surface temperature (LST). Gilgit city in northern Pakistan has witnessed tremendous urban growth in the recent past decades. It is anticipated that this growth will exponentially increase in the near future because of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiatives, as this city happens to be the commercial hub of the northern region of Pakistan. The objective of present study is to explore the influence of land use and land cover variations on LST and to evaluate the relationship between LST with normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), normalized difference water index (NDWI), and normalized difference built-up index (NDBI) values. This study is carried out on data from Google earth and three Landsat images (Landsat 5-TM, Landsat 7-ETM, and Landsat OLI_TIRS-8) during the period from 1992, 2004 and 2016. Land use/cover classes are determined through supervised classification and LST maps are created using the Mono-window algorithm. The accuracy assessment of land use/cover classes is carried out comparing Google Earth digitized vector for the periods of 2004 and 2016 with Landsat classified images. Further, NDVI, NDBI, and NDWI maps are computed from images for years 1992, 2004, and 2016. The relationships of LST with NDVI, NDBI, and NDWI are computed using Linear Regression analysis. The results reveal that the variations in land use and land cover play a substantial role in LST variability. The maximum temperatures are connected with built-up areas and barren land, ranging from 48.4°C, 50.7°C, 51.6°C, in 1992, 2004, and 2016, respectively. Inversely, minimum temperatures are linked to forests and water bodies, ranging from 15.1°C, 16°C, 21.6°C, in 1992, 2004, and 2016 respectively. This paper also results that NDBI correlates positively with high temperatures, whereas NDVI and NDWI associate negatively with lesser temperatures. The study will support to policymakers and urban planners to strategize the initiatives for eco-friendly and climate-resilient urban development in fragile mountainous landscapes
Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Areas Vulnerable to Urban Flooding: A Case Study of Lahore, Pakistan: Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Areas Vulnerable to Urban Flooding: A Case Study of Lahore, Pakistan
No full textIdentification of existing hotspots is one of the principal steps for evolving strategy to mitigate urban flooding, an emerging problem in mega cities of developing countries. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a framework of assessing the spatio-temporal hotspots of urban flooding incidents in Lahore district, Punjab, Pakistan. For this purpose, a database was created by gathering information of sore points by a governmental body, Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) to execute spatio-temporal analysis of urban flooding through hotspot analysis in spatial analyst tool box in Arc GIS. Results show that urban flooding occurs in each town of Lahore excluding Wahga town. Among all affected towns of Lahore, Data Gunj Bakhsh town is noted as a highly affected area accounting 27 percent of urban flooding incidents during monsoon period from 2012-2017. Temporal study also shows an overall increasing trend for incidents of urban flooding during 2012-2017. Moreover, detailed study shows that month of August is noteworthy for urban flooding which is consistently increasing
Socio-Environmental Impacts of Coal Mining: A Case Study of Cherat Coal Mines Pakistan: Socio-Environmental Impacts of Coal Mining: A Case Study of Cherat Coal Mines Pakistan
No full textCoal mining is one of the elemental industries that not only helps in economic development of a country but also causes social and environmental problems. Coal is the primary source of energy due to which it becomes essential to meet the energy requirements of the country. It is mined through underground and surface methods, which significantly affect worker’s health and water resources. Coal mining is responsible for discharging huge amount of mine water, mine diseases and accidents which are the constituent of these social and environmental problems. The empirical data of this research comprised of results from literature, workers interviews and field notes. Data about water quality, various diseases among workers and workers health condition were collected from literature and workers interviews. Similarly, the data about all and occurred accident were collected from field notes. From this study it is concluded that coal mining will not only help in providing energy requirements and employments, but it is also responsible for various social and environmental problems
Wind Energy Potential Assessment for Nooriabad Sindh Pakistan: Wind Energy Potential Assessment for Nooriabad Sindh Pakistan
No full textWind speeds recorded at regular intervals of time for a particular wind site correspond to intermittent source of energy. Reliable estimate of wind potential for the site requires fitting of the recorded data to a continuous distribution function. Weibull function with two parameters is widely used mathematical function for fitting wind speed data for the estimation of wind energy. In the present study, analysis on the data registered in steps of 1 minute interval for the years of 2003 and 2004 for Nooriabad, Sindh were carried out. Recorded data set contains wind speeds and wind directions at 30 m and 100 m mast heights, respectively. Weibull function is applied to the measured monthly and yearly data sets and Weibull shape scale parameters are computed with the help of six numerical methods. Accuracy of these numerical methods and their suitability are assessed by employing two test statistics, namely, R2 and RMSE. The R2 test statistics estimated for all methods gives a value of 0.99 and RMSE gave a lowest value (0.07) for the Method of Least Squares Error (MLE), suggesting MLE to be the most suitable method for obtaining Weibull parameters. Monthly and yearly probability density function (pdf), cumulative distribution function (cdf) and power densities are determined using Weibull distribution. Comparison between Weibull power density values and estimated power densities of raw data show close agreement. As an example, power density of raw data for the month of June is 1935.16 W/m2and is in close agreement with Weibull power density for the same month, which is 1972.92 W/m2
Monthly Variation of Physico-Chemical Parameters of Haleji lake, Sindh, Pakistan: Monthly Variation of Physico-Chemical Parameters of Haleji lake, Sindh, Pakistan
No full textPresent work is based on the physico-chemical parameters of Haleji lake. Physical factors and chemistry of lake water were analyzed with regular intervals. The color of water showed variation from light green to yellowish green, air temperature ranged between 20 °C to 35 °C, water temperature between 17 °C to 33 °C , pH 5.5 to 7.5, dissolved oxygen 2.04 mg/L to 6.44 mg/L, salinity 0.32 mg/L to 1.1 mg/L, alkalinity from 30 mg/L to 100 mg/L, acidity 10 to 96 mg/L, sulphate 4.5 mg/L to 305 mg/L, phosphate from 1 mg/L to 190 mg/L, and nitrates 9 mg/L to 270 mg/L during 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively
Seismotectonic analyses of Karachi Arc, Southern Kirthar Fold Belt, Pakistan: Seismotectonic analyses of Karachi Arc, Southern Kirthar Fold Belt, Pakistan
No full textIn this study geomorphological and seismotectonic analyses were carried out in Karachi arc area, southern Pakistan to locate relatively safe areas from earthquakes disasters. Karachi arc is the southern extremity of the Kirthar mountain chain that occupies a major part of southern Pakistan and is comprised of a number of narrow, elongated mountain ranges, i.e. Laki, Kirthar, Khud, Pab and Mor ranges. Based on geomorphological and seismotectonic analyses Karachi arc area has been divided into three parts. These parts are northern, frontal and southern part. The northern part of Karachi arc is seismically active where minor to moderate (3-5.9Mb) earthquakes occurred. Some basement structures in Sehwan area seem to be still active and affected by the present-day transpressional stress field. The frontal part of Karachi arc is also active as manifested by the existence of active faults in Jhimpir, Surjan and Meting areas. These embryonic structures in the eastern part of the Arc are indicators of active deformation of Karachi arc. Presently the active deformation is taking place in frontal and northern parts of the arc, while the southern part that has experienced deformation prior to Quaternary time is inactive and is relatively stable geoblock. The instrumental and historic seismicity record of the adjoining areas of Karachi arc show that the area has experienced light to moderate seismic events (4-5.9) with occasional occurrence of strong and major earthquakes. Any major or strong event in Katch rift zone, Makran subduction zone and Ornach-Nal fault zone may cause intensity of VII to VIII in Karachi arc area as well as Karachi city of environmental seismic intensity scale 2007