scholarly journals Predicted and Measured Concentration of Pharmaceuticals in Surface Water of Areas with Increasing Anthropic Pressure: A Case Study in the Coastal Area of Central Italy

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 2807
Author(s):  
Alessio Cardini ◽  
Elisa Pellegrino ◽  
Laura Ercoli
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Measured Concentration ◽  
Environmental Concentration ◽  
Anthropic Pressure

This study investigated the occurrence of 12 pharmaceuticals (PhCs) in surface water in Central Italy, aiming to improve the estimation of the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) by normalizing the loads to the number of inhabitants of the drainage system in rural, periurban, and urban areas. We performed two sampling campaigns assessing the concentration of PhCs (measured environmental concentration (MEC)) in surface water and in effluent from a wastewater treatment plant. The reliability of PEC calculated by the refined formula was assessed and compared to the ratio obtained by the unrefined formula. MECs of diclofenac, estradiol, estrone, ibuprofen, metformin, naproxen, sulfamethoxazole, atenolol, carbamazepine, and dehydro-erythromycin were significantly higher in urban than in periurban and rural areas, and increases were 12-, 3600-, 256-, 33-, 18-, 120-, 10-, 5-, 2-, and 1-fold, respectively. Refinement of PEC improved estimation of PhC concentrations for all areas, especially for the urban one. The environmental risk was predicted as low for atenolol, carbamazepine, erythromycin, metformin, and naproxen; low/medium for diclofenac and ibuprofen; and high for clarithromycin, estradiol, estrone, and sulfamethoxazole. Overall, the highest risk was posed by PhCs in effluent, while a progressively decreasing risk was estimated for urban, periurban, and rural areas.

The periurban water security problem: a case study of Hyderabad in Southern India

Water Policy ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 454-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjal Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Water History ◽  
Absolute Increase ◽  
Security Problem ◽  
Basic Infrastructure

The 2011 Census of India produced some interesting facts about the process of urbanisation in India. For the first time since Independence, the absolute increase in population is more in urban than in rural areas. The increase in urban areas has put pressure on the basic infrastructure, including access to water for both urban and periurban locations. Most Indian cities have formal water supply for only a few hours a day and only in limited areas. The question is – where are the remaining water requirements coming from? For much of India's ‘water history’, the focus has been on large-scale surface-water projects to provide access, focusing more on irrigation and neglecting sources within the city and the periurban areas. Over time an enormous informal groundwater market has arisen in several cities to bridge the demand–supply gap. This water demand is met through supplies of water through informal water markets. Water is sourced from the periurban regions, which are usually richer in surface water and groundwater. This paper focuses on the change process as witnessed by periurban areas with a case study of Hyderabad. This paper presents an overview of a trend that is leading to immense water insecurities due to a combination of issues.

scholarly journals Toward Decentralised Sanitary Sewage Collection Systems: A Multiobjective Approach for Cost-Effective and Resilient Designs

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 1886
Author(s):  
Arezoo Zahediasl ◽  
Amin E. Bakhshipour ◽  
Ulrich Dittmer ◽  
Ali Haghighi
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Hydraulic Design ◽  
Multiobjective Approach ◽  
Layout Generation ◽  
Plant Allocation ◽  
Problem Solving Process

In recent years, the concept of a centralized drainage system that connect an entire city to one single treatment plant is increasingly being questioned in terms of the costs, reliability, and environmental impacts. This study introduces an optimization approach based on decentralization in order to develop a cost-effective and sustainable sewage collection system. For this purpose, a new algorithm based on the growing spanning tree algorithm is developed for decentralized layout generation and treatment plant allocation. The trade-off between construction and operation costs, resilience, and the degree of centralization is a multiobjective problem that consists of two subproblems: the layout of the networks and the hydraulic design. The innovative characteristics of the proposed framework are that layout and hydraulic designs are solved simultaneously, three objectives are optimized together, and the entire problem solving process is self-adaptive. The model is then applied to a real case study. The results show that finding an optimum degree of centralization could reduce not only the network’s costs by 17.3%, but could also increase its structural resilience significantly compared to fully centralized networks.

scholarly journals Growth and Productivity Analysis of Micro Finance Sector: A Case Study of Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol IV (III) ◽  
pp. 71-79
Author(s):  
Adnan Ahmad ◽  
Muhammad Ilyas ◽  
Muhammad Nisar Khan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Productivity Analysis ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Physical Infrastructure ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Government ◽  
Efficiency And Productivity

This study reviews the growth strategies and their effect on the efficiency and productivity of the microfinance sector of Pakistan. The sector needs to have adopted intensive growth strategy instead of extensive strategies of wide expansion in term of physical infrastructure and human resources, which had increased the financial sustainability risks for the credit constrain institutions. The sixdimension model of outreach used in this study also shows that the sector does not achieve the targets set forth for these micro finance institutes with respect to its active borrowers’ outreach. The sector has mainly focused the big cities and urban areas whereas the poverty levels are higher in rural areas. The government has also shown its interest by launching two different types of loan schemes. Among the three different types of institution, the microfinance banks dominate the sector.

scholarly journals Migration and Rural Differentiation: Evidence from a Vietnamese Village

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Thi Minh Khue Nguyen ◽  
Thi Dien Nguyen ◽  
Thi Minh Hop Ho ◽  
Philippe Burny ◽  
Thomas Dogot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Social Differentiation ◽  
Cash Income ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Diversification Strategy ◽  
Circular Pattern ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Industrial Zones

This paper explores the links between migration and social differentiation in rural Vietnam after the reform period (2005–2015) through a case study of Maithon village, Chilang District, Bacninh Province. Since 2005, many villagers have left Maithon to work in cities, industrial zones or to find employment abroad. The migration process has transformed labour and income structures and supply in many households. However, 90 percent of Maithon households claimed on the positive contribution of remittance, while at the same time, they did not suffer from labour shortage due to the circular pattern of the migration. Therefore, rural out-migration is one of the diversification strategy which enables the villager to gain access to cash income in urban areas while still keep position in rural areas. It has resulted in the increase in the size of the middle class, rather than the generation of the gap between the rich and the poor. Through this process, migration becomes a developmental strategy, as a means for upward mobility rather than mechanism of social differentiation.

scholarly journals Modelling of Social Policy and Initiatives under COVID-19: Rural NEET Youth Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 393
Author(s):  
Giedrė Kvieskienė ◽  
Ilze Ivanova ◽  
Karmen Trasberg ◽  
Viktorija Stasytytė ◽  
Eglė Celiešienė
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Youth Unemployment ◽  
Rural Regions

NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) youth rates in Europe are generally higher in rural regions than in urban areas and the share in rural regions is constantly increasing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, young people became even more vulnerable as they experienced social exclusion and mental health problems. The objective of this paper is to analyse NEET youth-related statistics in Europe and distinguish positive initiatives for young people in rural areas of the Baltic countries to encourage positive emotions and willingness to learn. Statistical analysis and case study methods were employed. Data on youth unemployment, NEET youth by age and gender, and poverty and social exclusion of young people, is analysed. Social policy initiatives in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, mainly from rural municipalities, are presented and discussed. This research determines the key issues related to NEET youth and proposes initiatives to overcome existing problems among young people. Such social initiatives aim to promote positive social emotions of youth, promote their inclusion in society, and foster regional sustainability.

scholarly journals Consequences of Promoting Less-Populated Rural Areas to Urban Areas: A Case Study, Bushehr Province

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-100
Author(s):  
Ali Bastin
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Urban System ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Negative Consequences

The modified law of Iranian Administrative divisions has greatly altered the pattern of settlement in recent decades. The promotion of rural areas to urban areas has shifted from mere population standard to combined population-administrative standards. However, all censuses suggest that many rural areas reported as smaller than the minimum population standard have been promoted to urban areas. In the last two decades, this is a clearly prominent phenomenon in the urban system of Iran. This paper evaluates the effects and consequences of promoting small and sparsely populated rural areas to urban areas in the Bushehr province. The used methodology is analytic-descriptive using a questionnaire distributed among 380 members of the target population. Data analysis is conducted in physical, economic, social and urban servicing domains using one-sample T-test and the utility range. The results show that promotion of rural areas to urban areas has positive outcomes such as improved waste disposal system, improved quality of residential buildings, increased monitoring of the construction, increased income, prevented migration and improved health services. However, the results of utility range show that the negative consequences of this policy are more than its positive outcomes, which have been studied in detail.

scholarly journals Multi-Criteria Decision Method for Sustainable Watercourse Management in Urban Areas

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscila Celebrini de Oliveira Campos ◽  
Tainá da Silva Rocha Paz ◽  
Letícia Lenz ◽  
Yangzi Qiu ◽  
Camila Nascimento Alves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
Order Preference ◽  
Urban Watercourse ◽  
Sustainable Investments

The rapid urban growth followed by disordered occupation has been generating significant impacts on cities, bringing losses of an economic and social nature that directly interfere with the well-being of the population. In this work, a proposal for local urban infrastructure problems associated with watercourse management is presented, comparing Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) techniques and Low-Impact Development (LID) concepts with alternative traditional interventions. The study addresses sustainable alternatives to cope with the urbanization of the Cehab’s open channel, which is an important urban watercourse tributary of the Muriaé River, at the municipality of Itaperuna, Rio de Janeiro—Brazil. The multi-criteria decision-making method called Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was applied here. The results highlighted the better performance of sustainable techniques when compared to the traditional ones, with an overall advantage of the geogrids and geocells for this case study. The obtained TOPSIS coefficients-C for these techniques were higher (0.59488, for Reach 1; and 0.68656, for Reach 2) than those for the others. This research, therefore, presented an important urban watercourse management methodology that can be further applied to guide sustainable investments and help the decision-making associated with the development of territories.

scholarly journals The Pleasure of Walking: An Innovative Methodology to Assess Appropriate Walkable Performance in Urban Areas to Support Transport Planning

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Appolloni ◽  
Corazza ◽  
D’Alessandro
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Suitability Index ◽  
Innovative Methodology ◽  
Governance Process ◽  
Walking Performance

The Walking Suitability Index of the Territory–T-WSI is an innovative methodology to assess walkability. Unlike other methods and tools in this field designed to evaluate walkability on given origin-destination paths, T-WSI is conceived for area-wide assessments, typically at the neighborhood level. This can be achieved by visual surveys to collect data, which are easy to perform at street level, their further process via an algorithm, and their aggregation to assess the walking performance levels of the test area. The paper describes such methodology, which includes the development of 12 indicators associated with four main evaluation categories (Practicability, Safety, Urbanity and Appeal), and its application to a case study in a medium-size town in central Italy. Results are described and elaborated to highlight T-WSI’s contribution to help decision makers in the urban governance process, typically in the fields of land use, mobility management and maintenance, coherently with the research objective to enlarge the potential of walkability methodologies thus far available up to area-level assessment.

scholarly journals Don’t become a burden and don’t complain: a case study of older persons suffering from incurable cancer and living alone in rural areas

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guri Bitnes Wiik ◽  
Siri Devik ◽  
Ove Hellzen
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Older People ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Hospital Treatment ◽  
Incurable Cancer ◽  
Gain Access

The majority of older people wish to continue to live at home for as long as possible. As a consequence, the healthcare system, including cancer care, is located in urban areas and people living in rural areas must commute to gain access to the services offered. The aim of this study was to investigate how older people, who live on their own, experience living with incurable cancer and commuting for palliative care in rural Norway. A case study was designed and informants were recruited not because they were typical but because they were deemed to have the potential to contribute to knowledge about the phenomenon of being an older person who has been diagnosed with incurable cancer and lives alone in a rural area. Three major categories were identified: &ldquo;<em>Hovering between hope and fear</em>, <em>Stressful commuting to palliative care</em>, and <em>Being exhausted</em>. The findings indicated that older people who have been stricken with incurable cancer and who live alone in rural areas have to<em> walk the palliative path alone</em>. A common feature of all the informants is that they do not speak out and they do not complain. Even though the trend in healthcare is towards centralized treatment, shorter and more effective stays in hospital, and policlinic (policlinic services are a place where healthcare services can be accessed without the need for an overnight stay in hospital, usually such clinics are located close to a hospital) treatment and care, not all older persons manage to take care of themselves. The findings suggest that nurses should pay more attention to these patients&rsquo; needs for care at different levels of the healthcare service.

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