Study of Helminth Parasite from Freshwater Fish, in Aurangabad City (M.S.) India

The present study deals with the survey of helminth parasites from Aurangabad city (M. S.) India, during 2015 to June 2016. This report summarizes the data of incidence, intensity and density of infection of helminth parasites in freshwater fishes in relation to environmental factors. Fish samples were collected from Godavari River, Paithan, Aurangabad, examined for helminth parasites. During the present study 100 fishes were examined

Janabai and Gangakhed of Das Ganu: Towards ethnic unity and religious cohesion in a time of transition

The Varkari tradition of the Marathi-language area of Western India is characterised by devotion to the god Vitthal of Pandharpur as well as the medieval saint-poets who praised him in songs and longed for his company. Modern narratives present Janabai, a poetess who lived presumably during the thirteenth to fourteenth centuries, as one of the Varkari saint-poets. Her rise to fame started in the last decade of the nineteenth century, and by the 1920s, although of obscure origin, she had been geographically pinned to Gangakhed on the Godavari River. The association with this tiny settlement in Marathwada was established by the famous Das Ganu, an itinerant minstrel and preacher. Janabai’s own celebrity reached its peak by the 1960s, when a sign of sanctity in the form of symbolic sandals was installed at the site which went on to become her temple in Gangakhed. In 1975 a new procession, that of Saint Janabai, was added to the list of more than 100 processions travelling at the same time each year to Pandharpur. This article looks into the process of nationalist ‘awakening’ and the manner in which fostering bonds of ethnic unity and religious cohesion have been essential for shaping shared identity. The Varkari tradition and its poets, including Janabai, became the main tools for the creation of a Marathi-language cultural environment and for the domestication of the terrain by and through the power of comprehensible Hindu symbols.

Spatio-temporal variation and future risk assessment of projected drought events in the Godavari River basin using regional climate models

The study focused on the Godavari River basin to understand the alteration in the drought phenomenon for future scenarios. The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI)-3 is calculated from Climate Research Unit 4.03 precipitation, and minimum and maximum temperatures. The drought magnitude and characteristics are determined using SPEI, which considers both precipitation and temperature data as input variables. The Mann–Kendall trend analysis is performed to identify the trend associated with drought characteristics. The basin is divided into six homogeneous regions using k-means clustering algorithm. The reliability ensemble averaging method is used for ensemble averaging of regional climate models (RCMs). The drought frequency analysis is carried out using trivariate copula for reference and future time periods. Variations in the drought characteristics are observed in the future scenarios with respect to the reference period. The drought duration, severity and peak for different climate divisions showed an increasing trend in future time period, especially in the case of RCP8.5 scenarios. The return periods of future droughts based on weighted-average RCMs under the two scenarios showed the possibility of more frequent drought in the future (2053–2099) than in the past (1971–2017).

An assessment of water quality index of Godavari river water in Nashik city, Maharashtra

Water resource is most essential basic resource for human being. Today water resource management has become an important issue (Kharake, Pathare, Deshmukh, Arebian J Geosci 14(10):1–10, 2021) for all developing countries. Rapid growth of population and its repetitive activities along the river pose a concerned impact on the river system. The water quality and quantity are under constant pressure by the presence of different human activities like removal of vegetation, industrial activities, and encroachment, domestic and religious activities. These all activities resulted in degradation of water quality. These all problems are largely concentrated in and around urban areas. Keeping this view in the account systematic study has been carried out the water quality of Godavari river in Nashik city. Water samples from 10 sampling stations have been collected during 1st week of June 2019. Physico-chemical parameters have been analyzed by standard method. The Karl Pearson correlation matrix has been established for examining relationship between the water quality parameters, and the study is conducted to analyze the water quality status of Godavari river in terms of water quality index (WQI). The overall values showed good water quality status (WQI 133.44) at upper stream in the study area, but as it enters in urban area water quality becomes deteriorate (WQI 35.01). The field observations reveal that water quality is declining due to many human activities mainly industrial, domestic and religious waste. To analyze the water quality index (WQI) is the main aim of the research with remedial measures to mitigate the deterioration and related consequences in future.

Multiple Ecological Parameters Affect Living Benthic Foraminifera in the River-Influenced West-Central Bay of Bengal

The huge riverine influx and associated processes decrease the ambient salinity, stratify the water column, modulate the oxygen-deficient zone, and are also responsible for the recent acidification in the Bay of Bengal. Here, we have studied the effect of these riverine influx-dominated ecological parameters on living benthic foraminifera in the west-central Bay of Bengal. We report that the pH below 7.6 in front of the Krishna river, reduces the diversity and the richness of living benthic foraminifera on the adjacent shelf and the slope. A similar decreased diversity and richness is also observed in front of the Godavari River. We delineate three prominent assemblages, representing different depth zones with associated distinct physico-chemical conditions. The shallow water assemblage (∼27–100 m) is represented by Nonionella labradorica, Hanzawaia nipponica, Brizalina dilatata, Ammonia tepida, and Nonionella limbato-striata. These species are adapted to relatively warmer temperatures and more oxygenated waters. The deepwater assemblage (∼1,940–2,494 m) includes Bulimina cf. delreyensis, Bulimina marginata, Hormosinella guttifera, Cassidulina laevigata, and Gyroidinoides subzelandica and can tolerate a relatively colder temperature. The intermediate-depth assemblage (∼145–1,500 m) dominated by Eubuliminella exilis, Bolivinellina earlandi, Fursenkoina spinosa, Bolivinellina lucidopunctata, Globobulimina globosa, Fursenkoina spinosa, Eubuliminella cassandrae, Uvigerina peregrina, Rotaliatinopsis semiinvoluta, and Cassidulina laevigata, represents oxygen-deficient and organic carbon-rich environment. Besides the pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen and organic matter, we also report a strong influence of bathymetry, coarse fraction (CF) and the type of organic matter on a few living benthic foraminifera. The ecological preferences of 40 such dominant living benthic foraminifera, each representing a specific environment, have also been reported for site-specific proxy. We conclude that although the huge riverine influx affects living benthic foraminifera on the shelf, the dissolved oxygen and organic carbon mostly control benthic foraminiferal distribution in the deeper west-central Bay of Bengal.

Pan Evaporative Changes in Trans-boundary Godavari River basin, India

Pan evaporative changes are one of the key components of water resources management of a basin under changing climate and anthropogenic-induced warming. This study was undertaken for trans-boundary Godavari River (India) to identify trends through the Mann-Kendall (MK) test after removing the effect of significant lag-1 serial correlation from the climatic time-series by pre-whitening in pan evaporation (Epan) and in the probable causative meteorological parameters responsible for evaporative climatic changes in a large basin. Further, the Pettitt’s test was applied on Epan time series for estimating the change point year of Epan to find out the effective year when the change in pattern started reflecting in the time-series. At seasonal (monthly) time scales, statistically significant decreasing trends in Epan were witnessed in pre-monsoon season (in the months of March, April and May) over all the seven sites of the Godavari basin. Four sites witnessed statistically significant increasing trends in Tmin (Tmax) in July (December) and in monsoon (post monsoon) season in the basin. Statistically significant decreasing (increasing) trends in wind speed (relative humidity) in pre-monsoon and in month of March at these seven sites support the observed decline in the evaporative demand in the basin leading to possible enhancement in the total yield of the basin. Results of stepwise regression analysis showed that wind speed followed by relative humidity was found to be two main causative parameters of the observed decline in the Epan under the warmer environments in the basin. Pettitt’s test shows year 1991–1992 to be the probable year of change in the Epan in the Godavari river basin.