Distribution of marine debris in Jakarta Bay and its implication to the coastal ecosystem

Citarum River, which ended up in Muaragembong, Bekasi Regency-West Java Province, is known recently as one of the most polluted rivers globally, including pollution caused by plastic litter. This research was conducted in the surrounding river, estuary, and mangrove ecosystem in Muaragembong, which aimed to determine macro debris and analyze its impact on the coastal ecosystem. Marine debris sampling in the mangrove ecosystem was done by line transect, while the net using for marine debris sampling surrounding river and estuary. The result showed that debris composition in Muaragembong consisted of 80% inorganic and 20% organic, where plastic debris dominated with 50-81% and was distributed throughout the estuary and mangrove ecosystem. The highest density was found in the mangrove ecosystem in the Kali Mati Estuary (Pantai Sederhana Village) with 222.67 waste/m2, while the heaviest waste was found in the Bendera Estuary (Pantai Bahagia Village) 4,663.64 grams/m2. This condition explained the lack of marine debris management in the Muaragembong estuary, where most inorganic debris originated from household litter. This research also supports data and information for baseline Indonesia’s marine plastic debris due to comprehensive data needed to reduce 70% of marine plastic debris by 2025.

Rapid-Survey Methodology to Assess Litter Volumes along Large River Systems—A Case Study of the Tamsui River in Taiwan

Riverbanks are an important source of plastic pollution. However, the current assessment methods for riverbank litter are based on a point-based sampling which is time consuming and limited in scope. To quickly assess hotspot areas and litter compositions in larger areas, this study developed a new citizen science bicycle survey for riverine debris. Covering 281.5 km of the Tamsui river system in Taiwan, the new methodology was tested at one of the most plastics polluted rivers in the world. The results revealed an average litter density of 15.3 m3/km at the river mouth and of 0.2 m3/km to 2.8 m3/km along the riverbanks further upstream. The coastline was mainly polluted by derelict fishing gear whereas single-use plastics and illegally dumped waste dominated the upstream areas. A correlation between litter and population density could not be identified, but it was noted that litter hotspots occur at cut banks and near mangrove vegetation. Overall, the new methodology proved suitable to collect large quantities of data for scientific purposes and to quickly detect litter accumulations prior to clean-up activities.

Evaluation of the Surface Water Quality in Bangladesh with an Introduction of Water Quality Index (WQI) and its Prediction from Limited Parameters

Healthy aquatic environment is crucial for preserving aquatic lives in surface waters. Increasing industrial or agricultural discharge or run-off can pollute water leading to unhealthy aquatic environment causing distress in fishes and other aquatic lives. In places with lack of infrastructure and regulatory enforcement, pollution can be particularly challenging to handle. Assignment of an indexing system can be helpful for analyzing pollution pattern in the polluted rivers which can be helpful for remediation purposes and prevention of future pollution. Bangladesh currently does not have any indexing system in place. Assignment of indices in the rivers of Bangladesh can be helpful for remediation of the rivers on a preferential basis as remediation of all the rivers at once will pose challenges with funding and infrastructural allocation. Parameters monitored in the water monitoring stations of ten rivers were extracted from the reports published by the Department of Environment (DOE) of Bangladesh. A water quality index (WQI) was assigned on the rivers across seven years of time period to identify the most polluted rivers. The degree of pollution in the river was in the order of Mayuri > Buriganga > Korotoa > Turag > Shitalakhya > Surma > Halda > Dhaleshwari > Mathavanga > Brahmaputra based on the WQI analysis. Among the ten rivers, only Mathavanga and Brahmaputra were in good condition. The most polluted rivers were located in areas with manufacturing, textile etc. industries. Hence, monitoring of industrial discharge intro the rivers and regulatory enforcement is crucial for the prevention of pollution in rivers. In addition to regulatory enforcement, adoption of remediation plans and implementation of them is also essential for remediation of the polluted rivers.

Culturable nitrogen-transforming bacteria from sequential sedimentation biofiltration systems and their potential for nutrient removal in urban polluted rivers

Novel heterotrophic bacterial strains—Bzr02 and Str21, effective in nitrogen transformation, were isolated from sequential sedimentation-biofiltration systems (SSBSs). Bzr02, identified as Citrobacter freundii, removed up to 99.0% of N–NH4 and 70.2% of N–NO3, while Str21, identified as Pseudomonas mandelii, removed up to 98.9% of N–NH4 and 87.7% of N–NO3. The key functional genes napA/narG and hao were detected for Bzr02, confirming its ability to reduce nitrate to nitrite and remove hydroxylamine. Str21 was detected with the genes narG, nirS, norB and nosZ, confirming its potential for complete denitrification process. Nitrogen total balance experiments determined that Bzr02 and Str21 incorporated nitrogen into cell biomass (up to 94.7% and 74.7%, respectively), suggesting that nitrogen assimilation was also an important process occurring simultaneously with denitrification. Based on these results, both strains are suitable candidates for improving nutrient removal efficiencies in nature-based solutions such as SSBSs.

Pertanggungjawaban Pidana terhadap Pencemaran Lingkungan di Indonesia

The environment as a place to live and at the same time as a storage for waste from human activities. Can return to normal if the waste does not damage the environment. Environmental pollution has a bad impact on society. Research and reports from related institutions noted Indonesia's environmental problems, namely polluted rivers, the quality of the water must be considered because it is widely used by the community. The research method in this writing uses normative legal research, first examining the problem using the basis of statutory law. Discussion of issues regarding legal arrangements for criminal acts of environmental pollution and responsibility for criminal acts of environmental pollution according to criminal law in Indonesia. In this case, the legal provisions for criminal acts of environmental pollution are regulated in Law No.32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management. The accountability may be imposed on individuals, corporations and authorized officials.

Relation of Gallbladder Cancer, Gallbladder Stones and Breast Cancer with Polluted Rivers – A Case Control Study in the Indo-Gangetic Plains

BACKGROUND Gallbladder cancer and breast cancer are two common malignancies seen along the Ganges River and the Indo-Gangetic plains of northern India, especially in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Some of the postulated aetiologies include cholelithiasis (gallstones), typhoid carrier state, dietary factors, genetic predisposition and chemical carcinogens. Studies have also linked gallbladder cancer and breast cancer to carcinogens in polluted rivers. We undertook this study to investigate as to whether these conditions and gallstones were more prevalent in populations living close to polluted rivers. We also wanted to investigate as to whether there is any association between gallbladder cancer, gallstones and breast cancer with river pollution. METHODS This was a case-control study carried out in the Department of Oncology of a tertiary level defence hospital between 2018 and 2020. Patients who were diagnosed as having gallbladder cancer, gallstones or breast cancer in this tertiary institute, and were permanent residents of Uttar Pradesh or Bihar were included in the study. RESULTS In this study, we found that patients with gallbladder cancer, gallstones and breast cancer had their home closer to the river at a distance of around 53.9, 54 and 39.1 Kms. respectively compared to controls whose homes were at a distance of 76.7 Kms. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that proximity to polluted rivers is one more factor in the aetiology of aforementioned diseases. Governmental agencies must consider monitoring and controlling the release of pollutants from the industries into the local nearby rivers. KEYWORDS Gallbladder Neoplasms, Drinking Water, Gallstones, Public Health

Human Health Risk Assessment for Exposure to Potentially Toxic Elements in Polluted Rivers in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Anthropogenic activities performed in the Ecuadorian Amazon have released potentially toxic elements (PTEs) into the rivers, causing severe environmental pollution and increasing the risk of exposure to the residents of the surrounding areas. This study aims to carry out a human health risk assessment using deterministic and probabilistic methods to estimate the hazard index (HI) and total cancer risk (TCR) related to multi-pathway human exposure to PTEs in polluted rivers. Concentrations of Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn in surface water and sediment samples from rivers on the Ecuadorian Amazon were considered to assess the potential adverse human health effects. As a result, deterministic and probabilistic estimations of cancer and non-cancer risk through exposure to surface waters and sediments were above the safety limit. A sensitivity analysis identified the concentration of PTEs and the exposure duration (ED) as the two most important variables for probabilistic health risk assessment. The highest risk for receptors was related to exposure to polluted sediments through incidental ingestion and dermal contact routes. According to the deterministic estimation, the human health risk through ingestion of water was above the threshold in specific locations. This study reveals the potential health risk to which the population is exposed. This information can be used as a baseline to develop public strategies to reduce anthropogenic pollution and exposure to PTEs in Ecuadorian Amazon rivers.