The prevalence of malaria among the residents of the Lake Victoria basin remains high. The environment associated with the lake may maintain a high number of malaria vectors. Lake habitats including water hyacinths have been suspected to be the source of vectors. This study investigated whether malaria vectors breed in the lake habitats and adjacent backwater pools. Anopheline larvae were collected within the littoral zone of the lake and adjacent pools located along approximately 24.3 km of the lakeshore in western Kenya, and their breeding sites characterized.

Conservation is a tricky thing. It's about finding the balance between the needs of wildlife and mankind. It's about preserving what exists, saving what's diappearing, and encouraging what's naturally developing. WWT's (Wildlife & Wetlands Trust) work in Koshi Tappu, Nepal is a fascinating project that requires careful dedication to all these balances. In a nutshell, Koshi Tappu is a wetland that has been fished by local communities for generations upon generations.

This study presents bioconversion of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) to bioethanol using two-sequential steps of acid hydrolysis (10% sulfuric acid) and yeast (Candida intermedia) fermentation. A maximum ethanol yield (coefficient, 0.21 g g-1; productivity, 0.010 g l-1h-1) was comparable to predicted value (0.23 g g-1) obtained by CCD (Central Composite Design). Two colorimetric methods (phloroglucinol and dichromate assays) were used for determination of xylose and ethanol using UV-Vis spectrophotometer.

Ahmedabad: Lakes and small waterbodies are the next major concern for Ahmedabad’s mosquito control team. Over 20 water bodies — minor and major — dot the city. And health officials of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) believe that with the rains ebbing, the water bodies are turning into major breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

PALAKKAD: The Dam Safety Authority will submit its report to State Government on the causes for the breach of Moolathara regulator-cumbridge within a week, according to Dam safety Authority chairman Justice Rajendra Babu.

He was speaking to mediapersons after visiting the Moolathara regulator-cumbridge here on Tuesday.

The sugarcane industry is one of the major water consuming industries. They play a major role in national economical development programmes. India is the second largest producer of sugar in the world.

The experiment showed that noxious aquatic weeds like water hyacinth, water lettuce and cattail could be managed beneficially by converting easily in to good quality vermicompost within 2 to 3 month using Perionyx excavates earthworms. These composts recorded 0.71-1.36% total nitrogen, 0.38-0.75% total phosphorus and 0.86-1.44% total potassium, indicating its good quality as organic fertilizer.

The CSE report on Sanjay lake situated in East Delhi. This rainwater lake was to be developed before the 2010 Commonwealth Games but the negligence of DDA and the Delhi Tourism Department who are in charge of the lake has made it a pool full of mud and sewage.

The report is available at
http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/
newsletter/sanjay_lake.htm

Water hyacinth growing in the lakes absorbs the nutrients (phosphorous, nitrogen) being released to the lake water from untreated sewage discharged in the lake, for their growth and reduces the nutrient concentration in the lake water. After a period of time these plants sink to the bottom of lakebed and decay affecting water quality.

This article analyzes the effects of the invasion of water hyacinth on fishing in Lake Victoria. The authors built two fairly standard Schaefer-type models that have one innovation: They allow the water hyacinth abundance to affect catchability.

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