Knowledge space

The article investigates certain low-cost filtering materials and their filtration efficiency for open well sources in terms of economic access to clean water in Anakapalle, a suburb of Visa-khapatnam, India, during the pre-monsoon period of 2022. The corresponding research aimed to study a selection of filter materials including coconut shell activated carbon, rice husk ash, manganese modified sand, and graphene oxide, as well as assess their performance against selected physico-chemical parameters of water. Considering the basic idea of slow sand and gravity-based filtration, a setup was arranged with a cartridge filled with layers of filtering materials and a ceramic candle filter. Adsorption turned out the most pronounced removal mechanism that took place when utilizing the aforementioned filter materials. The main focus of the study was to reduce pH, TDS, hardness, alkalinity, chlorides and iron content by applying dif-ferent filtration removal mechanisms. The study results show a significant drop in turbidity, pH, TDS and chlorides, and small reduction in hardness when coconut shell activated carbon and rice husk ash were used as filtration media. Whereas the chemically coated medium – manga-nese modified sand – demonstrated a considerable fall in iron concentrations, graphene oxide sand was observed to reduce alkalinity for any sample source.

This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of Kabul Province’s groundwater for drinking by way of analyzing the data collected from 34 ground monitoring wells. The purpose was helped through the assessment of a set of groundwater physico-chemical parameters (pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS); sulfate, fluoride, nitrate, and boron content; total hardness (TH) as calcium carbonate, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and total iron), as well as the determination of the Water Quality Index (WQI) developed based on sampling the water points located in the districts of Kabul Province and Kabul City in the course of 3 years (2018 to 2020) to provide a clear and concise representation of water quality status, and cat-egorize groundwater into different quality classes ranging from “excellent” to “unsuitable for drinking”. Moreover, the spatial distribution of WQI and 12 physico-chemical parameter values was mapped using the Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) Interpolation in Arcmap 10.7 environment, revealing distinct water quality patterns across the study area. The water qual-ity testing outcomes under this investigation show compliance of multiple water contaminant concentrations with the World Health Organization (WHO) Water Quality Guidelines and Afghanistan National Drinking Water Quality Standards (ANDWQS). The WQI values range between 27.5 and 112 (as per ANDWQS) and between 33 and 127.5 (as per WHO Guide-lines); the WQI (WHO) display 9% and WQI (ANDWQS) display 3% of groundwater unsuit-able for drinking. Spatial variation maps (IDW Interpolation) demonstate that turbidity, TDS, TH, and magnesium concentration values for the provinces’s central and eastern sec-tions exceed the permissible thresholds. The study’s findings underscore the need for target-ed groundwater management strategies, including pollution control and regular monitoring, to safeguard water quality and public health in Kabul Province.

Исследование лавинной деятельности в горных регионах является важным аспектом для обеспечения безопасности населения и защиты инфраструктуры. Особое внимание уделяется изучению лавин в труднодоступных и малоизученных горных районах, одним из которых является Гиссаро-Алай. Удаленность, труднодоступность и повышенная облачность в период наибольшей лавинной активности делают полевые наблюдения и использование оптических спутниковых снимков для исследования лавинной деятельности в Гиссаро-Алае крайне затруднительными. В таких условиях оптимальным решением становится применение радиолокационных технологий, позволяющих получать данные независимо от погодных условий и условий освещенности. В статье описывается методика обработки радиолокационных снимков спутника Sentinel-1, а также результаты дешифрования лавинных отложений, которые были получены для Зеравшанского, Гиссарского, Туркестанского и Алайского хребтов в сезоне 2021/2022 гг. Проведена верификация метода при помощи мультиспектральных данных со спутников группировки Sentinel-2. Для каждого из хребтов Гиссаро-Алая приведены особенности лавинной деятельности – распределение отдельных мест залегания лавинных отложений по абсолютной высоте, крутизне и экспозиции склонов.

Pollution and over-exploitation of groundwater aquifers in Kabul Province have led to deteriorated water quality and decreased quantity. In its turn, these have caused elevation of physical, chemical, and biological contaminant concentrations in the province’s groundwater beyond national and international drinking water quality standards. The article describes the outcomes of a pilot photovoltaic reverse osmosis (PV-RO) system for drinking water treatment in Qala-e-Gulbaz Village, Kabul Province, Afghanistan. The main system’s components include PV solar panels, three dosing pumps, two alternative current pumps, two alternative-to-direct-current inverters, sand and carbon filters, two sediment filters, one ultra-violet filter, two water flow meters, and a complete water supply distribution system. The study was assisted by the Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR) ground monitoring well (GMW) system; quality analysis of different physical, chemical, and biological parameters of raw and filtered water samples; measuring filtered water and wastewater flow rates; determining associated limitations and pressures; as well as valuating different related expenses during cost per capita calculations. Water quality testing has shown the system’s removal efficiency of 97% for salinity, 97% for total dissolved solids, above 90% for other chemicals (anions & cations), 65.52% for turbidity, and 100% for bacteria. The plant’s mean quantity efficiency has amounted to 50%. The study highlights certain key challenges including high initial cost, significant wastewater volume, and need for professional operators leading to high operational and maintenance expenditures, with the initial system’s cost per capita of USD79.54. Therefore, under the condition of optimizing efficiency, improving wastewater management, reducing original costs, implementing training programs, and developing the necessary policy framework PV-RO water treatment systems represent a viable alternative.

This study explores pathways to transformation through a focus on water relations among states, examining the intersection of water resources management, political conflicts, and historical grievances: (1) Ukraine and Russia regarding North Crimea Canal; and (2) Afghanistan and Pakistan in Kabul River Basin. Using these cases to support water conflict prevention, this study explores water interactions (disputes, arrangements, and agreements) from the time of respective sovereign statehoods: Afghanistan (1919), Pakistan (1947), and Ukraine and Russia (1991) through to 2022. The design of this study incorporates the Transboundary Waters Interaction Nexus (TWINs) framework to assess past water interactions; with the Four Stages of Water Conflict Transformation framework, used to assess 2022 state-level relations to determine collaborative skills to cultivate water transformation. Findings indicate that while Ukraine- Russia water relations are adversarial, and Afghanistan-Pakistan are in the reflective negotiation stage—territorial disputes and political economic dynamics hamper cooperation, though points of leverage (such as neutral third-party mediation, shared environmental and economic interests, and water diplomacy and legal frameworks) exist. This research provides value through broadening preventative and transformative strategies in politically sensitive and geopolitically unstable regions—showing that water can be a catalyst for equity and regional securitization.