http://localhost:8081/jspui/handle/123456789/15066 2026-05-07T20:45:20Z 2026-05-07T20:45:20Z Mandal, Anirban http://localhost:8081/jspui/handle/123456789/20526 2026-04-24T16:01:21Z 2024-05-01T00:00:00Z

Title: 2023 Flash Flood Impact Manifestation on Livelihood Capital and Recovery Processes of Local Himalayan Communities Authors: Mandal, Anirban

2024-05-01T00:00:00Z Sahoo, Sashikanta http://localhost:8081/jspui/handle/123456789/20433 2026-04-17T04:49:40Z 2024-09-01T00:00:00Z

Title: GEOSPATIAL MODELING OF GROUNDWATER DEPLETION AND ITS IMPACT IN PARTS OF NORTHWEST INDIA Authors: Sahoo, Sashikanta Abstract: Groundwater is a critical resource for agriculture, industrial growth, and domestic use, particularly in semi-arid and arid regions of Northwest India, where surface water is limited. However, in recent decades, over-extraction of groundwater, primarily for irrigation, has led to significant groundwater depletion in areas such as the Malwa region of Punjab. This research employs geospatial modeling, machine learning, and remote sensing techniques to assess groundwater depletion trends and predict future impacts, offering a systematic analysis over a 21-year period (1997–2018) using groundwater level (GWL) data from 90 wells in the region. The study aims to provide insight into spatial variations in depletion rates, the potential for groundwater recharge, and the implications of water resource management practices. The analysis reveals an alarming trend of groundwater decline, with over 30% of wells in Malwa experiencing depletion at an average rate of approximately 40 cm per year. Seasonal patterns of groundwater levels, influenced by monsoon variability, show that while most areas report consistent declines, certain regions in southwestern Malwa experience waterlogging during monsoon periods, resulting in localized groundwater rise. This dichotomy between groundwater depletion and localized waterlogging reflects the complex hydrological challenges faced in this region, emphasizing the need for tailored water management strategies. To quantify the spatial and temporal trends in groundwater levels, statistical tools such as the Modified Mann-Kendall (MMK) test and Sen’s slope estimator were applied, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of depletion patterns. Hierarchical cluster analysis further enabled classification of wells based on depletion rates, providing a clear spatial framework for targeted groundwater management interventions. To forecast groundwater trends under varying future scenarios, machine learning (ML) models, including Random Forest (RF), Bagging-REPTree, and Bagging-DSTree, were applied. Among these, RF emerged as the most robust model, demonstrating high predictive accuracy across multiple statistical metrics, including Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE), and correlation coefficient (CC). By offering reliable predictive capability, the RF model proves valuable for informing water resource policies and planning in high-demand agricultural zones. This study highlights the utility of ML techniques for groundwater forecasting, advocating for their broader application in resource-scarce and over-exploited regions.

2024-09-01T00:00:00Z Chouhan, Shivani http://localhost:8081/jspui/handle/123456789/20367 2026-04-11T16:44:15Z 2024-02-01T00:00:00Z

Title: PARTICIPATORY RISK RESILIENT PLANNING FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE HILL HABITAT Authors: Chouhan, Shivani Abstract: The Indian Himalayas are one of the world's most significant and extensive mountain ecosystems. However, due to their tectonic activity, structural instability and mature nature, they are prone to multiple hazards, with huge loss of life and damage to property every year. Unrecognised practices, poor-engineering, and irresponsible development initiatives increase disaster risk and severity in the region, which turned many natural hazards into human-induced disasters. Such disasters further strain an economy already under stress, with devastating socio-economic consequences. Uttarakhand is an Indian Himalayan state located in the northern region of India. Being a Himalayan state, it experiences disasters every year with great losses. Among the most notable disasters in the state are the Uttarkashi earthquake (1991), Chamoli earthquake (1999), Malpa landslide (1998), the Himalayan tsunamis of Badrinath and Kedarnath (2013), and the recent sinking of Joshimath town (2023). Besides being in seismic zones V and IV, it is also susceptible to multiple hazards like floods, landslides, cloudbursts etc. Tourism is a major attraction in the state, and it is a popular destination for pilgrimages and leisure activities. It is estimated that over 25 million tourists visited the state in 2011, which has a population of about 10 million, despite the fact that the state faces frequent natural hazards especially during the monsoon season. While the state has abundant natural resources and tourism activities, most of its population lives on a survival level, making it vulnerable to disaster impacts and recovery. In this region, unscientific exploitation of natural resources has resulted in increased hazards and environmental degradation (Singh, 2006). For the aforementioned reasons, Uttarakhand state was chosen for this study as it desperately needs a prioritisation development decision framework for sustainable risk-resilient planning. The focus and overall aim of this study is to identify the parameters that are increasing the risk most significantly and slowing down the disaster recovery process in the Indian Himalayan Region. The Multi-hazard Risk Assessment (MHRA) component of the study will examine pre-disaster factors and the Disaster Recovery study will examine post-disaster factors. The significant parameters identified are connected with sustainable development goals and validated using a participatory approach.

2024-02-01T00:00:00Z Gairola, Sandeep http://localhost:8081/jspui/handle/123456789/20351 2026-04-09T17:11:34Z 2024-02-01T00:00:00Z

Title: DEVELOPMENT AND FLAMMABILITY BEHAVIOR OF FOREST/CROP RESIDUE-BASED POLYMERIC COMPOSITES Authors: Gairola, Sandeep Abstract: Throughout human civilization, the role of materials has been paramount, shaping technological advancements and driving progress. In this context, polymer matrix composites (PMCs) have emerged as versatile and promising materials, offering a unique blend of mechanical properties. However, their widespread adoption faces challenges, notably in terms of sustainability. To address these challenges, the incorporation of biobased fibers and fillers derived from forest and agricultural waste has gained substantial attention. Incorporating biobased fibers and fillers in biopolymers signifies a critical shift towards sustainable material development. Despite these advancements, one significant limitation that hinders the broader application of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites (NFRPCs) is their inherently poor flame retardancy. Natural fibers, while offering an array of advantages, tend to be highly flammable when exposed to heat or flame. This susceptibility to combustion poses a critical constraint on their potential utility across various industries, particularly in applications where fire resistance is an essential criterion. Conventional flame-retardant (FR) materials, typically based on halogenated compounds and other hazardous chemicals, have addressed this challenge effectively. However, they often counteract the sustainability goals sought using natural fibers. Consequently, developing flame-retardant biobased composites becomes a pressing imperative, as it aligns sustainability with fire safety. Hence, the current research endeavor aims to tackle the issue by exploring various underutilized agricultural/forest waste as potential filler/fibers for the development of polymer matrix composites via conventional routes, such as extrusion, injection, and compression molding techniques. It is followed by developing flame-retardant-based composites using non-halogenated flame retardants, thereby broadening the application spectrum of these sustainable materials. The present research investigation is divided into four broad areas. The first phase explores a feasibility check and process parameter optimization for processing NFRPCs using various forest/agricultural waste (such as, finger millet husk, barnyard millet husk, and corncob). The processing is followed by investigation of the mechanical, thermal, and morphological behavior of developed NFRPCs using standard characterization techniques. The tensile and flexural strength varies for all the composites in the range of 22-30 MPa and 45-63 MPa, respectively. The tensile and flexural modulus varies in the range of 550-900 MPa and 1700-2700 MPa, respectively. The results established the potential candidacy of the selected waste materials as a filler/reinforcement in developing composite materials for non-structural applications. The second phase explore the woven (continuous) fiber (such as, jute, sisal, and jute-sisal intra hybrid fabric) based polypropylene composites. The analysis involved the investigation of fiber orientation, hybridization, and stacking sequence and their effect on the static and dynamic mechanical behavior of the developed composites. The results revealed that the combined and alternative orientation of the jute and sisal fibers resulted in better stress transfer efficiency. Therefore, hybridization and orientation of the fibers significantly improved the static and dynamic mechanical properties of developed composites. The third phase explored the FR additives, treatment of fibers with FRs, and hybrid FR approaches to develop flame-resistant NFRPCs. The findings provide an in-depth analysis of the development and utilization of FR-based natural fibers for developing flame-resistant NFRPCs employing detailed characterization. The results revealed that the hybrid approach utilizing FR additives and treated fibers exhibited superior flame retardancy as compared to the additive and treated fiber approaches adopted independently. The fourth phase explored the detailed analysis of the degradation behavior of the jute-sisal fibers and their polypropylene based composites when exposed to three different environmental conditions. The results have been thoroughly analyzed and discussed in detail. The results revealed that the lowest durability was observed with alkali aging, followed by water and oil aging. The current experimental research gives insight into the importance of fiber hybridization, orientation, stacking sequence processing, flame retardancy behavior, and environment aging behavior of polymeric composites. The research findings from the current work can certainly help the industrial and research fraternity working in the broad area of sustainable composites.

2024-02-01T00:00:00Z