Arun Kansal

TERI School of Advanced Studies · Department of Regional Water Studies

The connotation of liveability varies with context. Assessing the liveability of cities is complicated by the plethora of mutually-interacting dimensions-physical, economic, social, environmental and institutional. The authors, in this paper, have attempted to address this complexity and advance the understanding of the concept of liveability to pl...

Most of the studies on EMC (Event mean concentration) and first flush are reported as local studies; however variations of EMC and first flush across catchments in different climate zones has not been studied. This research collected continuous flow and discrete water quality data and rainfall measurements from 17 catchments, EMC and rainfall data...

Willingness to reuse reclaimed municipal wastewater was ascertained through a questionnaire completed by 424 respondents, opinions of 17 experts, and interviews with 15 farmers. Information was collected to assess their knowledge of water scarcity and to determine the influence of demographics, correlation to perceived risk, willingness, challenges...

Modeling the washoff of pollutants from urban catchments is a difficult task. Although the exponential washoff model has been in use for decades, there is a general lack of data on model parameters and much less is known about how the model parameters are influenced by storm and climate characteristics. This study was done to understand how model p...

Phosphorus (P), being a soil macronutrient, is known to contribute to eutrophication when in excess and to impede plant growth when in short supply. The management and sustainable use of P have been major topics for research. Germany, in particular, has made significant advances in P management through concrete action, including technology for P re...

Phosphorus (P), being a soil macronutrient, is known to contribute to eutrophication when in excess and to impede plant growth when in short supply. The management and sustainable use of P have been major topics for research. Germany, in particular, has made significant advances in P management through concrete action, including technology for P re...

Life cycle assessment of three sources of phosphorus (P) to agriculture is presented, comprising a conventional source, namely a chemical fertilizer (DAP, or diammonium phosphate), and two alternative sources, namely P recovered from septic tank liquor (decentralized system) and that recovered from sewage sludge (centralized system). Impacts of eac...

Developing countries have low sanitation facilities with only 38% population having access to sewerage network out of which only 20-25% is treated. While 100% collection efficiency is not feasible in near future, decentralized systems are being promoted to improve local sanitation facilities and achieve SDGs 3, 6 and 11. These systems are often les...

The growing recognition of the potential of recovery of products from, and recycling of, wastewater is matched by a growing interest in decentralized treatment systems. Sanitation-focused policies and interventions , undertaken by many developing countries, are dominated by septic tanks for septage management. As reserves of phosphate rock continue...

Abstract Many developing countries are dependent on imported phosphorus (P) fertilizers and therefore increasingly vulnerable to scarcity of non-renewable global phosphate supplies, including short-term disruptions. A combination of participatory approach with quantitative substance flow analysis was used for identifying strategies for strengtheni...

The motivation behind this article is to understand the status of water resources management education provided in higher education institutions (HEIs) in India and decipher gaps between what is taught and what is needed out there in the field. The assessment has been carried out based on the information available on the respective websites of the...

The value-chain approach (VCA) was used for exploring how a niche crop, namely large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.), can be developed sustainably to increase incomes and enhance rural livelihoods in the mountains. Large cardamom is a high-value, agro-climatically suitable, and non-perishable spice crop grown in the Himalayan region. Originating...

The complex and diverse factors that influence water security in the Indian Himalayan Region were examined using problem and solution tree (PAST) mapping together with a field study. Five PASTs, each constructed by a different group of stakeholders, namely the state government, the local government, researchers, development agencies, and the local...

The dynamic interaction between society and nature is influenced by the prevailing norma-tive, cognitive, and regulative societal systems, which guide the relationships between soci-ety and nature or ecology. Therefore, mature cities with increasingly complex urban inter-actions must shift from the simple agenda of demand–supply to multi-criterion...

Water is a non substitutable resource and a social good, which governments must perforce provide to its citizens in the right quantity and quality. An integrated urban metabolism model is useful in understanding the status quo of an urban water and sanitation system. By defining and measuring the values of relevant hydrological performance indicato...

The scarcity of phosphorus worldwide led researchers to develop indicators of national vulnerability to phosphorus scarcity, however this has not been applied at a national level so far. A systematic approach is described here to identify country-specific indicators of such vulnerability, in this case for India, based on literature and stakeholder...

The governance of natural resources now attracts greater participation of different stakeholders, ushering in a shift from conventional governance by the state to that by a network of stakeholders—a form of governance marked by a growing role of non-state and local actors. These changing dynamics are highlighted through a study of the governance ne...

Public participation in water resources management and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for engaging with public have both been studied extensively albeit independently by researchers. The use of ICT for managing water resources in developing nations like India has mainly been top-down and technical in nature and has not fou...

(In Vatten, Journal of Water Management and Research, ISSN: 0042-2886) India, being the second largest importer, and the largest consumer of phosphate fertilisers in the world, needs to focus on securing its supplies not merely by providing subsidies to importers but also focusing on recovery and recycling of phosphorus from waste streams. In the...

Freshwater reservoirs are a significant source of CO2 to the atmosphere. CO2 is known to be emitted at the reservoir surface by diffusion at the air–water interface and downstream of dams or powerhouses by degassing and along the river course. In this study, we quantified total CO2 emissions from the Nam Theun 2 Reservoir (Lao PDR) in the Mekong Ri...

The paper aims to understand how the public perceives river water quality and related risks and behaviour. Using the stratified semi-purposive sampling process, the study explores the perception of people residing along the river Yamuna in India. The method applied involved a structured questionnaire survey of 2706 respondents and four focused grou...

Freshwater reservoirs are a significant source of CO2 to the atmosphere. CO2 is known to be emitted at the reservoir surface by diffusion at the air-water interface and downstream of dams or powerhouses by degassing and along the river course. In this study, we quantified total CO2 emissions from the Nam Theun 2 Reservoir in the Mekong River waters...

In recent decades, understanding the inter-linkages between solid waste management (SWM) strategies and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has garnered much interest. Research and experience suggests that beside consumption of energy for urban waste collection and disposal, the sector offer potential to generate energy through different waste treatment...

Emissions of greenhouse gases respect no borders, and the impacts of climate change are felt worldwide. Climate protection is therefore a global public good. Its provision requires international cooperation and joint action. It was hard to bring about the Paris Agreement -and it is still necessary to scale up ("ratchet") the pledges made in its con...

Ensuring water and energy security and lowering the emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) are now priority areas for urban planners. However, most studies considered different components of urban wastewater infrastructure in isolation. This paper calculates the total energy and GHG footprints of wastewater infrastructure, including the energy consum...

Various forms of energy are used during a wastewater treatment process like electrical, manual, fuel, chemical etc. Most of the earlier studies have focused only on electrical energy intensity of large-scale centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This paper presents a methodological framework for analysing manual, mechanical, chemical and...

India is heading toward water and energy scarcity. There is increasing number of instances where water distribution is affected adversely due to unavailability of electricity, and power generation companies have to reduce their generation during summers as they have to shut down boilers due to unavailability of water. Water and energy shortage toge...

Over the past two decades, urban lifestyles have changed phenomenally. One aspect of this change is the increasing use of household appliances, which, in turn, influences water and electricity consumption in urban households. It is therefore necessary to revisit water supply norms in view of these behavioural changes. Increasing use of water-related...

The paper presents energy and carbon footprints of sewage treatment plants (STPs) operating at different scales and using different technology options based on primary data from 50 STPs operating in India and the UK. The study used a combination of fundamental mass-balance approach for energy consumption and the methodology defined by IPCC for the...

The study presents energy footprints of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) operating at different scales and using different technology options based on primary data from 50 WWTPs operating in India and the UK. The study used a combination of fundamental mass-balance approach for energy consumption and the methodology defined by IPCC for the carbo...

The study was to characterize and understand the water quality of the river Yamuna in Delhi (India) prior to an efficient restoration plan. A combination of collection of monitored data, mathematical modeling, sensitivity, and uncertainty analysis has been done using the QUAL2Kw, a river quality model. The model was applied to simulate DO, BOD, tot...

This study investigates the effectiveness of aquatic macrophyte and microphyte for phytoremediation of water bodies contaminated with high arsenic concentration. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and two algae (Chlorodesmis sp. and Cladophora sp.) found near arsenic-enriched water bodies were used to determine their tolerance toward arsenic and...

Significance Our quantification of energy and material flows for the world’s 27 megacities is a major undertaking, not previously achieved. The sheer magnitude of these flows (e.g., 9% of global electricity, 10% of gasoline; 13% of solid waste) shows the importance of megacities in addressing global environmental challenges. In aggregate the resour...

There is a difference in the degree of success in curbing air pollution in different regions of the world. Therefore, it is of interest to explore how the management of air quality is organised. This paper investigates the role of stakeholders in air quality management in Germany and India, countries with a similar mix of policy instruments but dif...

Vegetable wastes (VW) and food wastes (FW) are generated in large quantities by municipal markets, restaurants and hotels. Waste slurries (250 ml) in 300 ml BOD bottles, containing 3, 5 and 7 % total solids (TS) were hydrolyzed with bacterial mixtures composed of: Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Exiguobacterium, Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas and Sphingoba...

Provision of clean drinking water remains a world-wide necessity, especially so for arsenic-affected regions where numerous physico-chemical methods have been developed for water remediation including adsorption, ion exchange, biosorption, solar stills, etc. Of these, several methods employ regeneration of media necessitating arsenic monitoring on...

Este trabajo examina los desafíos de la urbanización en India, así como las iniciativas tomadas para enfrentarlos. La urbanización en la India se carac­ teriza por un crecimiento distorsionado entre ciudades con gran inmigración de población, creando claras diferencias entre los centros urbanos y las periferias, en términos de formas urbanas y serv...

This paper presents urbanization challenges in India and initiatives taken to address them. Urbanization in India is characterized by skewed urban growth between cities by large population influx creating distinct variation in core and periphery of cities in terms of urban form and services. Key challenges include growth of slums, inadequate manage...

This paper presents urbanization challenges in India and initiatives taken to address them. Urbanization in India is characterized by skewed urban growth between cities by large population influx creating distinct variation in core and periphery of cities in terms of urban form and services. Key challenges include growth of slums, inadequate manage...

Este trabajo examina los desafíos de la urbanización en India, así como las iniciativas tomadas para enfrentarlos. La urbanización en la India se carac­ teriza por un crecimiento distorsionado entre ciudades con gran inmigración de población, creando claras diferencias entre los centros urbanos y las periferias, en términos de formas urbanas y serv...

Este trabajo examina los desafíos de la urbanización en India, así como las iniciativas tomadas para enfrentarlos. La urbanización en la India se caracteriza por un crecimiento distorsionado entre ciudades con gran inmigración de población, creando claras diferencias entre los centros urbanos y las periferias, en términos de formas urbanas y servic...

This paper presents urbanization challenges in India and initiatives taken to address them. Urbanization in India is characterized by skewed urban growth between cities by large population influx creating distinct variation in core and periphery of cities in terms of urban form and services. Key challenges include growth of slums, inadequate manage...

This paper presents urbanization challenges in India and initiatives taken to address them. Urbanization in India is characterized by skewed urban growth between cities by large population influx creating distinct variation in core and periphery of cities in terms of urban form and services. Key challenges include growth of slums, inadequate manage...

Stormwater run-off is difficult to manage in an economically developed and highly urbanized city. It causes diffuse pollution which impacts despite its local origin are not limited to the local pollution problems. The pollution gets mixed with the waste and impacts public health, aquatic life and ecosystem characteristics. The problem is closely li...

Globally increasing water pollution and lack of safe drinking water has raised an alarming situation. Breaching water treatment systems, increasing rate of mortality and severe health affects due to lack of potable water, guides us to develop and initiate sustainable solutions for both urban and rural communities. A common solution for many water r...

The paper reviews river quality models on the basis of their conceptualization, processes, strengths and limitations. It analyzes advances in basic research and compares river quality models, namely AQUATOX, Branched Lagrangian Transport Model (BLTM), One Dimensional Riverine Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Model (EPD-RIV1), QUAL2Kw, Water Quality A...

Various forms of energy are used during a wastewater treatment process like electrical, manual, fuel, chemical etc. Most of the earlier studies have focused only on electrical energy intensity of large-scale centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This paper presents a methodological framework for analysing manual, mechanical, chemical and...

River Yamuna, in the national capital territory (NCT), commonly called Delhi (India), has been subjected to immense degradation and pollution due to the huge amount of domestic wastewater entering the river. Despite the persistent efforts in the form of the Yamuna Action Plan phase I and II (YAP) (since 1993 to date), the river quality in NCT has n...

This paper is focused on the monitoring of the diffuse pollution characteristics from the agricultural land confining the River Yamuna in Delhi (capital of India). Agricultural fields surrounding the Yamuna river are direct nonpoint source of pollution impacting the river quality. The study includes watershed delineation for the River Yamuna using...

Every year 90 million tonnes of housed livestock manures are produced in the UK. This is a valuable reservoir of global phosphorus (P) and a point in the cycle where it is vulnerable to being lost from the terrestrial system. Improved manure management for the effective reuse of phosphorus is vital to simultaneously tackle a major source of water p...

Recent strategies for air pollution control in Delhi have largely neglected the emission reduction measures from thermal power plants (TPPs), which are the second most polluting sources. The present study investigates how the ambient air quality of Delhi would improve if the World Bank emission guidelines (WBEG) for the TPPs were to be implemented....

This study estimates minimum marginal health benefits (morbidity reduction only) of air pollution control and total health benefits arising from regulatory intervention regarding the adoption of the World Bank emission guidelines (WBEG) for thermal power plants (TPPs) in Delhi. The Industrial Source Complex-Short-Term Version-3 (ISCST3) model has b...

This paper describes the utility of QUAL2E as a modelling package in the evaluation of a water quality improvement programme. In this study, QUAL2E was applied to determine the pollution loads in the river Yamuna during its course through the national capital territory of Delhi, India. The study aimed at examining the influence of different scenari...