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The present study aims to construct ensemble machine learning (EML) algorithms for groundwater potentiality mapping (GPM) in the Teesta River basin of Bangladesh, including random forest (RF) and random subspace (RSS).

The RF and RSS models have been implemented for integrating 14 selected groundwater condition parametres with groundwater inventories for generating GPMs. The GPM were then validated using the empirical and bionormal receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve.

The very high (831–1200 km²) and high groundwater potential areas (521–680 km²) were predicted using EML algorithms. The RSS (AUC-0.892) model outperformed RF model based on ROC's area under curve (AUC).

Two new EML models have been constructed for GPM. These findings will aid in proposing sustainable water resource management plans.

While rapid increase in demand for foods but limited availability of croplands has forced to adopt input-intensive farming practices to increase yield, there are serious long-term ecological implications including degradation of biodiversity. It is increasingly recognised that ensuring agricultural sustainability under the changing climatic conditions requires a change in the production system along with necessary policies and institutional arrangements. In this context, this chapter examines if climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can facilitate adaptation and mitigation practices by improving resource utilisation efficiency in India. Such an attempt has special significance as the existing studies have very limited discussions on three main aspects, viz., resource productivity, adaptation practices and mitigation strategies in a comprehensive manner. Based on insights from the existing studies, this chapter points out that CSA can potentially make significant contribution to enhancing resource productivity, adaptation practices, mitigation strategies and food security, especially among the land-constrained farmers who are highly prone to environmental shocks. In this connection, staggered trench irrigation structure has facilitated rainwater harvesting, local irrigation and livelihood generation in West Bengal. However, it is necessary to revisit the existing approaches to promotion of CSA and dissemination of information on the design of local adaptation strategies. This chapter also proposes a change in the food system from climate-sensitive to CSA through integration of technologies, institutions and policies.

The analysis of groundwater level below the earth surface is focused on current and future scenarios. To analyze the wells under the threat of water level depletion, a study is conducted on the groundwater level using control charts. To improve watershed management, the important criteria are to increase infiltration as well as water storage capacity. There are 15 over-exploited zones in the study area (Dynamic GW Resources 2011). The purpose of this paper is to help in understanding the importance of wells for improving the water level to a certain extent for sustainable development.

The water levels in the wells are located with the help of x, y, z plotting on the ground using ArcGIS software. This water level mapping is done at a micro-watershed level to increase the clarity of information at the micro-level. In this study, the problem of depleted wells is sorted out, and the water level present in depleted wells pre-monsoon and post-monsoon is evaluated for the two years. Also, water level analysis is done using a control chart to find out the critical wells. On the basis of Poisson distribution, C-chart is used here to analyze the quality of wells and the water levels in those wells to be improved.

The outcome of the C-chart helps to track the wells that can be improved further to increase the water level. This paper presents the study of estimation of appropriate sites to be given importance and the rate of water level depletion to be controlled, which also helps to select a site suitable for artificial restoration by targeting groundwater potential zones.

This paper gives an outlook idea of wells that can be improved and the area that should be given more attention. Analyzing water level depletion helps to identify a suitable site for groundwater restoration using a remote sensing and geographical information system. These measures help the government and public sectors for proper planning and management of natural resources.

For the prosperity of both gender and for social justice, independence and empowerment of women is essential. Empowerment of women not only ensures her personal or household welfare but also spreads positivity throughout the community. This generation of positive externality by empowering women has actually attracted attention worldwide toward exploring the concept of women empowerment as well as analyzing their status. The present research focuses on comparative analysis of the status of women empowerment among the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries and side by side explores its relationship with the various macro-indicators related to growth and development. This study reveals that Maldives and Sri Lanka had a relatively better status of women empowerment as compared to other SAARC countries. Further, based on the panel data analysis, the authors have found that urbanization and globalization have a significant impact on women empowerment. Thus, this holistic approach of measuring women empowerment from a multidimensional perspective and detecting the influencing factors is inevitable for enhancing the status of women at the global level.

The purpose of this paper is to give a better knowledge of water resources in the region of Ben Azzouz, and to improve the actual water management through harmonization between the various human communities needs.

After an overview of the geology and hydroclimatology of the study area, the work will be to identify the factors involved in the water balance in the quantitative assessment of groundwater resources, to define areas of use and to estimate water needs for different uses.

The study of the area shows two distinct water reservoirs: the deep aquifer composed of fractured limestone, sands and gravels, and surface massive dune sand aquifer. The impermeable formations are the metamorphic basement and overlying flyschs nappes. Because the average rainfall is relatively high (∼708 mm/year), the region is known by its agricultural vocation and, therefore, most of surface water is assigned to irrigation. The second potential water consumer is population with 2.660 Hm3/year, then industrial needs are 1.793 Hm3/year. Although there was no marked water deficit in the region in the period 2007-2013, it is now time to apply concepts of integrated and sustainable management of water resources in this region because of the growing agricultural practice and population needs.

A quantitative diagnosis of water potential of the study area was evaluated for a better rational use of water resources.

The effects of population growth in the developing world and climate change have increased the stress on available water resources. The majority of Rajshahi city, Bangladesh, is facilitated with groundwater withdrawal. As Bangladesh is a country of monsoon climate, reserved rainwater can be contributed as an alternative to extracted groundwater. This study aims to develop a framework for rooftop rainwater harvesting (RRWH) for domestic purposes and estimate the appropriate size of the storage tanks and their costs required to fulfill the annual drinking and cooking water demands through RRWH in Rajshahi city of Bangladesh.

A total of 100 single-story residential dwellings with varying rooftop areas were surveyed for the projection of RRWH potential. The relationship between the size and cost of a water tank and the rooftop areas of different houses is expressed using a general mathematical equation. Cost estimates for the proposed RRWH system for all houses have been completed, and a cost model illustrating the relationship between rooftop or catchment area and associated cost of RRWH system has been developed.

This study reveals that a maximum of 110.75 m³/year rainwater can be collected from a 100 m² rooftop area of Rajshahi city. Moreover, this study finds that such harvesting of rainwater can reduce municipal water supply to the extent of almost 75%. Water samples collected from rooftops also revealed that if germs were removed through bacteria treatment, the collected rainwater potentially can be used for drinking and cooking purposes.

The novelty of this study is that it focused mainly on how significant RRWH can be to meet people’s daily required amount of water for household purpose and ascertain the cost reduction using the RWH method. This paper also is unique as it assessed the volume of the storage tank that is sufficient to distribute the necessary amount of water for drinking and cooking purpose as a sustainable alternative source in the dry season.

This study aims to test the role of the state of occupation, represented in Israel, as one of the most significant challenges, which faces the Jordanian water security. Where Israel expands in its policy and ideology everyday its hydro-hegemony over the Jordanian waters. Hence, its acts result in negative consequences on the Jordanian water and food security, which in turn affects the Jordanian national security as a whole.

This study relied on the following two approached to tackle its problem: first: descriptive approach: the descriptive approach depends on defining the apparent features and describing their nature and the type of the relationship between its variables. It aims to achieving a better and deeper understanding on the situation of its future policies and measures. And research uses the system analysis approach to handle the subject matter. Given the influence of water on the development, Jordan, as an organic or a political and social state, takes into account the reasons and causes of development. Jordan turns into an active political state, with water as an influencing factor on it. This premise represents the core of the system analysis approach.

The research concluded that the Israeli theft of the Jordanian waters is the main factor in the Jordanian water crisis. If Jordan had received its usurped water rights by Israel, it could have been able to solve its water issue represented in the increasing deficit in its water balance. Therefore, the Israeli hydro-hegemony on the Jordanian water resources caused the imbalance in its water security and, in turn, caused the development process to falter in general.

The value of the research lies in the fact that it addresses the most important reasons behind the water crisis in Jordan, represented in the Israeli control over the Jordanian water resources and the research shows that the amount of water stolen by Israel is enough to solve the water crisis in Jordan.

This paper aims to examine the issues of environment and climate change policy gaps and their impacts on the natural resources and ecosystems in southwest coastal Bangladesh. The effects of the increasing human activities as well as natural disasters due to the environment and climate change are analysed. The policy options as a response to mitigation, adaptation and possible human suffering as consequences are explored through discourse analysis.

This study applied focus group discussions, workshop and field visits to collect the data and information to explore environment and climate change policy-related problems.

It was found that there is a need for major policy reform to guide development interventions to reverse salinity, waterlogging, migration and groundwater recharging problems for sustainable environmental and ecosystem management in the region.

The paper then underscores the need for governments at all levels to adequately fund geo-information-based development interventions as adequate and proactive responses to environmental management and development to combat future environmental and climate change problems in the region.

Today, as we hurtle towards imminent planetary destruction in the age of the Anthropocene, we believe it may be instructive to try and understand if the ancient science of spirituality can prove useful in humankind's ability to change course, even at this late hour. We argue that such a paradigm shift is critically essential for human survival and that without the inner transformation proposed by this science, it may prove impossible to build a society based on the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity. This chapter draws from foundational texts and authoritative sources across multiple religious traditions, based upon which it outlines a brief sketch of the ancient science of spirituality. We begin with an account of the differentia specifica of this science, where we delve into what kind of science this is. Since it is centrally concerned with inner transformation, we briefly outline the theory of change embedded in this science and the kind of rejuvenation it enables, which makes it possible for us to clearly perceive the key elements and the structure of reality. We then spell out the impact this has on the nature of human action, continually teasing out implications for policy and practice in our time. We provide a few concrete illustrations of the same. Inter alia, we also show how many of these insights can be found even within modern scientific and philosophical traditions, thereby indicating possibilities of convergence and synthesis between ancient and modern science, following thereby the guidance of genuine spirituality.

Increasing public consciousness and demand for sustainable environment make selection of a safe location for effective disposal of healthcare waste (HCW) a challenging issue. This problem becomes more complicated due to involvement of multiple decision makers having varying knowledge and interest, conflicting quantitative and qualitative evaluation criteria, and presence of several alternative locations.

To efficiently resolve the problem, the past researchers have already coupled different multi-criteria decision-making tools with uncertainty models and criteria weight measurement techniques, which are time-consuming and highly computationally complex. Based on involvement of a group of experts expressing their opinions with respect to relative importance of criteria and performance of alternative locations against each criterion, this paper proposes application of ordinal priority approach (OPA) integrated with grey numbers to solve an HCW disposal location selection problem.

The grey OPA can simultaneously estimate weights of the experts, criteria and locations relieving the decision makers from complicated computational steps. The potentiality of grey OPA in solving an HCW disposal location selection problem is demonstrated here using an illustrative example consisting of three experts, six criteria and four alternative locations.

The derived results show that it can be employed to deal with real-time HCW disposal location selection problems in uncertain environment providing acceptable and robust decisions. It relieves the experts from pair-wise comparisons of criteria, normalization of data, identification of ideal and anti-ideal solutions, aggregation of information and so on, while arriving at the most consistent decision with minimum computational effort.