Nagpur City Research Articles

Sustaining Reforms in Water Service Delivery: the Role of Service Quality, Salience, Trust and Financial Viability

The long-term success of water service reforms depends on sufficient revenues being collected from users to allow access to be extended and quality of service to be maintained, given constraints on the availability of other sources of funding. Financial sustainability will be undermined if a large proportion of users do not pay their water bills. Using household survey data collected around a unique water supply intervention to provide universal piped connections with continuous supply in the city of Nagpur in India, this paper explores the determinants of household water bill payment. We consider the importance of global service improvements and service extension, coping behaviours, specific service quality measures, and behavioural factors affecting decisions, including salience, trust and social norms, as well as external constraints. We find that global service improvements and extensions are strongly associated with bill payment, alongside salience and trust in the utility. Our findings highlight the advantages of integrated, area-wise reform programmes in improving service and achieving financial sustainability.

Prevalence and incidence of asthma among underprivileged children in polluted urban areas of India: a childhood asthma intervention and referrals study

Background: Childhood asthma has emerged as an important public health issue which is often under diagnosed or undertreated, especially in underprivileged children from slum communities in India. This study aims to increase awareness and facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of childhood asthma.Methods: Americares India Foundation organized 167 asthma screening camps in the city of Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Cochin, Lucknow and Nagpur in India from August to November 2016. A total of 10,017 underprivileged children aged ≤16 years were screened for asthma; symptomatic treatment was provided else the children were referred for further investigations and treatment. The camps were organized in collaboration with St. Philomena’s Hospital, Bengaluru; Lourdes Hospital, Cochin; Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar; Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur; and St. Mary’s Polyclinic, Lucknow.Results: New and known cases of asthma were diagnosed in 199 and 166 children, respectively. The prevalence of asthma was found to be 2.7% in Bhubaneswar, 3.7% in Bengaluru and Lucknow, 3.9% in Cochin and 4.3% in Nagpur.Conclusions: Due to increase in the prevalence of childhood asthma in India, it is important to create awareness and communicate with families/caregivers about asthma and related disorders.

Comparative study of morbidities in sawmills workers from central India: a cross sectional study

Background: The main problem encountered in the sawmill environment is the respirable dust (<10 μm) which may be a cause of respiratory diseases. Further the sawmill workers are also exposed to other health hazards such as injuries from handling wood logs, high noise exposure etc. There are few studies who have studied respiratory health of sawmill workers in India but there is paucity of studies on sawmill workers and their health problems in India. So the study has been undertaken to find out the chief morbidities among sawmill workers by comparing them in control group.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among sawmill workers in Nagpur city in central India from September 2013 to December 2015. Information regarding socio-demographic characteristics collected using predesigned proforma by interview technique. Thorough general, systemic examination and anthropometry was done to assess health status.Results: Majority of the study subjects were males and belonged to younger age group (28-37 years). Most common morbidity among sawmill workers was musculoskeletal disorder (Table 4) and it was significantly more than comparison group (p<0.05). Some of the other significantly common morbidities among sawmill workers (p<0.05) were conjunctivitis, rhinitis, injuries, hearing impairment, ARI’s, bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, contact dermatitis, abdominal hernia, varicose veins and pulmonary tuberculosis.Conclusions: Musculoskeletal disorders were the commonest morbidity among sawmill workers. Respiratory morbidities and other allergic effects of wood dust were other common morbidities among sawmill workers.

A Study on Smart Phone Usage Pattern – Purpose and Preference among College Students

Smartphones with android systems are generally used by college students not only for communication but also for learning and socialization. Socialisation through Facebook, Instagarm & Snapchat are often used by students. Tools like Online tutorials, Youtube are extensively used for learning. Entertainment like music apps, movie apps and online television channels are also popular Smartphone features used by the college students. This study highlights the relationship between the variable primary purpose and gender and education of the students. But when it comes to identifying relationship between the primary purpose of phone usage and their opinion, preference and usage pattern, there is a moderate positive relationship. Gender wise there was a difference in using the application of Smart phones. Male students were found to use fitness and beauty apps more than female students. Education wise Science students were inclined towards usage of practical application videos and Commerce students used on line tutorials in order to prepare for their exams. There was a gap between the expression of students in primary purpose and usage pattern. The study has been conducted in Nagpur City and the data was collected from the Undergraduate students studying in Science and Commerce streams.

Socio-Economic Costing of Road Traffic Accidents:Evidence from Nagpur City, Maharashtra, India

Socio-Economic Costing of Road Traffic Accidents:Evidence from Nagpur City, Maharashtra, India

A cross sectional study of prevalence of internet addiction and its association with mental health among college going students in Nagpur city

Background: The Internet has become an integral part of life. India is the third largest country in the world next to china and United States in respect of the number of internet users. Adolescents usually have poorer self- control, worse self-regulation, and poorer cognition as compared to adults and are considered the most vulnerable group to the temptations of the internet. Objective of the study was to understand the patterns, preferred use of internet, prevalence Internet addiction and its effect on their mental health status among college students in Nagpur.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in different colleges across in the Nagpur corporation during the period Dec 2016 to May 2017. Pre-validated, pre-tested, structured questionnaire was developed. Young’s 20-item scale for Internet addiction (YIAT) was applied to qualify for the prevalence of Internet addiction. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire has excellent psychometric properties as a screening instrument for psychiatric disorders in nonclinical settings.Results: This study of college students aged 17-25 years with marginally high male representation (51.92%), identified 30.69%, 26.60% and 0.26% students with mild, moderate and severe Internet addiction respectively. Those who are having internet addiction are two times at a risk of having poor mental health (OR = 2.28, p = 0.01).Conclusions: Disproportionate Internet use is an evolving issue among college going students as our study have highlighted that excessive use of the Internet undesirably affects one’s physical and mental health and social well-being.

Prevalence of hypertension amongst spouses in urban area of Nagpur city, Maharashtra, India

Background: Students of human biology share an interest in studies of family clusters of heart disease and its antecedents. The recent inclusion of husband and wife pairs (spouse pairs) has added a new dimension to earlier studies of first degree relatives. Blood pressure is influenced by environmental factors operating within genetic limits. Since married couples share a similar environment, the study can identify environmental factors. This study was done to find out prevalence and control of hypertension among spouses in urban area of Nagpur.Methods: This was a community based cross sectional study conducted in urban area of Nagpur city. 260 couples in whom both husband and wife were of age 30 or more were included. Blood pressure was measured and classified as per WHO guidelines.Results: Prevalence of hypertension was found to be 51.9% among husbands and 40.8% among wives. 57.8% husbands and 50.9% wives were unaware of their hypertensive status. Among those who were aware, 35.1% husbands and 15.4% wives had their blood pressure.Conclusions: The observation suggests need for targeting married couples as a unit of intervention for hypertension awareness and control. This study also emphasizes the need to increase the knowledge of current guidelines for detection and treatment of hypertension among physicians.

Monitoring spatio-temporal dynamics of urban and peri-urban landscape using remote sensing and GIS – A case study from Central India

In the study, an attempt has been made to map and monitor spatio-temporal dynamics of urban and peri-urban landscape of Nagpur city, Maharashtra, India using urban plan maps (1936), topographical sheets (1976), temporal Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper data for the years 1991 and 2010. Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA) technique has been followed to classify the temporal remote sensing data using eCognition software (Ver 9.8) in conjunction with topographic sheets in Geographic Information System (GIS). The analysis shows that urban area has increased from 2272 ha in 1936 to 17344 ha in 2010, this could be attributed to natural increase in urban population and inward migration from villages to city for better education, employment, recreation and living standards. During the urbanization process, about 2806 ha of land has been converted predominantly from double cropped area and degraded scrublands to housing or industrial needs. Interestingly area under water bodies slightly increased from 0.9 to 1.1 per cent of total geographical area (TGA) during the same period. The analysis of urban sprawl shows that eastern, southern and southwestern part of Nagpur city witnessed significant growth of urban sprawl. The generated spatio-temporal information on urban sprawl could be effectively used to monitor the land use/land cover changes and maintain sustainable urban environment of the Nagpur city. The study demonstrates the potential of temporal satellite data and GIS techniques in analysis of spatio-temporal dynamics of urban and peri-urban landscape for management of land resources on sustainable basis.

Leakage reduction in water distribution system using efficient pressure management techniques. Case study: Nagpur, India

Abstract Leakages in water distribution system (WDS) are directly proportional to its operating pressure. Pressure management is becoming an important technique for reducing leakages in the water networks. This paper presents a pressure management technique for leakage reduction in north central WDS of Nagpur City, India, using variable speed pump and pressure reducing valves (PRVs). Variable speed pump is utilized for eliminating pressure deficiency during high demand and for reducing excess pressure causing leakage reduction during lower demand, by controlling the pump speed. PRVs have been used for further leakage reduction. This paper proposes a modified reference pressure algorithm for determining the location of valves in WDS. A multiobjective genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is used to determine the optimized control value of pressure reducing valve with respect to change in demand pattern and to minimize the leakage rate in the WDS. Proposed pressure management technique leads to leakage reduction of 16.57% to 26.30% with respect to changes in demand pattern, causing daily average saving of 5.066 Ml. Minimum required pressure is maintained on every demand nodes to avoid pressure deficiency in WDS.

Calibration of water distribution network of the Ramnagar zone in Nagpur City using online pressure and flow data

Calibration of hydraulic model of a water distribution network is required to match the model results of flows and pressures with those obtained in the field. This is a challenging task considering the involvement of a large number of parameters. Having more precise data helps in reducing time and results in better calibration as shown herein with a case study of one hydraulic zone served from the Ramnagar Ground Service Reservoir in Nagpur City. Flow and pressure values for the entire day were obtained through data loggers. Network details regarding pipe lengths, diameters, installation year and material were obtained with the largest possible accuracy. Locations of consumers on the network were noted and average nodal consumptions were obtained from the billing records. The non-revenue water losses were uniformly allocated to all junctions. Valve positions and their operating status were noted from the field and used. The pipe roughness coefficients were adjusted to match the model values with field values of pressures at observation nodes by minimizing the sum of square of difference between them. This paper aims at describing the entire process from collection of the required data to the calibration of the network.

Ecosystem based Disaster Risk Reduction approaches (EbDRR) as a prerequisite for inclusive urban transformation of Nagpur City, India

Nagpur city is among the fastest growing agglomerations of Central India. The city is considered to be a fore-runner in sustainable development amist the rapid urbanization occurring in India. Though, selected under the “smart city” project launched by the Indian government, the city faces many urban challenges ineffectively addressed by the current development plan. Haphazard and rapid infrastructural development without any comprehensive plan is leading to urban sprawl that compromises urban green infrastructure across the city. It excludes utilizing benefits of nature and ecosystem services to complement and reduce urban stress. This has led to wetland reductions, reduced water infiltration affecting the water table and causing water shortage, flash floods, significant loss of vegetation cover and biodiversity across the city and increased heat island effects. These issues along with current approach that discounts the importance of ecosystems-based approach has put forward many challenges and a question with regard to sustaining “green image of the city”. To reduce risk against uncertainties, it is imperative to understand human-environment connections that involves diverse values and ecosystem services provided by the natural environment of the cities. Present study is a review of major issues raised due to un-planned development and addresses the feasibility and appropriateness of using the EbDRR approach. Environmental engineering based approaches having potential to transform Nagpur City into to a “smart city” can set an example for other Indian cities to follow. This article facilitates understanding and practical applications of ecosystem based approaches and practices to counter negative impact of urbanization.

Urban Area Delineation Using Pattern Recognition Technique

Urban areas are most dynamic in terms of land use changes. The temporal changes can be monitored through satellite data and reflects the development taking place. Pattern recognition techniques are used to monitor the dynamics. In the present paper, Nagpur city urban sprawl has been studied using band ratioing techniques and fuzzy classification. The result shows an increase in the impervious layer which is the bench mark of urbanization and a corresponding decrease in the vegetation cover and the open spaces. This type of output can be used for planning of industries, garden, rejuvenation of water bodies and monitor the development activities.

Knowledge and attitude about relining of complete dentures in clinical practice: A cross-sectional study.

Background:Residual ridge resorption is crucial sequelae of tooth loss. Complete dentures are the most common way of rehabilitating edentulous patients. However, with continuing residual ridge resorption, dentures tend to become loose and unstable causing discomfort, chewing disability, and speech problems. Denture relining is an economical means of improving a denture's stability and retention. An understanding of the clinical indications and limitations of these materials and procedures is crucial for clinical success.Aim and Objective:The purpose of this survey was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice in relining dentures among dental practitioners.Materials and Methods:The cross-sectional survey was conducted using a validated questionnaire on 200 (n = 200) dental practitioners in Nagpur city, Maharashtra. Data analysis was done using proportion test with SPSS EPI INFO software.Results:Although all 200 practitioners were aware of the relining procedure and were routinely carrying out the procedure in their dental clinics, 50% of the practitioners were unaware of the correct relining step by step procedure and were also not sure about the antimicrobial properties of the relining material available in the market.Conclusion:Awareness and scientific knowledge about the relining materials and procedure should be enhanced within general dental practitioners through CDE program and workshops. Steps should be taken to include relining procedure as a part of undergraduate clinical curriculum as well as internship program.

To Assess the Effectiveness of Planned Teaching Programme on Knowledge regarding Preconception care among Young Adults in Selected Colleges of Nagpur City

To Assess the Effectiveness of Planned Teaching Programme on Knowledge regarding Preconception care among Young Adults in Selected Colleges of Nagpur City

Richness of Avifauna in Gorewada International Bio-Park, Nagpur, Central India

The present study comprises the biodiversity of birds in Gorewada International bio-park situated at north-west of Nagpur city with geographical location 21°11′N 79°2′E and a good habitat for avian biodiversity. Bird watching and recording were done from March 2011 to February 2014, in the morning and evening hours during Sunday and holidays. 190 species belonging to 128 genera, 51 families and 17 orders (Podicipediformes, Pelecaniformes, Ciconiiformes, Anseriformes, Falconiformes, Galliformes, Gruiformes, Charadriiformes, Columbiformes, Psittaciformes, Cuculiformes, Strigiformes, Caprimulgiformes, Apodiformes, Coraciiformes, Piciformes and Passeriformes) were recorded. The order Passeriformes is the largest order belonging to 20 families and 75 bird species. Out of total bird species, 89 (46.84%) are resident, 77 (40.53%) are resident migrant and 24 (12.63%) are migratory species.
 Forest region of this bio-park provides heterogeneity in vegetation and lake is rich in aquatic fauna and other food for avian species. Therefore, this region is well suitable for feeding, resting and roosting site for aves. The report obtains information regarding resident birds, migratory birds and resident migratory birds of Gorewada bio-park.

Incidence of Uterine Inertia in Bitches of Nagpur City

Incidence of Uterine Inertia in Bitches of Nagpur City

Radiographic Imaging Assessment Prior to Implant Placement – Choice of Dentists in Nagpur City

Radiographic Imaging Assessment Prior to Implant Placement – Choice of Dentists in Nagpur City

Contextual predictors of AUDIT scores among adult men living in India

Madden, D., Rathi, L., Stewart, A., & Clapp, J. (2017). Contextual predictors of AUDIT scores among adult men living in India. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 6(1), 53-58. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v6i1.241Introduction: Currently, little is known about the prevalence of alcohol use in India. In order to begin to address this knowledge gap, this exploratory study examined contextual aspects of drinking events and the relationship between these factors and high-risk drinking.Methods: A convenience sample of 198 adult men was recruited from rural areas adjacent to the city of Nagpur. Participants were sampled in two waves. Respondents in both waves completed a nine-item survey that addressed alcohol use, including motivation to drink, where one drinks, and with whom one drinks. Demographic characteristics (e.g., income) were also recorded. Respondents recruited in the second wave (n = 98) completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). The data were analyzed using Poisson regression models.Results: Of those who completed the AUDIT, 37% were at high risk for developing an alcohol-use disorder (i.e., received a score of 20 or greater). Participants had higher AUDIT scores (i.e., alcohol-use problems) when they reported typically buying alcohol in a shop. Furthermore, respondents with greater weekly incomes and those who drink with the motivation to get very drunk have higher AUDIT scores.Conclusions: This study found an alarmingly high rate of alcohol use and alcohol-related issues among respondents. A better understanding of drinking patterns and contextual aspects of drinking events is warranted.

Evaluation of Ground Water Quality in Nagpur City

Evaluation of Ground Water Quality in Nagpur City

Evaluating urban heat island in the critical local climate zones of an Indian city

The rise in global temperature and rapid pace of urbanisation is fuelling the need to understand cities and its climate implication. Measuring urban heat island (UHI) have significant contribution in understanding this inter-relationship. This paper aims at measuring canopy layer heat island (CLHI) in a compact city of Nagpur, India using local climate zone (LCZ) classification. It also accesses the inter-LCZ temperature difference within the city and identifies critical areas that require intervention to curb heat island. The methodology describes LCZs mapping, data collection technique using fixed station points and mobile traverse survey conducted during the month of December 2015 and February 2016 of winter season. The paper adopts rigorous data filtering technique to avoid the errors in reporting UHI of cities having compact and heterogeneous built form like Nagpur. The study covers temperature buffer analysis, sensor lag determination, forecasting, outlier analysis and Pearson – correlation technique. It also examines the thermal anomaly in different LCZ with respect to cities average for identifying critical areas. The result shows that UHI intensity within built LCZ (IUHI), in winter season for Nagpur city, ranges from 1.76 to 4.09°C. The compact low-rise LCZs present at the urban core were found to be warmer than other major LCZ present in the inner areas of the city. The study also reports thermal variation between traditional LCZs and the LCZs with subclasses. The study concludes with identification of critical LCZs in terms of IUHI and suggests the need for intervention.