Part Of Delhi Research Articles

A study to assess the knowledge and practice regarding sanitation and hygiene among women in parts of Delhi, India

Background: Poor hygienic practices, inadequate water supply, and poor sanitary conditions play a major role in the spread of infectious diseases. So, safe drinking water and basic sanitation is of crucial importance to the prevention of health problems.
 Objects: To study the knowledge, attitude, and practices related to drinking water and sanitation facilities among the urban slum population of different areas of Delhi.
 Design: Open label, observational, non-randomized, community-based study.
 Methodology: A cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the knowledge of 297 females of different slum areas of Delhi regarding sanitation and hygiene, their attitude, and practices were collected using a previously validated questionnaire. The data obtained was analyzed on MS Office (Excel).
 Major Outcome: Major Outcome: Findings of the study showed that 42% of the subjects had average knowledge and 75 % of the subjects followed unsafe practices on water, sanitation and hygiene.
 Result: The study was conducted on 297 housewives having mean age as 34.14 years living mostly in joint family with 6000- 12000 monthly family income. 76.4% had toilet in their household but lack proper water disposal system.
 Conclusion: Conclusion: The knowledge and practice on hygiene and sanitation among the households of slum areas of Delhi was found to be satisfactory. This study found significant association between knowledge, practice, age, education, occupation, family income per month. It was observed that young women had good knowledge however financial constrains rule the roast.
 Keywords: Sanitation and hygiene; Knowledge; Attitude; Practices, WASH.

Critical Analysis of Firearm Wound Characteristics in Victims Brought for Autopsy at LHMC, New Delhi: A 20-Year Retrospective Study

Firearmwound characteristics vary a lot depending upon type of firearmand firearm ammunition used, site of entry or exit, range and direction of firing, presence or absence of interposing wearing apparels etc. Depending upon the availability and accessibility of firearm, the pattern of firearm injuries and deaths vary from country to country, region to region and locality to locality. Lady Hardinge Medical College & Associated Hospitals, New Delhi primarily deals with medico-legal works pertaining to New Delhi District which is the most sensitive and VVIP zone of India. Hence, the crime rate is controlled in comparison to other parts of Delhi and NCR of Delhi. However, suicidal firearm fatalities by police personnel engaged insecurity, homicidal firearm fatalities and, firearm fatalities due to terrorist activities and counter-terrorism operations do happen occasionally. A 20-year retrospective study from the year 2007 to 2016 revealed that rifled firearms were commonly used. Pre-autopsy X-Ray examination was done only in few cases. Detailed description about wound characteristics, wearing apparels, recovered firearm projectiles were found missing on many autopsy reports.

Dynamics of Hydro Landscape in and Around Yamuna River in Parts of Delhi with Special Refrence to Eco Green Areas

The study has been done with the aim to dilute the existing pollution level in the Yamuna River. The study suggests the establishment of water bodies along the river bank, so as to trap the water during peak flood period and its utilization in other seasons. The present study involves dividing the stretch 22km stretch of the river in capital city Delhi into six zones and directs to understand the rivers hydrology and environment on the whole in a stretch from Old Rail Bridge to IP Barrage (ITO area).

An integrated framework for the improvement of school bus services: Understanding commuters’ perceptions for sustainable school bus transportation

Sustainable Development Goals are a set of 17 inter-related goals adopted by the United Nations for a better and sustainable future for all. These goals aim to improve the standard of living broadly through better education, environmental consciousness, poverty reduction, equality, good health and sustainable cities and communities. There is a need to provide access to quality education through provision of transportation systems to help students reach the schools comfortably. Previous researches give evidence that commute to school affects the overall efficiency at school. Also, transportation is one of the significant contributors to air pollution, a key concern in metropolitan cities. Promotion of public transport is one of the effective measures to combat pollution and make transport sustainable. School-related transportation, an underexplored aspect in developing countries, holds a significant share of transportation-related pollution and congestion. The overall aim of this work is to design a sustainable school bus transportation system by integrating the views of experts, bus users and non-bus users through a two-step implementable improvement framework. In the first step, we rank the service attributes using the fuzzy best-worst method. The second step deals with the analysis of commuter (bus and non-bus users) perceptions by means of statistical tools such as logistic regression and non-parametric tests. Later, we combine these to formulate an integrated school transportation policy. The framework is empirically tested on parents of bus users and non-bus users of a school who represent various parts of Delhi, India. The results are encouraging and indicate good amount of savings in distance travelled by personal vehicles if non-bus users shift to school buses. The framework can be replicated by schools to improve their bus services and attract non-bus users to school buses.

Critical Analysis of Air Pollution and AQI and Its Bad Effects on Human Health

Because of quick industrialization and urbanization, Delhi is seeing uncommon increment in air contamination. The arrival of unsafe gases, for example, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide isn't just hurtful to the soundness of the populace, but on the other hand is making irreversible impacts nature. The motivation behind this undertaking is to depict the execution of ease and vitality proficient air quality checking frameworks. The proposed air quality observing framework utilizes an air quality record that can be effectively translated. To show the truth of the gases being discharged around parts of Delhi. AQI considers four significant poisons: sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone and benzene, SPM. By recalling information on day by day contamination levels, the EPA can indicate a number about its AQI run. The assessment results affirm the ability of the proposed framework for constant and spatial observing of air quality. Also, it is workable for the overall population to arrive at the aftereffects of air quality observing continuously.

Application-Based COVID-19 Micro-Mobility Solution for Safe and Smart Navigation in Pandemics

Short distance travel and commute being inevitable, safe route planning in pandemics for micro-mobility, i.e., cycling and walking, is extremely important for the safety of oneself and others. Hence, we propose an application-based solution using COVID-19 occurrence data and a multi-criteria route planning technique for cyclists and pedestrians. This study aims at objectively determining the routes based on various criteria on COVID-19 safety of a given route while keeping the user away from potential COVID-19 transmission spots. The vulnerable spots include places such as a hospital or medical zones, contained residential areas, and roads with a high connectivity and influx of people. The proposed algorithm returns a multi-criteria route modeled on COVID-19-modified parameters of micro-mobility and betweenness centrality considering COVID-19 avoidance as well as the shortest available safe route for user ease and shortened time of outside environment exposure. We verified our routing algorithm in a part of Delhi, India, by visualizing containment zones and medical establishments. The results with COVID-19 data analysis and route planning suggest a safer route in the context of the coronavirus outbreak as compared to normal navigation and on average route extension is within 8%–12%. Moreover, for further advancement and post-COVID-19 era, we discuss the need for adding open data policy and the spatial system architecture for data usage, as a part of a pandemic strategy. The study contributes new micro-mobility parameters adapted for COVID-19 and policy guidelines based on aggregated contact tracing data analysis maintaining privacy, security, and anonymity.

Effect of seasonal variation on the occurrences of high-risk pharmaceutical in drain-laden surface water: A risk analysis of Yamuna River

The occurrence of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic ecosystem is an emerging concern of environmentalists. This study primarily investigated the seasonal variation of high-priority pharmaceutical residues in the Yamuna River, accompanied by 22 drains discharge from different parts of Delhi. Five sampling sites were selected for analyzing high-priority pharmaceuticals along with physico-chemical and biological parameters for 3 season's viz. pre-monsoon (PrM), monsoon (DuM), and post-monsoon (PoM), respectively. The maximum occurrences were detected during the PoM, compared to the PrM and DuM seasons. The maximum concentration of BOD, COD, and Phosphate was detected at the last sampling station (SP-5). Similarly, all targeted pharmaceuticals concentration were maximum at the last sampling point i.e. Okhla barrage (SP-5, max: DIC = 556.1 ng/l, IBU = 223.4 ng/l, CAR = 183.1 ng/l, DIA = 457.8 ng/l, OFL = 1726.5 ng/l, FRU = 312.2 ng/l and SIM = 414.9 ng/l) except at Barapulla downstream (SP-4, max: ERY = 178.1 ng/l). The mean concentrations of Fecal coliform (FC) ranged from 1700 to 6500 CFU/100 ml. The maximum colonies were detected in PrM season (6500 CFU/100 ml) followed by PoM (5800 CFU/100 ml) and least in DuM (1700 CFU/100 ml). Risk quotient (RQ) analysis of high-priority pharmaceuticals indicated high ecotoxicological risks exposure (>1) from DIC, DIA, OFL, and SIM in all seasons at all the sampling sites. However, lower risk was predicted for IBU, CAR, ERY, and FRU, respectively. This risk assessment indicated an aquatic ecosystem potentially exposed to high risks from these pharmaceutical residues. Moreover, seasonal agricultural application, rainfall, and temperature could influence the levels and compositions of pharmaceutical residue in the aquatic ecosystem. Hence, attention is required particularly to this stream since it is only a local lifeline source for urban consumers for domestic water supply and farmers for cultivation.

Gender and smart city: canvassing (in)security in Delhi

Cities have been gender-biased; the presence of gendered environments in the form of public transport and governance has raised questions on ways in which women access the city. Women have been marginalized and alienated from the urban places and spaces. The fear of alienation leads to a sense of insecurity, making them more vulnerable to crime and violence. Several attempts have been made to make city gender-equitable and one of the recent ones being the concept of the Smart City. It is opined that such cities would be more viable and may provide answers to the problems concerning safety and security. In this framework, the present paper tries to analyze the relationship between gender, security, and the smart city. The first objective is to theorize the concept of security and if it is gender-oriented. Secondly, the paper tries to discuss if a smart city can provide a solution to the identified problem. Delhi is the case study here, as it is often regarded as one of the most unsafe cities in the world. Moreover, it is one of the cities selected under the Smart City Mission (2015), Government of India. The paper tries to identify the pitfalls of this Mission as only a part of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council has been included in this Mission.

A Parametric Study on Effects of Basement Excavation and Foundation Loading on Underground Metro Tunnel in Soil

This paper describes the effect of basement excavation and foundation loading on tunnel in sand. Typical tunnel geometry of Delhi Metro and soil conditions in part of Delhi (Yamuna Sand) are considered for modelling. The construction sequences of tunnel excavations, basement footing with retaining wall and the loading on footing have been numerically simulated using plane strain assumption in PLAXIS 2D. Basement foundation, retaining wall, sheet pile and support struts are modelled simulating the construction sequence that is normally adopted in practice. The soil is assumed as elastic-perfectly plastic material, and its failure is governed by Mohr–Coulomb criterion. The tunnel lining, footing, sheet pile, wall and struts are assumed as linear elastic materials. The loading on the footing is modelled in several stages simulating different numbers of storeys for studying the effect of basement excavation and structure/foundation loading. The results indicate that the response of tunnel lining is significantly affected by various stages of basement excavation and foundation loading. Based on the several response parameters of tunnel lining, it is concluded that the critical distance between the tunnel edge and basement footing is found as 2.5 times the tunnel diameter within which the basement excavation and foundation loading have shown significant influence on tunnel response.

Effect of core training on dynamic balance and agility among Indian junior tennis players.

The effect of core training on dynamic balance and agility has yet to be established in literature, especially among junior athletes. To investigate the effect of core training on dynamic balance and agility among Indian junior tennis players. Thirty junior tennis players from various parts of Delhi and the national capital region participated in the study. The study featured a pre-test/post-test experimental design. The subjects were divided into the experimental group (mean age = 15.20 ± 0.41, mean BMI = 20.23 ± 1.54) and the control group (mean age = 15.53 ± 1.06, mean BMI = 20.71 ± 1.53). The control group performed regular training, and the experimental group followed a five-week core training program along with regular training. The subjects were evaluated with t-test for agility and the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) for dynamic stability. A significant difference was found in the post-test values of agility (t-test p= 0.000) and dynamic balance using SEBT ((anterolateral; p= 0.00), (lateral; p= 0.02), (posterolateral; p= 0.00), (posterior; p= 0.00), (posteromedial; p= 0.01), (medial; p= 0.03), and (anteromedial; p= 0.03)] except in the anterior direction (p= 0.23)) between the experimental and the control group. The experimental group showed a significant difference in the pre- and post-test values of the t-test and SEBT except in the anterior direction. Core training programs can be incorporated safely with players' regular training to improve their dynamic balance and agility, which can eventually lead to better performance.

Left to ‘Biyaasi Number’: Cultural Activism and Political Street Theatre in Delhi

The journey from the northern to the north-western part of Delhi was not one I undertook often before the summer of 2012.1 1. The research for this article was supported by UK-India Education and R...

Disaster preparedness amongst women, the invisible force of resilience: A study from Delhi, India

Context: Women participation in disaster risk reduction has been stressed as they are the 'invisible force of resilience'. A sizeable number of the women in Delhi are homemakers. Objective: To study disaster preparedness amongst the women who are homemakers in a part of Delhi, India. Study Design: Cross-sectional community-based study. Setting: Four residential areas in east Delhi. Participants: Total 754 homemakers aged 18 years and above. Results: Amongst the women, 22.7% were illiterate while 19.7% had done college graduation or higher studies. The level of concern amongst them was highest for earthquake, fire and swine flu. Just 2.7% had the confidence that their household is well-prepared for a disaster situation. The top reasons for not being prepared were 'nothing can be done during a disaster', 'disasters are God's will' and 'will prepare only after seeing a disaster'. Only 15.1% had a family member trained in what to do in case of a disaster. Conclusion: The current analysis revealed several gaps in the women's preparedness. The adoption of positive behaviour by homemakers can directly impact the well-being of their family and their community.

Environmental Interventions and Air Pollution (Re)distribution in Delhi, India

Delhi became an exemplary city by instituting radical environmental interventions to improve air quality between 2000 and 2002. This included introduction of compressed natural gas (CNG) and closure of polluting industries. However, areas outside Delhi (but adjacent to Delhi’s border) did not institute similar interventions. This paper examines spatial (re)distribution of air pollution and its association with land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes in and around Delhi before and after these interventions. While the central parts of Delhi experienced an improvement in air quality, areas bordering Delhi experienced a significant deterioration in air quality after the interventions. This research suggests that air pollution is likely to (re)distribute if the environmental interventions are enforced uniformly in and around large cities.

Cultures of Commuting: The Mobile Negotiation of Space and Subjectivity on Delhi’s Metro

As part of Delhi’s redevelopment, aimed at creating a ‘global city’, new public transport infrastructure is being built. The Metro, in particular, has become iconic of what city authorities and developers refer to as Delhi’s ‘cosmopolitan’ and ‘world city’ status. Authorities have attempted to change commuting practices embedded in the culture of Delhi, a crowded, economically and culturally diverse city, in line with desired new behaviours including an emphasis on cleanliness, order and quiet. To explore these developments this paper presents findings from a qualitative study (conducted in 2009) analysing the urban mobility of a diverse group of young people. Their experiences of the Metro revealed interacting fields of power in the city, between passengers, and between passengers and those in control of the network. These relationships were situated within wider processes of urban reconstruction that intersect with global flows of capital, technology and ideologies of ‘modernity’ and development. The findings also highlighted the contestation of cosmopolitanism: its use to describe a desired urban imagination and its deployment as everyday competencies of negotiation and flexibility designed to manage change, unfamiliarity and inequality.

Physio-chemical and elemental analysis of ground water of four locations of Delhi

Physico-chemical and elemental studies of four ground water (bore wells) samples from different parts of Delhi was carried out during the month of April-May. The water quality parameters like pH, Total dissolved solids (TDS), Total alkalinity (TA), Total hardness (TH), Chloride (Cl-), Sulphate (SO 4 2), Nitrate (NO 3 ), Fluoride (F ), Calcium (Ca 2+ ), Magnesium (Mg 2+ ), Aluminium (Al), Boron (B), Zinc (Zn), Selenium (Se), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As) and Mercury (Hg) were studied and out come of the results were discussed. The elemental analysis was carried out by usage of ICPMS. Different parameters were examined & compared with Indian Standards, BIS 10500 (Maximum Permissible Value) to determine their suitability for drinking purposes.

Satellite based observations on the deformation pattern in parts of Delhi fold belt, Jaipur, Rajasthan

rocks. This has led to events which were associated withdifferent types of deformation and polyphase metamorphismof the rock sequences (Sinha-Roy et al. 1998).Thecompressional tectonic regime operated in the southern partof Bundelkhand granite gneissic complex (BGC) andAravalli fold belt was complemented by a tensional regimeresponsible in creation of linear basin in Proterozoic period,known as Delhi Basin. The fold belt developed during theclosing of Delhi Basin shows spatial variation in geologiccontent, tectonic pattern and probably also in the timing ofdevelopment. Delhi fold belt therefore can be subdividedinto two parts – North Delhi fold belt (NDFB) and SouthDelhi fold belt (SDFB) (Sinha-Roy et al. 1998). The studyarea belong to Bayna-Lalsot sub-basin, located 40 kmsouthwest of Bharatpur, forms the eastern limit of theoutcrops of the NDFB which is characterized by severalfossil grabens, horsts, distributed broadly in three mainsedimentary sub-basins (Singh,1984). From east to west,these are the Bayna-Lalsot, the Alwar, and the Khetrisub-basin.The rocks belong to the Bayna-Lalsot sub-basin aremostly metasediments such as quartzite, phyllite etc. A threetier classification of Delhi Supergroup of rocks in theBayna-Lalsot Basin is proposed (Singh, 1982). Pre-Delhirocks of this sub basin is exposed at the southern mar gin ofthe basin and are mainly schist, phyllite, altered basic rocks.The metasedimentary rocks of Alwar and Ajabgarh Groupsare exposed within the study area. Alwar Group constitutesthe sequence of conglomerate, quartzite and minor shalewhereas Ajabgarh rocks are mainly carbonaceous shale,phyllite and ferruginous quartzite.

Physico-chemical and Microbiological Studies for the Underground Water of East Dwarka Subcity of Delhi and the Impact of Rainwater Harvesting on its Quality

Earlier work has suggested that with the increase in the consumption of water due to the growing population of Delhi, there is a continuous decrease in the water level in the parts of Delhi. Due to this decline water is getting saline which is making it harmful for vegetation; also its taste is being affected. To overcome such problems rainwater harvesting systems have been established. Rainwater harvesting dilutes the dissolved salts in ground water. In the present study water samples, from various societies of Dwarka subcity of New Delhi have been collected where rainwater harvesting systems are installed. The impact of rainwater harvesting on the quality of ground water has been studied by collecting water samples from these selected sites in the months before after and during the rain. The present study revealed that the rainwater harvesting suitably affected the quality of ground water.

Air quality and respiratory health in Delhi

Delhi is an instructive location for studying the impact of air pollution since it is a rapidly expanding centre of government, trade commerce and industry. We have made an attempt to (1) determine the association between environmental pollution and respiratory morbidity in Delhi for the period 1998-2004, (2) assess the impact on hospital admission of the implementation of recent governmental regulations and (3) calculate the relative risk of hospitalization due to respiratory ailments caused by air pollutants. Seven hospitals from different parts of Delhi were selected. The pollution profiles of these areas were assessed and subsequently Poisson regression model was performed for the patient population. There was a remarkable decrease in monthly average concentration of sulphur dioxide (from 17.9 to 11.1 microg m(-3)) and increase in monthly average concentration of nitrogen dioxide (from 34.2 to 49.1 microg m(-3)) after the newly introduced regulations. Particulates were observed to have marginal fall in their concentration but still remained above the permissible limits. Gaseous pollutants, in spite of being at a level lower than the permissible level, showed more consistent significant association with respiratory admissions. The relative risks of hospitalization due to respiratory diseases were in the range of 1.07-2.82 in residential cum commercial areas. Comparative study of pre and post new stringent governmental regulation showed significant positive association of NO(2) with respiratory disorders in southern (RR: 1.10; CI: 1.09-1.12) and northern regions (RR: 1.33; CI: 1.27-1.39), both mixed use areas. In spite of the improvement in the air quality, the associated health effects were found to be substantial.

Crime in Delhi: A micro level analysis

The paper proposes to examine the spatial behaviour of crime in the context of urban Delhi. Government reports locate Delhi as the worst crime-affected region. As the pattern varies across the different spatial units, there has been an attempt to sketch the spatial organisation of crime in Delhi at the district and ward level. Two databases have been used for the analysis, i.e. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and the newspaper. The southern and eastern parts of Delhi tend to report a greater magnitude of crime incidences both at the district and ward level.

Perception Study of Cyber Café Users

The main objective of this article is to study the perception of the users of cyber cafés and to understand the important factors required to manage the cafés better in a competing environment. This was pursued by interviewing 414 users, in cyber cafés spread over different parts of Delhi. The respondents were chosen in so as to represent both the working and non-working class; those using the cyber cafés in the morning, after-noon, evening and night and belonging to different age groups, sex and education level. The information needed for designing the questionnaire was identified through exploratory research by conducting informal interviews and two focus group discussions of the users. The data was analyzed through the examination of frequency distributions, by conducting a factor analysis and using the chi-square test. Ten factors of perceptions were identified. The study indicated that value added services, state of art technology, effective utilization of time during waiting hours and data production facilities were the most important factors. The article concludes by providing recommendations to cyber café owners.