Irrigation Ponds Research Articles

Can the Indonesian collective action norm of Gotong-Royong be strengthened with economic incentives? Comparing the implementation of an aquaculture irrigation policy program

The Indonesian multi-level governmental program (PITAP) is a participatory pond irrigation management policy established by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. It aims to catalyze the rehabilitation of irrigation canals to improve water access for small-scale aquaculture farmers. In PITAP, traditional aquaculture farmers are incentivized with government funding to create community-based co-management groups (POKLINA), to maintain the self-governance of their irrigation canals. The logic of PITAP is to encourage POKLINA farmers to rehabilitate their irrigation canals through subsidized labor payments that are coupled with strengthening the strong cultural norm of mutual assistance (i.e., collective action) within Indonesian society called Gotong-Royong. PITAP aims to revitalize Gotong-Royong through subsidized labor compensation with the hope that when the subsidy program is over, Gotong-Royong will be revitalized without external support. In this study, we compare and analyze four villages on Lombok, Indonesia, that participated in PITAP program in 2020 and 2021. The study is supported with empirical data using various qualitative data collection methods, including interviews, participant observations, and the collection of policy documents. We further use the Social-Ecological System Framework (SESF) as a diagnostic tool to structure the data collection process and analysis. Findings indicate that different variables hinder and enable collective action in the four villages, leading to different PITAP program outcomes. The likely reason for this, suggested by our findings, is that each village has different social and ecological conditions that influence intrinsic motivation for collective action. PITAP program either crowds out intrinsic motivation under some conditions or crowds it in under others. This suggests the need to consider contextual adaptations in policy design and implementation to improve outcomes better.

Study The Effectiveness of Reservoir Utilization In The Fishpond Water Management System In Maintaining Salinity For Fishpond Cultivation

The growing global population has led to an increased demand for food to meet humanity’s needs. However, the degradation of productive land presents a significant challenge regarding ensuring food availability. The utilization of wetlands has emerged as a feasible alternative. As the second-longest coastline in the world, Indonesia holds great potential for wetland development, for instance, fishpond. Nevertheless, the prevailing extensive traditional fishponds have low productivity and fail to maximize profits. Therefore, shifting towards more intensive cultivation methods is necessary to enhance productivity and increase profitability. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of reservoirs in maintaining salinity levels, aiming for technological improvement in semi-intensive fishponds. A water system model in the pond irrigation area is utilized to accomplish this. The model consists of two variations: Model 1, which includes rivers and channels, and Model 2, which combines rivers, channels, and reservoirs. The study results indicate that integrating reservoirs into the water system can significantly enhance salinity distribution. Model 2, which combines the reservoir component, demonstrates superior salinity dispersion. Furthermore, this enhanced dispersion persists over a longer period. These findings underscore the potential of reservoir utilization to improve the effectiveness of semi-intensive fishponds and their overall productivity.

Tiga Komponen Utama (Sumber Daya Manusia, Sistem Kerambah, Sistem Pengelolaan) Pemberdayaan Embung Cokro, Sukoanyar, Pakis, Malang

Kuliah Kerja Mahasiswa (KKM) is a forum and a concrete manifestation of student obligations in carrying out the Tri Dharma of Higher Education in the field of community service. The KKM service activity for group 33 of the State Islamic University of Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang was carried out in Cokro Hamlet, Sukoanyar Village, Pakis District, Malang Regency. Community service is carried out in various aspects, one of which is empowering village resources. Sukoanyar Village has a reservoir or irrigation pond which is a village asset. However, the reality on the ground is that the Cokro Reservoir has experienced several setbacks, namely its less productive activities and management. The purpose of implementing embung empowerment socialization is as an effort to achieve the main goal, namely cokro embung which is productive both in terms of empowerment value, economic value, aesthetic value and profit value. The effort of the KKM 33 UIN Malang group in assisting this empowerment process was to socialize the empowerment of cokro ponds. The content of the socialization is about the main components of the reservoir management which include; productivity of human resources, cage systems, harvesting systems, feed systems and suitable types of fish. Fish that are suitable for cultivation are tilapia. Apart from that, KKM-33 of UIN Malang has also built a garden on the side of the pond and carried out stocking of fish ready for fishing in order to help the process of empowering the pond.

Water management model of Sei Teras fishpond irrigation area in the Central Kalimantan food estate program

This study aims to apply semi-technical irrigation technology as an intermediate plan before an advanced development of the Sei Teras fishpond Irrigation Area can be established. Results of the previous study show that the availability of saline and freshwater sources enables the Sei Teras fishpond irrigation area to be developed into a semi-intensive advanced cultivation level. This study evaluates an alternative scheme of fresh and saline water management, which enlarges channel capacity and introduces gates. The evaluation compares the alternative schemes of hydraulic and water quality performance against the existing conditions using the HEC-RAS. The boundary conditions for modelling are obtained from measurement and Secondary data of the previous studies. The measured data are salinity, tides, and channel flow velocity. The parameters being compared are the discharge capacity, tidal water level, and salinity. The evaluation points are located at the Primary and Secondary channels. The simulation results show that enlargement of the channel capacity can increase the discharge to 129,22% at the evaluation point, but no significant water level change. Furthermore, the salinity level can maintain the aquaculture requirement by assigning the gates. Therefore, the alternative development scheme of the pond irrigation system is feasible and supports shrimp cultivation.

Spatial Variation of Tetracycline-Resistant E. coli and Relationships with Water Quality Variables in Irrigation Water: A Pilot Study

Irrigation waters may facilitate the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria or genes to humans and animals. Monitoring of resistance in irrigated waters has become common; however, many studies do not incorporate a spatial component into sampling designs. The objective of this work was to assess spatiotemporal variations in tetracycline-resistant E. coli in an irrigation pond. Water samples were collected at 10 locations and two different water depths, and in situ and laboratory water quality measurements were performed. The percentage of E. coli resistant to the low (4 μg mL−1) and high (16 μg mL−1) tetracycline doses varied by date and location but were observed to be as high as 12.7% and 6.3% of the total population throughout the study, respectively. While significant differences were not observed between resistance levels measured at different depths, on one date resistant E. coli were only detected in samples collected at depth. Nitrate, fluorescent dissolved organic matter, and dissolved oxygen concentrations were found to be the leading control variables for the percentage of resistant E. coli. This work demonstrates that there may be substantial spatial variability in concentrations of antibiotic-resistant E. coli in irrigation ponds which should be accounted for in the design of monitoring programs.

Dynamics of suspended and dissolved radiocaesium in a small irrigation pond based on vertical water quality profiles

Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, extensive research has been conducted on the dynamic distribution of radiocaesium in large reservoirs. However, studies on small ponds, particularly those used for rice cultivation, are limited. This study analyzed the vertical water quality profiles, including the bioavailable Caesium-137 (137Cs) in an irrigation small pond classified as discontinuous cold polymictic based on water mixing type, and subjected to a high (2.0 MBq m−2) deposition of 137Cs and evaluated their potential risk associated with agricultural use. During 2014–2015, the suspended and dissolved concentrations of 137Cs in the pond water ranged from 0.10 to 7.7 Bq L−1 and 0.03–0.88 Bq L−1, respectively. The elution of dissolved 137Cs from the bottom sediment occurred only during the summer when the water temperature exceeded 15 °C, NH4+ increased, and dissolved oxygen decreased. Except during flood inflow mixing events, the activity concentration of dissolved 137Cs in the bottom layer did not increase in the surface layer at depths ≤ 1.0 m. In a 3 m shallow pond without a well-defined thermocline, a gradual density stratification primarily occurred in the lower layer during summer, limiting the transport of dissolved 137Cs from the bottom to the surface layer. About 5 % of 137Cs in the suspended solids and bottom sediment are exchangeable, indicating the mica-rich soils and geological conditions with a high fixation capacity of 137Cs reduce the risk of 137Cs elution. Even after three to four years of considerable depositions, the risk of radiocaesium absorption by paddy rice and subsequent increase in radiocaesium concentration in brown rice was negligible as long as the surface water of the pond was used for agriculture.

Water quality assessment in an irrigation pond based on adult caddisfly (Insecta: Trichoptera) assemblages

Caddisfly fauna are abundant benthic organisms in freshwater ecosystems and are considered effective bioindicators of water quality. A study of caddisfly biodiversity and its application for use as an indicator species to assess water quality in aquatic environments was conducted in an irrigation pond at the Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand. The specimens were sampled monthly from January to December 2020 by portable light traps. A total of 2,771 adult male caddisflies, representing 7 families, 14 genera, and 30 species, were determined over a period of one year. The four most common species (Setodes gangaya, Cheumatopsyche lucida, Paduniella sampati, and Ecnomus puro) made up approximately 75.49% of the total male abundance. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that nitrate-nitrogen, ammonia-nitrogen, sulfate, pH, and dissolved oxygen were the most influential environmental parameters on Trichoptera assemblages. Caddisfly species Ecnomus puro, E. mammus, and E. utto were positively related to sulfate, whereas Leptocerus lampunensis, Setodes melanippos, and Cheumutopsyche schwendingeri were negatively related. Species of Paduniella sampati, Pseudoneureclipsis tramot, Setodes gangaya, and Leptocerus dirghachuka were positively related to nitrate-nitrogen. The results of this study revealed that the order Trichoptera, identified by species, can be potentially used to assess environmental water quality status in freshwater ecosystems.

Analysis of water physical, chemical and biological properties in different peat swamp forests converted to rice fields

The Indonesian government plans to turn Central Kalimantan into a national food barn by planting rice in several places, including in shallow peatlands. Tropical peatlands actually have limited potential for agricultural use because the growing medium in some cases is not conducive to root development, waterlogged soils that poison plants. The physical, chemical, and biological properties of water can be used as indicators to determine if a land is suitable for growing crops. The objective of this study is to analyze the physical, chemical, and biological properties of water in different aquatic ecosystems in peat swamp forest. This study was conducted in the Peat Techno Park (PTP) of the College of Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan. Samples were collected from 9 observation stations with different forms of land use for agricultural activities, namely unplowed rice fields, plowed fields, swamps, connecting ditches, beje, natural peat swamp forests, ponds and irrigation ponds. Data collection was taken over a 6-month period and coincided with the peak of the dry season and the rainy season. Water properties were then analyzed by observing the parameters measured directly at the station, namely pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO) and depth. The results showed that there were 4 (four) sites that had suitable water properties for agricultural uses, namely unplowed fields, plowed fields, swamps and ponds. There are only 2 (two) macrozoobenthos groups on PTP peat bogs, namely Annelida and insects. In addition, the most dominant group in insect belongs to the ordo Diptera, and family Chironomidae with the most common genus Chironomus. Conversion of peat swamp forest to rice fields and fish ponds promotes greater diversity and abundance of macroinvertebrate communities, with the depth significantly affecting them.

Integrated Water Management in Mountain Communities: The Case of Feutap in the Municipality of Bangangté, Cameroon

The whole population of Feutap still collects drinking water from two protected springs, some 1 km away from this small rural agglomeration. For many generations, the only improvement has been the protection of the springs during the 1980s. The resulting high incidence of gastrointestinal infections continues to hinder the socioeconomic development of this mountain community. This dynamic wherein “poverty begets disease, and disease begets poverty” seems endless given the number of water improvement programs and other health-focused campaigns in rural areas of Cameroon since the 1960s. Fortunately, the hydrographic regime of Feutap and its geographical situation enable the implementation of the Kilimanjaro Concept (KC), wherein rainwater is quantitatively harvested, partly infiltrated, and largely stored to (i) meet the whole-year water needs of the population, (ii) create new ecosystems, and (iii) enable irrigated agriculture. This communication prepares the implementation of the KC in Feutap, including the creation of irrigation ponds for agriculture and small farm animals (e.g., goats and sheep). The view is promoted that Feutap is a potential viable space in which life and work are possible, using the existing rainfall and the few natural springs in a sustainable manner. The presented concept can be extended to other hilly small communities with similar hydraulic regimes.

Trophic ecology of co-occurring fishes in the Sundays River Valley irrigation ponds, assessed using stable isotope and gut content analyses.

The analysis of food web structures has increased the understanding of the dynamics of organisms belonging to different trophic levels. In this study, the diet of two native species, Glossogobius callidus and Gilchristella aestuaria, was assessed in the presence of two non-native species, Oreochromis mossambicus and Gambusia affinis, in irrigation ponds, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The proportion of dietary items consumed and assimilated by the four fish species were inferred from gut contents and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. Stable isotope analysis revealed that both G. affinis and O. mossambicus had a larger isotopic niche size than G. callidus and G. aestuaria. Although G. callidus fed on benthic resources and G. aestuaria fed on phytoplankton, gut content analysis showed that G. callidus, O. mossambicus and G. affinis fed predominantly on benthic resources, whereas G. aestuaria fed mainly on plankton resources. Considerable niche overlap corroborates the view that resource competition is a major factor shaping the composition of the four fish species. This study highlighted the low diversity of the food web within the Sundays River Valley irrigation ponds, where food items are shared by all the small-bodied fishes.

Floating photovoltaics systems on water irrigation ponds: Technical potential and multi-benefits analysis

Floating photovoltaic systems (FPV) can be a more sustainable alternative for the energy transition than ground-mounted photovoltaic systems, as they avoid occupying useable land and the power generation is more distributed. This paper presents the first study that calculates the FPV technical potential at the province/municipality level, focusing on water irrigation ponds, which it is a novelty in the literature that usually focuses on large water infrastructures in a national approach. In the province of Jaén (Spain), more than 3000 ponds dedicated to agricultural irrigation have been identified and their surface area and location was obtained. The results, calculated for each pond, reveal that, in a conservative scenario, in which only 25% of their surface area is covered, a minimum of 490 MWp can be installed, which can provide 251% of the province agricultural electricity consumption and 27% of the total electricity needs. This analysis has also been performed at the municipal level, where all possible FPV plants have been aggregated and compared with consumption that would be covered at this scale. Furthermore, this technology brings additional benefits, as it avoids the occupation of 12 km2 of useable land, 8.8·106 m3/year of water evaporated, while creating more than 7000 jobs.

Mitigation of water shortage impacts among tourism and farming companies on the islands of Öland and Gotland, Sweden

AbstractSustainable development requires clean water. In Sweden, water supply has historically been good, but a changed climate may alter that situation. Islands such as Öland and Gotland, which already have a strained water situation due to their location and bedrock, can be useful case studies for understanding how industries adapt and overcome obstacles in changing behaviour to be more sustainable. Focus groups and a postal questionnaire were conducted to study the water shortage mitigations of the tourism and agriculture industries. The results indicated four salient steps for these industries: awareness/knowledge, responsibility, behaviour and mitigation measures. While awareness was high among all respondents, the level of knowledge varied. Both the tourism and agriculture industries acknowledged their own responsibility but primarily placed the responsibility on each other and on other actors. All respondents had ideas about what behaviours needed to be changed in others, but not as much about their own behaviours, which is a natural consequence of the transfer of responsibility. Finally, there were many ideas for mitigation measures with the agricultural industry focusing on traditional approaches such as irrigation ponds and collecting rainwater, and the tourism industry having more innovative ideas such as re-circulating water and behaviour changes but had not progressed as far in their implementation. This study has shown that industries have different prerequisites and that providing them with tools to help them use preventive measures could speed up the transition to a more sustainable future.

Impact of Bottom-Sediment Removal on 137Cs Contamination in an Urban Pond

Many irrigation ponds in Fukushima Prefecture were decontaminated due to the contamination of radiocesium released from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. To evaluate the impact of decontamination on 137Cs dynamics in an urban pond in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, temporal changes in 137Cs concentrations in bottom sediments and pond water were investigated before and after bottom-sediment removal. Post-decontamination, 137Cs inventories in bottom sediments decreased by 46–89%. 137Cs inventories in bottom sediments were relatively high in fine sediments before decontamination, and were also high at points near the water inlet after decontamination. Following decontamination, the mean 137Cs concentration in suspended solids (SS) and the mean dissolved 137Cs concentration in pond water decreased by 52% and 5%, respectively. Even after decontamination, the normalized 137Cs concentrations in SS and in water, which were calculated by dividing the 137Cs concentrations by the mean 137Cs inventories in each area, were higher than those in rivers, dam reservoirs, and ponds elsewhere in Fukushima. The positive correlations between δ15N values, an indicator of the source contribution to bottom sediments, and 137Cs concentrations in the upper 5 cm of bottom sediments after decontamination implied that SS from urban areas gradually increased the 137Cs inventories in the pond. The results underline the importance of secondary inputs of 137Cs from highly urbanized catchments.

Dissolved Organic Carbon Dynamics Variability from Ponds Draining Different Landscapes in a Typical Agricultural Watershed

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in inland waters (rivers, reservoirs, lakes, and small ponds) plays a significant role in the global carbon cycle and affects global climate change. In addition, DOC is also a vital indicator of the water environment due to its multiple physical, chemical, and ecological roles. Lakes and ponds of small sizes are abundant on a global and regional scale, and a large increase in ponds is expected with global agricultural land expansion. However, the DOC characteristics of ponds in agricultural watersheds are still unclear, posing a challenge to better understanding the carbon cycle of inland waters. In this study, we explored the DOC variability and their influencing factors in ponds draining different landscapes in a typical agricultural watershed to address the issue. The field measurements over a year showed the DOC concentration varied among ponds draining different landscapes. Specifically, the mean DOC concentrations in the natural pond, sewage pond, aquaculture pond, and irrigation pond were (6.17 ± 1.49) mg/L, (12.08 ± 2.92) mg/L, (9.36 ± 2.92) mg/L, and (8.91 ± 2.71) mg/L, respectively. Meanwhile, monthly measurements found the DOC varied across sampling dates. The DOC variability was positively correlated with nutrients, primary production, and precipitation, suggesting anthropogenic loadings, an internal production rate, and hydrological regime that regulated the substantial variability of DOC in these ponds at the watershed scale. Further, large pollutant discharge and high primary production led to peak DOC occurring in the sewage pond. Our results implied that more attention should be paid to ponds in agricultural watersheds to better understand the roles of inland waters in the global carbon cycle.

Impact of Sodium Carbonate on Seepage Reduction in Farm Irrigation Ponds

In this research, an economic layer using simple technology is evaluated to minimize seepage at the bottom of irrigation ponds. Since sodium carbonate diverges clay particles and decreases permeability by reducing porosity, it is recommended that sodium salts be used in mixed with soil at the bottom of irrigation ponds. The three types of soils were selected. First, the texture of the soils, second, chemical properties were determined for all three types of soils. Sodium carbonate were utilized in the percentages of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 by weight. Finally, the falling head test and the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis were conducted. The results were illustrated as the tables and the graphs, and counter curves. The Results show that the soil 20% clay, the soil 15% clay and the soil 10% clay decrease seepage on average 42%, 64% and 71% respectively. The soil 10% clay has the greatest decrease of the three soil samples. Furthermore, in all three soil samples, the highest decrease in permeability was observed at 10% sodium carbonate. Overall, the results show that this pond sealer can be a suitable solution to reduce seepage in this type of pond.

Challenges in Developing Aquaculture for Livelihood Enhancement in Bo City, Southern Sierra Leone

The study investigated socioeconomic characteristics, aquacultural practices and constraints among smallholder fish farmers in the study location of Bo City, Southern Sierra Leone. The present study employed a survey research design. The smallholder farmers who were growing food for themselves, for sale, and for consumption by others as well as those who were primarily growing it for the market were each given 40 questionnaires in total. The results revealed that most of the respondents were male (90.0%), married (60.0%), lacked training in fish farming (57.5%) and the household income of most (60.0%) ranged from NLe600-NLe1,000. The farmers mostly opined low fish farming experience (70.0%), Semi-intensive fish farming (67.5%), low aquaculture development (57.5%), predominantly seasonal fish pond irrigation (77.5%). All of the respondents’ view fish farming as an economically viable enterprise as well as a profitable (87.5%) entity. The mean rank of constraints was significantly (p ≤ 0.006) differed among fish farmers. The key fish farming constraints included culturing fish, fish feed in culturing fish, less interest, fewer fish farmers, high inputs, high cost of fish pond construction and intensive capital investment that could be exploited for improved productivity. The outcomes of these recent studies imply that fish farmers should receive training and funding for their operations to improve their competitiveness in their smallholder fish businesses as well as in the local and international aquaculture industries. Also, the governments and other practitioner authorities ought to implement policies and initiatives that would support fish farming activities, further research development in aquaculture, the development of the nation, and the fish farmers themselves.

The Fox Marble

The Fox Marble Catherine Kim (bio) It’s nothing so profound, reads her message to me as I wait beneath themantle where her portrait stands, merely the ghost of my affections on your fingers, which you take insideyour mouth in remembrance of me. Capture this dream in a marble, moonstruck in a kiss, and behold the creatures of the earth and the memory of salt, which is my warmth forever trapped in the teeth of your thumb, and do not mind the empty sky, which is the surface of the marble from inside it. Won’t you wait for me my thousand days of hunger for you? [End Page 50] From the overlook, Yeou could see the stretch of the village below her, from the paddy fields by the base of the mountain to the bus terminal at its furthest reach. With a finger outstretched towards the vanishing point, she could trace the road as it split from the highway and flowed into the village, winding around the homes, the crop fields, the greenhouses, and the livestock pens, past the irrigation pond and up the slope towards her perch. She couldn’t see the asphalt turn to gravel, or the gravel turn to dirt, as the path up the mountain was swallowed by the canopy near the terraced gravesites. The branch she had fashioned into a walking stick had snapped during her climb, and chestnut burrs clung to the fabric of her shoes and her pant legs. Above her, the daylight poured through the heated colors of the leaves that still clung to the trees surrounding the burial mound. The sun fled over the crown of the mountain, a white-hot nimbus illuminating the monument on its peak. The clouds bent the sky into a dome, as if sometime during her ascent the heavens had collapsed around the earth and shrunk it inside an orb, or as if Yeou herself had grown into a giant who still thought herself an ordinary girl, tall enough to behold the curvature that was the boundary between this world and all that lay beyond it. Having come here in the wake of her beloved Nabi’s passing, with thoughts of her stuck in Yeou’s throat, Yeou was not surprised by how the horizon circumscribed the sights around her, only by the way the limitations of the world had now become visible to the naked eye. Yeou leaned against her father’s burial mound so that her head lay on the soft earth and the wildflowers tickled the back of her neck. She shut her eyes to blot out the strange geometry. She felt the wind haunting her lips; she heard it move through the leaves. She felt the kiss of the butterfly’s feet as it perched on her nose; she heard the crunch of the grass under her father’s shoes as he stepped out from behind the mound. She felt the weight of his hand as he ran his fingers through her hair and the pollen displaced by the butterfly’s wings as it flew away. She had meant to come with a rake, she said, to pick up the leaves, and a bill hook to cut away the overgrowth that threatened to shroud the path up to the clearing. But she’d forgotten to pack the garden tools and the plastic bags and the basket with containers of grilled fish and green grapes and a bottle of plum wine inside it. Instead, she found [End Page 51] herself climbing up the mountain with nothing but the holes in her memory. Now that she was here, Yeou might prick her fingers prying the burrs from her clothes, then pull the weeds that were choking the crown of her father’s burial mound. It was the least she could do, having neglected him for so long. She leaned against her father, pressing her temple to his shoulder, and breathed in the smoke that fled from his lips. Through the holes in her memory, he said, she might remember another’s memories in turn. Long ago, buckled into a window seat on a bus headed to Seoul, the promise of...

The dynamics of benthic invertebrates in different part of peat swamp forests converted to rice fields

The Indonesian government plans to turn Central Kalimantan province into a national food barn by planting rice paddies in several places, including in shallow peatlands. Tropical peatlands have limited potential to be used as agricultural land since the growing media in some cases, is not conducive to root development, saturated-water soil that poissons the plants. Aquatic invertebrates can be used as indicators to determine whether water quality in a field is safe for plants or not. The objective of this study is to evaluate the dynamics of benthic in different part of aquatic ecosystems on peat swamp forests. This study was conducted in Peat Techno Park (PTP) of the University of Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan. Samples were collected from 9 stations with different forms of land use for agricultural activities, namely unplowed paddy fields, plowed fields, swamps, connecting ditches, beje, natural peat swamp forests, breeding ponds, and irrigation ponds. Data were collected over 6 months and coincided with the peak of dry and wet seasons. The abundance and species of aquatic invertebrates were then analyzed some related physic-chemical parameters, such as depth, water temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO). The results showed that the macrozoobenthos species found on this study was slightly rare. There was identified merely 3 genera, include in the two benthic groups, e.i. Annelida and insect. As to the insect, the dominant species was from the order of Diptera and family of Chironomidae, especially Chironomus. Spatially, stations 1 (unplowed rice fields), 2 (ploughed rice fields), 3 (peat swamp forest), 7 (cultivated ponds), and 9 (new beje) were particularly abundant. In this case, the conversion of peat swamp forests to rice fields and fish culture ponds will possibly promote greater diversity and abundance of macroinvertebrate communities.

Structure of the Macrozoobenthos Community in Estuaria of Padang Pariaman Regency

This research was carried out in rivers and estuaries in the Batang Naras River, Padang Pariaman Regency, West Sumatra. The river is often used by residents for pond irrigation and ice factory cooling machines. This activity will indirectly affect the biota in rivers and estuaries. Macrozoobenthos is one of the biological aspects that play an important role in assessing the quality of water. The purpose of this study was to determine the community structure of macrozoobenthos in the estuary of Batang Naras. The method used is a descriptive survey. Sampling was done by purposive sampling by setting up 3 research stations. Based on the research results found 2 phyla, namely Arthropoda and Mollusca, 3 classes namely Crustacea, Insects, and Gastropods, 6 orders, 11 families, and 12 genera. The highest benthic diversity index (H') was found at station I at 1.803 and the lowest was found at station III at 1.222. This zone belongs to lightly to moderately polluted waters and the dominance value is 0.5. Diversity and dominance show moderate values. The influence of industrial activities and aquaculture disturb the amount of benthos in the estuary.

Irrigation Ponds as Sources of Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria in Agricultural Areas with Intensive Use of Poultry Litter.

Poultry litter is widely used worldwide as an organic fertilizer in agriculture. However, poultry litter may contain high concentrations of antibiotics and/or antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB), which can be mobilized through soil erosion to water bodies, contributing to the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. To better comprehend this kind of mobilization, the bacterial communities of four ponds used for irrigation in agricultural and poultry production areas were determined in two periods of the year: at the beginning (low volume of rainfall) and at the end of the rainy season (high volume of rainfall). 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed not only significantly different bacterial community structures and compositions among the four ponds but also between the samplings. When the DNA obtained from the water samples was PCR amplified using primers for ARGs, those encoding integrases (intI1) and resistance to sulfonamides (sul1 and sul2) and β-lactams (blaGES, blaTEM and blaSHV) were detected in three ponds. Moreover, bacterial strains were isolated from CHROMagar plates supplemented with sulfamethoxazole, ceftriaxone or ciprofloxacin and identified as belonging to clinically important Enterobacteriaceae. The results presented here indicate a potential risk of spreading ARB through water resources in agricultural areas with extensive fertilization with poultry litter.