Village Ponds Research Articles

The protective and attractive covering of a vegetated embankment using coir geotextiles

Abstract. This paper presents the results of a field experiment conducted in Kerala, South India, to test the effectiveness of coir geotextiles for embankment protection. The results reveal that treatment with geotextile in combination with grass is an effective eco-hydrological measure to protect steep slopes from erosion. In the context of sustainable watershed management, coir is a cheap and locally available material that can be used to strengthen traditional earthen bunds or protect the banks of village ponds from erosion. Particularly in developing countries, where coir is abundantly available and textiles can be produced by small-scale industry, this is an attractive alternative for conventional methods. This paper analyses the performance of coir geotextile in different treatments with respect to soil moisture content, protection against erosion and biomass production.

Waterfowl and the bacteriological quality of amenity ponds

This study investigated the impact of waterfowl on the bacteriological quality of village ponds in East Yorkshire, north-east England. Water and sediment samples were collected from ponds with and without resident ducks and geese; faecal indicator and potentially pathogenic bacteria were assayed by membrane filtration and by selective enrichment. Escherichia coli, faecal streptococci and, to a degree, Clostridium perfringens were more abundant in ponds with waterfowl; Salmonella was isolated in June-August from the sediment of a pond with waterfowl. The results suggested that the bacteriological quality of village ponds might be adversely affected by waterfowl. All water samples from ponds with waterfowl had faecal indicators at higher concentrations than EU requirements for bathing waters. Although these ponds are not bathing waters we suggest skin contact and accidental ingestion of water should be avoided.

Cladocera (Crustacea) of Tamil Nadu - checklist and bibliography

Received 15 April 2002 Finally accepted 12 September 2002 Cladoceran investigation of Tamil Nadu was initiated by Rajagopal (1962) with recordings from Madras coastal waters. Seasonal events in a natural population of Daphnia carinata were studied by Vijayaraghavan (1970). Navaneethakrishnan and Michael (1971) investigated the egg production and relative growth in Daphnia carinata. Vijayalakshmi and Venugopalan (1972) investigated the biological aspects of Penilia avirostris in Portonovo waters. Murugan and Sivaramakrishnan (1973) studied the biology of Simocephalus acutriostratus. Further Michael (1973) made a detailed analysis of the cladocerans of Madurai area. Murugan (1975a,b) made biological studies of Moina micrura and Ceriodaphnia cornuta. Santhanam et al. (1975) studied the zooplankton of Portonovo waters, Kaliyamurthy (1975) investigated the plankton of Pulicat Lake. Murugan and Sivaramakrishnan (1976) carried out laboratory studies on Scapholeberis kingi. Murugan and Venkataraman (1977) studied the developmental aspects of Daphnia carinata. Murugan and Ramaseshan (1978) studied Scapholeberis kingi and production of ephippia. Santharam (1978) studied the biology of Daphnia carinata. Venkataraman and Job (1980) made further studies on the effect of temperature on the growth of Daphnia carinata. Raghunathan (1983) reported the planktonic Cladocera of Tamil Nadu. Raghunathan and Srinivasan (1983a,b) investigated the cladocerans of Ennore Estuary. Further Raghunathan and Srinivasan (1986) have worked on the zooplankton dynamics in relation to hydrographic features of Ennore Estuary. Venkataraman (1983) worked out the taxonomy and ecology of Cladocera of southern Tamil Nadu, Venkataraman and Krishnaswamy (1984a,b) reported the occurrence of Leydigia ciliata and Daphnia from Tamil Nadu. Venkataraman and Krishnaswamy (1985) further studied the cultural aspects of Diaphanosoma senegal. Cladocerans from high altitude waters of Tamil Nadu were studied by Raghunathan (1985). The same author investigated the Cladocerans of certain urban water bodies in 1986. Studies pertaining to predation of Anisops bouveri on Daphnia cephalata were made by Venkataraman and Krishnaswamy (1986). Manimegalai et al. (1986) studied the helmet development in Daphnia cephalata. Hudec (1987) described a new species, Moina oryzae from Tamil Nadu. Michael and Sharma (1988) have completed the Fauna of India volume on Cladocera. Raghunathan (1989) reviewed the work on Indian Cladocera. Raghunathan (1990, 1991, 1992, 1995) conducted ecological studies on the cladoceran fauna of different ponds in Tamil Nadu. Raghunathan and Revathy (1999a,b,c) made studies on the cladoceran species associations, reproduction and on the natural population of a village pond. Suresh Kumar et al. (1999) recorded a chydorid cladoceran, Pleuroxus aduncus Jurine and its developmental stages from Tamil Nadu. Venkataraman (1999) reported the Cladocera of southern Tamil Nadu. Sureshkumar (2000) carried out a detailed analysis of Cladocera of Tamil Nadu and their possible utilization in aquaculture and Sivakumar et al. (2001) made a study on the Cladocera of Dharmapuri District.

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENTS OF CYCLOPOID COPEPOD, VECTOR OF DRACUNCULIASIS: LABORATORY EXPERIENCE

In order to determine the predating capability of some indigenous fishes to Nigeria on cyclopoid copepods, the vector of Dracunculus medinensis, species of three genera of fishes were fled experimentally with Cyclops in the presence or absence of alternate food substances as described in the text. The study revealed that indigenous fishes like Hemicromis fasciatus; Barbus occidentalis, Tilapia nilotica and T galilea were identified as very effective indigenous biological control agent of Cyclops-the vector of dracunculiasis. The benefits of rearing these fishes in village ponds are highlighted. It is believed that there would be no longer cases of resurgence of dracunculiasis in areas where transmission has been broken when the biological agents are used in concert with filtration method. (Af. J. of Clinical and Experimental Microbiology: 2002 3(2): 98-103)

Botanical conservation value related to origin and management of ponds

1. A botanical conservation index, derived from the national and local rarity of aquatic macrophyte species, and also hydrophyte-species richness, were determined for 57 ponds in East Yorkshire, England. 2. Ponds were selected to represent diverse origins (i.e. ancient moats, village ponds, gravel pits, clay pits, borrow pits and ponds of miscellaneous origin). 3. High conservation indices and species richness were found in gravel pits, clay pits and borrow pits. 4. When the ponds were grouped on the basis of water chemistry and on vegetation, using SPSS hierarchical cluster analysis and TWINSPAN respectively, the groups did not reflect conservation value or pond origin. 5. High conservation indices and species richness were, however, associated with the presence of adjacent freshwater bodies and bankside angling. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Euglena Ettlii Wołowski Sp. Nova (Euglenophyceae)

Summary The new species has one central chloroplast incised and slightly folded, without pyrenoid. It was found in a village pond in the Cracow-Czgstochowa Upland, Poland.

The Feasibility of Small-Scale Hapa Culture of Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus as an Additional Income Source for Rice Farmers in Northeast Thailand

In Northeast Thailand, hapa culture of tilapia may provide interesting perspec­tives for rural development. Besides being a suitable method for managing fish produc­tion in village ponds, it may generate additional income for local rice farmers. In the present study, rice farmers raised tilapia Oreochromis niloticus in small hapas (water volume 8 m3) in village ponds. Fish were fed a commercial diet (protein content 35%). Tilapia stocked at an initial weight of 50 g attained a mean specific growth rate of 1.46% of the body weight (BW) per day. Market size was attained after an average rearing time of 85 days. The mean feed conversion ratio was 1.4. The economic analysis was based on the observed plus four theoretical produc­tion scenarios. Investment costs were about 5% of total operating costs. Fingerling costs (about 25% of total costs) could be considerably reduced when fingerlings were collected from backyard ponds or from the hapas (•wild spawning•). Feed costs amounted to 70% of total costs but could be reduced by optimizing the feeding regime and home-mixing of fish feed. Stocking weight was not an important economic variable but affects the rearing period to reach market size. Shorter rearing periods gave higher daily gross margins, and were preferred by local rice farmers. A rearing period of 100 days may be a suitable compromise between the farmers' preference for short production cycles, the harvest size of the fish and the profitability Large of the hapa culture. Large fingerlings (W0= 50 g), stocked at a density of 14 fish·m.3, may reach a suitable market size of 216 g in 100 days. If smaller fingerling& are stocked, two rearing cycles will be needed to reach market size. In this way, rice farmers may increase their household income by about 20%.

Dewponds and Pondmakers of the Yorkshire Wolds

So wrote Rudyard Kipling with reference to the ponds of the southern Downlands of Sussex, but the quote is no less appropriate to the Yorkshire Wolds, where surface water supplies are rare and confined to a handful of spring-fed ponds set amongst the deeper valleys where the Chalk has been eroded through to expose the water-table above the underlying clays. The vast expanses of Wold tops are dry. In past centuries, pastured livestock had to be herded daily down to the village ponds or springs to drink. The enclosure of Wold townships during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries necessitated the provision of water on the Wold tops if animals were to be pastured within the new fields.

India's Inland fisheries project: The fish farmers development agency and tribal areas

This paper begins with the problems faced in the development of the inland fisheries sector in India. To overcome these problems, Fish Farmers Development Agencies (FFDAs) were established in selected areas of five states in the country. In Madhya Pradesh, where this paper finds its origin, the areas selected lie in the tribal heartland because that is where the best water areas were found. This paper seeks to show that the modus operandi of the FFDA is unsuited to the development of the tribals of the region. While the Project might augment fish production it is unlikely to be of immediate benefit to the tribals of the area, given their long history of backwardness. Far from deriving the advantage of food and profit' from fish farming, they might even be deprived of the use of their traditional rights over village ponds in times of water scarcity. The paper concludes by suggesting an alternative method of promoting fish farming in tribal areas by which the tribals at large would benefit from the increasing production of fish in their ponds.

Rhinosporidiosis in a south Indian village.

A brief survey for rhinosporidiosis in a South Indian village is presented. A total of 34 cases have been detected with a prevalence rate of 4.7%. This is found to be higher than all those reported already from India. A sex variation was noted in the incidence of this disease, which was quite differenat from all the earlier reports; the infection rate was higher in females than in males. More than one case has been detected in three families. Attempts to find any natural infection in the aquatic inhabitants such as snails, frogs, fishes and crabs found in the village pond have not been successful so far. One case of rhinosporidiosis in a cow in this endemic village was also recorded.