Sanction Date: | 20.03.2025 | |||
Project Category | MG | |||
Year | 2024-2025 | |||
Project Duration | 3 Years | |||
BTA : | HW | |||
Project Site/ State/ Districts/ Villages Covered: |
Khasi Hills of Meghalaya |
|||
Organization/ Implementation Agency: | North Eastern Hill University, Shillong Meghalaya | |||
Project Partners: | S.No. | Name | ||
1. | NA | |||
Lead Proponent: | Dr. Rajesh Bajpai |
|||
Project Brief Description: | The microplastic is relatively refers to small pieces of waste plastic less than 5 mm in length, which have been widely observed in the environment as a consequence of plastic pollution. Microplastics are classified as either primary or secondary; the former directly emitted to the environment, and the latter indirectly through the breakdown of larger plastics. Further, based on shape, microplastics are classified as microfibers (with one longer dimension) or micro fragments and microfilms (without a dominant dimension). One of the main features of plastic is its durability and persistence, leading to its accumulation in the environment and consequent worldwide concern. Although marine and freshwater environments have widely been investigated for microplastic pollution, it is now clear that the atmosphere is also largely polluted by microplastics. The diversity and distribution of various kinds of pollutants are known to be mainly influenced by emission sources and climatic conditions of the area. To understand the dispersal of microplastics and its ecotoxicological potential behaviour is required to investigate and document properly. The evaluation of pollution is generally monitored by physico-chemical detectors or by instruments, which provide quantitative data on air, water and soils. However, the biological monitoring is a potential tool for assessing environmental pollution and its impact on biological variables even up to decades back. Conversely, the biomonitoring is a low cast techniques and achievable to collect data at a time at different places, but through instruments it’s not possible. Such studies include communities and species composition exposed to different kinds of pollutants and its comparison with passive as well as active etiquettes. Lichens, a symbiotic association between a fungus and an alga, colonize 8% of the terrestrial surface of the earth. The peculiar symbiotic association enables lichens to colonize on diverse range of habitats (other plants cannot survive) such as temperate and tropical regions, hot to dry deserts and arctic tundra. The lack of vascular system and dependence to absorb water and nutrients passively from their environment make lichens sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature, water availability and air pollutants. These features of lichens, combined with their extraordinary capability to grow at a large geographical range and to accumulate pollutants far above their need, rank them among the best bioindicators of air pollution. The lichen biomonitoring in India are initiated since more than two decades in different cities to monitor metals, metalloid, PAHs, PoPs, pesticides but microplastics assessment not doen so far. In this regard the proposed study will provide the qualitative and quantitative data of microplastics first time in the country by lichens. The main aim of this study is to assess microplastics contains in lichens, collected from different area compared with diverse sources in the area of Khasi hills of Meghalaya. The Khasi hills are full of tourist pressure, mining activities, open waste incineration sites and diverse altitudinal variation may be a reason for selecting this area in the proposed project. The present proposal aims to assess the quality and quantity of microplastic pollution load and to select out indicator species as biomonitoring tools as well as potential accumulator for the area. The study will also provide a clue how microplastics travel in different altitudinal gradients. The qualitative as well as quantitative variations in accumulated microplastics along with microclimatic data and sources of the area will be helpful to develop a protocol for early warning indicators systems as well as predict the respiratory problems in the area. | |||
Beneficiaries/ Stakeholders: |
Local Communities and Households
|
|||
Activity Chart |
Total Grants (in Rs.) | Rs. 5,900,000/-(Rupees Fifty-Nine Lakh Only) |
Project Objectives | Quantifiable Deliverables | Monitoring Indicators |
• To evaluate the qualitative and quantitative distribution of atmospheric microplastics at various altitude and explore their possible sources. • To identify lichen bioindicator communities in the area and investigate the changes in microplastic deposition, at different sites. • To develop zone map and track the distribution of microplastics in different seasons. • To validate lichens as bioindicators of environmental quality beyond traditional biodiversity monitoring. |
• Microplastic distribution assessment report. • List of bioindicator lichen species and deposition trends. • Temporal microplastic pollution database. • Standardized biomonitoring protocol for microplastics. • Bioindicator-based environmental assessment framework. |
• No. of sampling sites analyzed. • Concentration of microplastics detected. • Database of lichens. • GIS-based zone maps of microplastic pollution. • No. of research papers, technical reports, policy and documents published. |
S.No. | Name (Sanctioned) | Salary (Sanctioned) |
1. | SRF | @ Rs.42,000/- + 18% HRA |
2. | JRF | @ Rs.37,000/- + 18% HRA |
3. | Project Assistant | @ Rs.15,000/- |
S.No. | Name of Equipment (Sanctioned) | Cost (in INR) |
1. | 01 Stereozoom dissecting microscope @4,00,000/-, 01 Compound microscope with measurement and photography attachment with computer@6,00,000/-, 01 GPS @50,000/- | 1,050,000 |