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Economic values have dominated water policy discourse over the last four decades. Very little has been written on social, cultural, and ecological values and their roles in enhancing water security. The primary objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive analysis of diverse water values with a case study of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, India. To achieve this, a review of the existing scholarship on water values was conducted to develop a set of water values. Field surveys and interviews were conducted to comprehend the water values held by various stakeholders in Delhi. This paper is an attempt to show that viewing water security through the lens of diverse water values (social, cultural, economic and ecological) provides a better understanding of water policies, and enhanced comprehension could potentially result in better policies to promote water security. In the case of Delhi, we additionally found that the claimed predominance of water values such as efficiency, equity, equality, religiosity, and purity does not mean that these values are also actualized in water practices. Another major finding is that all four sets of values are integrated with one another, and policies underpinned by the identified values would be relatively better than policies solely based on economic values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present seismic microzonation maps of New Delhi, India, using the probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) method with input seismic activity parameters estimated in Part‐I of this two‐part paper. Our calculations required three different attenuation equations for amplitude scaling of strong ground motion from three principal contributing sources: the National Capital Region (NCR), Northwestern Himalaya (NWH), and the Hindu Kush subduction (HKS). We show that uniform hazard spectral (UHS) amplitudes are dominated only by the local seismicity in the NCR at high frequencies beyond about 2 Hz. For intermediate and long periods, UHS amplitudes are dominated by contributions from the NWH and HKS earthquakes. Our results show that specifying strong motion amplitudes for use in engineering design by means of peak ground acceleration can lead to serious errors for buildings higher than four to five stories and hence should not be used. Our results also show that the shape of design spectra must depend on the nature of contributing earthquake sources, their relative activity, potential to create large magnitudes, and geographical placement relative to the site of interest, and thus a standard design‐spectrum shape cannot satisfy all these requirements. We use local geological site condition parameters directly in all calculations and present hazard maps for three different soil site conditions ("rock," stiff soil sites, and deep soil sites). Thus, the user can extract the UHS amplitudes of pseudo relative velocity spectra at any site in the National Capital Territory by experimentally determining the local soil site conditions and then applying the corresponding maps shown in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of on-demand domestic work sectors in cities across the world has been called the 'Uber-isation of domestic work'. In India, the sector and its surrounding hype was short-lived as some of the country's key on-demand domestic work providers were unable to maintain sufficient profit margins and were forced to change their models or shut down altogether. This paper examines the rise and fall of the on-demand domestic work sector in urban India, drawing on 22 interviews and 2 focus groups with 32 women domestic workers across Delhi and its surrounding National Capital Region (NCR), and 2 interviews with experts in Delhi and Mumbai. Through these narratives, the paper reveals the factors which govern the failure and absence of the sector. Using Uber as a heuristic, the paper unsettles the concept of 'Uber-isation' as a universally applicable framework to understand platform economy activities, exposing the intersectional gender and class assumptions built into this conceptualisation. It argues that the techno-masculinist logics of on-demand domestic work platforms, which are built into the attempt to 'Uber-ise', have disregarded the socio-spatial relations of the city. An empirical case of what Leszczynski has called 'glitch as surprise', when the platform economy unexpectedly fails to manifest, this case reminds us that the city, rather than a simple site of economic practice, is socially reproduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is one of the significant environmental issues. It can cause adverse health effects such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and high mortality rates. High population density is a huge contributory factor of air pollution in cities and urbanized areas. Other sources of air pollution are transport, local heating, and possibly a pollution transfer from neighboring industrial regions. Information about the opening and closing of industrial plants, stubble burning, and fireworks can be considered an added value to this work. In recent past years, among the Delhi/National Capital Region. The pollution level has been raised multiple times during November and March months. The most significant root cause of this trouble is stubble-burning air pollution in the neighboring cities like Punjab and Haryana. Another concern is the burning of fireworks in these months due to Diwali and other festivals in the cities. This research paper aims to perform a data-based analysis on the PM2.5 and PM10 concentration levels of the past six years month-wise from the authenticated sources to find out the causes of extreme air pollution levels. This research paper deals mainly with long-term time series, including air pollutants PM2.5, PM10, and other meteorological variables. It models and analyzes the PM2.5 and PM10 values for 2014–2018. The present research work also deals with the facts and methods to handle the high air pollution rate in Delhi/NCR caused by stubble burning and analysis the effect on the environment by the call of Honorable Prime Minister of India Shri Narender Modi Ji for the illusion of candles as a symbolic fight against COVID 19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different industries throughout the world face a tough time confronting the pandemic of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), so does the hotel industry. Hence, this research attempts to determine the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the hotel industry in terms of guest retention. The crisis which started in Wuhan, China (December 2019) has spread to the whole world and continues to spread. Although in newspapers, journals, and online media there are few published articles, they are mostly based on secondary data. This study is an attempt to examine the perceptions of hotel employees regarding the effect of COVID-19 on the hotel industry through qualitative analysis. Further, the study attempts to evaluate the crisis preparedness and steps taken to combat COVID-19, and eventually determine the positive outcome of the crisis. This paper presents an overview of the advent of COVID-19 in New Delhi, India, and more importantly, reports on the approaches that hotels employ to sustain during this diffcult time. Through the in-depth interviews with senior employees in six hotels in the national capital city New Delhi, India (four interviews before the lockdown and two interviews during the lockdown). Empirical findings showed that at various phases of the crisis, hotels were taking different approaches to survive. The hotels were introducing strategies for guest retention to create stronger guest relationships. This paper presents the impact of this crisis on hotel employees and how the hotels are reacting to this crisis. The practical and theoretical implications of the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Nowadays, various hotels and third party websites allow guests to express their stay experience in the form of textual content and ratings termed as user-generated content (UGC). This study aims to explore the influence of UGC along with the financial aspect on the sales of the hotel. This will help them in making efficient business decisions and revenue generation by realizing the requirements of the guests. The proposed model provides an insight into the theoretical and practical significance of the concerned explanatory variables to the hoteliers. Design/methodology/approach: This paper considers the number of rooms, six aspect ratings (room, cleanliness, location, service, value and sleep quality), review length and readability as the independent variables. Revenue per available room is taken as the dependent variable. Log-linear regression analysis is performed on a data set of 78 hotels situated in Delhi National Capital Region to validate the relationships. Moreover, the differential impact of hotel type on these exploratory variables is studied. Findings: Research findings show that along with the financial aspect, the UGC components also play a key role in generating sales for the hotels. It was further observed that the two hotel categories, i.e. luxury and budget have different natures and also the characteristics of luxury hotels overshadow those of budget. Originality/value: This study uses the textual content of the reviews along with the numerical ratings. This is a unique combination for studying sales of hotels according to the knowledge of authors, where earlier studies focused only on the financial aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migrants preferring to settle in the villages abutting urban centers avoiding slums and ghettos in metropolitan cities influences and changes rural demographics as migrants outnumber the host denizens who shift to the cities to leverage urban amenities for quality life and convenience. In this context of new dynamics in the rural socioeconomic setup the focus of the paper is to highlight positive factors which entice migrants towards villages and local denizens shifting to the cities. The study elucidates contributions of migrants in making rural economy vibrant and thriving with myriad new avenues for the host communities to prosper. In spite of being the harbinger of dynamism in rural landscapes, migrants are deprived of socio economic amenities and denied roles in local governess by supremacist thinking dominant status and local hierarchy. The need is to address there denied rights for inclusive and harmonious rural societies. Keywords: Dynamics, Migration, Demographics, Prosper Friction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every day, sales representatives experience intense multifaceted emotions that bring along a lot of provocations. Simultaneously, today's customers are more conversant, challenging, and less patient than before, making it difficult for sales representatives to gauge their emotional intelligence. The stiff sales environment further creates mental pressure that disrupts the routine functioning and job satisfaction of sales representatives. This calls for the study of the psychological processes underlying employees' perceptions of satisfaction with their job; which has not been given comprehensive consideration in past research. This paper extends this idea by touching on the origin and progression of emotional intelligence over time and the relational analysis of one of its key sub-sets namely, management of emotions with job satisfaction. For statistical analysis, tools including EFA, CFA, correlation, and linear regression were employed on a sample of 424 respondents based out of the Delhi/National Capital Region (NCR). Empirical analysis indicated a significant and positive association between perceived management of emotions and satisfaction with job of sales representatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agroalimentaria is the property of Alejandro Antonio Gutierrez Socorro and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper evaluates the impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on small-scale retailers. The study operationalizes the constructs with the variables: Backend infrastructure in less developed market, employment opportunity, investment capacity of neighborhood stores, investment capacity of big stores of Indian companies, investment capacity of FDI stores, investment capacity of online retailers, growth of neighborhood stores, growth of big stores of Indian companies, growth of FDI stores, growth of online retailers, and Business Environment Factors (BEF). The study was conducted on a sample of 500 respondents in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR). In retrospective, coefficient of investment capacity of FDI stores and growth of FDI stores show significantly negative impact on backend infrastructure in less developed market and employment opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the factors that induce people of so-called North-East India to collectively identify themselves as Northeasterners. It also examines the factors that lead them to be categorised by others as Northeasterners. This is done against the backdrop of a geometrical error in ascertaining the direction of so-called North-East India with reference to the present national capital, Delhi. The colonial project of categorisation of its subjects in the 'north-east frontier of Bengal' and sustained categorisation and identification of the same in free India is understood within the framework of social identity theory. Theoretically, the paper extends the social identity theory by adding the aspects of social validation and social invalidation to understand the materialisation and non-materialisation, respectively, of perceived social identity with respect to a group. To address the issues arising from the erroneous categorisation of places and people with a colonial arbitrary term 'North-East', the author proposes principles of individualisation and human rights. The principle of individualisation offers a possibility towards respecting the unique individual identity of the constituent groups of so-called North-East India and thus allows the ceasing of violation of human rights of the people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, National Capital Region (NCR) – Delhi, has various forms of water bodies. However, it is either encroached, highly polluted, or silted over the decades, thereby resulting in less functional status, especially for activities like groundwater recharge, etc. Out of the total of more than 1000 water bodies of comparatively lower size area either completely encroached (18%), converted into the park (9%), non-traceable (4%), or filled with dirty water (11%), etc. By mapping the coordinates of these water bodies, restoration and rejuvenation can be planned which includes community participation, a self-supporting system, etc. for effective and sustainable management of individual water body. This paper briefly discusses the current situation of the surface water availability in Delhi (NCR) that is deprived of water, especially in the post-monsoon season. The present study also suggests the usage of Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technology, for the identification, mapping, etc. that can also be linked with surface water as a continuous resource. This will help in analyzing the catchment area as well as understanding the storage capacity to a certain possible extent. This study also emphasizes the synchronization of government policy with associate laws and their implementation with appropriate and effective management and action of concerned regulatory authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Part of North-Western Himalaya particularly Uttarakhand has been identified by several eminent seismologists as gap area where large size earthquake (greater than magnitude 7) is expected. The region has witnessed two earthquakes having a magnitude greater than 6 in last 25 years (March 28, 1999 Chamoli earthquake and October 20, 1991 Uttarkashi earthquake) both having an epicenter in Gharwal region of Uttarakhand. Several studies have shown that a future large earthquake in central Himalayas can generate severe ground motion in the National capital region of Delhi, which is about 300 km from this expected source. Several densely populated cities and villages having total population of several millions are located between Delhi and Uttarakhand. These towns/cities will be severely affected by a large earthquake having an epicenter in this region. Using advancements in communication technology and real-time seismology, a project to have an earthquake early warning system for Northern India is under progress at Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. In this project, a dense network of 84 accelerometers has been installed covering an area of about 100 × 40 km in Garhwal region. This network has an average station to station distance of less than 10 km and all the sensors are streaming data, which is being processed in real time at central server stationed at Roorkee. This paper describes details of the network, sensors, present status of development, performance of instrumentation during recent events, and processing details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air quality is a global challenge issue, and many regions of the world, such as India, are experiencing daunting challenges. An important aspect is to identify and then control the emissions from major contributing sources. To advance this aspect, this paper describes an air quality network that has been set up in the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT-Delhi) to identify major contributing source categories in real-time. The various components include an innovative cloud-based dashboard to compile the data in real-time from a series of PM instruments (Beta Attenuation Monitors (BAM)) and a low-cost sensor network (22 APT- MAXIMA sensors). Furthermore, at one of the locations (urban site), three real-time chemical speciation monitors are installed to provide elemental speciation (30 elements), elemental carbon (EC), and organic carbon (OC) data. PM2.5 concentrations at different sites (urban, industrial, and background) were compared to the BAM measurements over an 8-month period from May 2019 to February 2020; spanning the summer, monsoon, autumn, and winter seasons in Delhi. The APT sensor measurements were well correlated to the BAM measurements, with R2 values ranging between 0.84 and 0.95 for all sites. This validated that the APT-MAXIMA low-cost sensors can be a useful tool for distributed monitoring of PM2.5 levels. The mean PM2.5 concentrations showed a trend with winter (Dec, Jan, Feb: 205.2 ± 95.1 µg m−3) and autumn (Oct, Nov: 171.7 ± 128.3 µg m−3) highs and summer (May, Jun: 64.6 ± 57.2 µg m−3) and monsoon (Jul, Aug, Sep: 27.6 ± 16.7 µg m−3) lows. The bivariate polar plot reveals high PM2.5 levels originated from local/regional combustion sources located east and south-west of the urban site, especially when high PM2.5 episodes are encountered during the festival season and other smog episodes. Implications: Low-cost sensors are useful for distributed monitoring under both low and high pollution conditions. A cloud-based dashboard system provided real-time, remote access to the data and in the visualization of air quality in the entire region. The real-time data availability on the cloud enabled establishing hot-spot regions of air pollution, spatial variation of PM2.5, real-time source apportionment, and health risk estimates to benefit both policy makers, and the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the dimensionality of the Internal Branding (IB) concept, its development and measurement as a multidimensional scale in the Indian higher education sector from a non-teaching employees' perspective. Methodology: The data was collected from 190 non-teaching employees from selected management institutions operating in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. The scale development was performed, using exploratory factor analysis, item analysis, and the PLS-SEM 3.3. Findings: Internal branding scale is established as a multidimensional scale composite of fifteen subdimensions spread across five internal branding dimensions. The internal branding dimensions include brand-centred HRM, internal branding communications, leadership, brand permissibility, and workplace spirituality. Research limitations: The study is limited to validate the IB scale from non-teaching employees' perspective only. Future studies can validate the same scale in context to different institutions and from teaching employees' and other stakeholders' perspectives. Originality/value: The study is first to establish the internal branding scale in context to the higher education sector in the Indian settings. The scale developed can be used in future for measuring internal branding perception among non-teaching staff in both public and private higher education institutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the devastation of Delhi in the eighteenth century, a new genre of Urdu poetry (shahrashob, 'the disturbed city') emerged, lamenting the fallen city and simultaneously marking the displacement of Persian as the language of court poetry. This paper considers two visual laments from this period, focusing on artistic representations that merge structures modelled after the Qila-i Mualla (the Red Fort of Delhi) with narratives of suffering and longing drawn from classical Persian poetry. These responses to Delhi's endangered existence also register the symbolic importance of a history of sovereign Mughal power associated with the Qila and the now imperiled Persianate cosmopolitan culture from which it developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With growing interest in the lives of individuals and communities during the COVID‐19 pandemic, there is consensus among scholars, academicians, and policy makers that the pandemic has had unequal impacts on different sections of the society. The dominant idea that “we are in this together” needs to be critically unpacked to understand the differential impact of the same pandemic on people with varied vulnerabilities. The concept of “intersectional vulnerability” has been key to understanding the unequal distribution of the pandemic risk. Using a gendered intersectional lens, this paper aims to understand the lived experiences of migrant women workers during the pandemic and their narratives of gendered inequality. Through a narrative study in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), India, from May to October 2020, this study brings out stories of precarity faced by five migrant women while battling the social, psychological, and economic effects of the pandemic. Loss of livelihood, home, savings, and prospects of a better future shape the narratives of these women. The pandemic exacerbated the already precarious positions of these women by creating a situation where—(a) patriarchal structures were further reinforced, and (b) losing gender solidarity and companionship through lockdown and social distancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With urbanization, successful land development has become critical for the growth of the cities. Land administration plays an important role in the outcome of land and property development models. Land and property development requires close coordination between public and private sectors and has impact on various stakeholders including public authority, private developers, landowners, home-buyers and society. In addition to land development, which has it's characteristic and price mechanism separate from property development, this paper looks at property development to provide a holistic approach to urban development. We examine three cases of land and property development models across different cities within a single regional planning area called the National Capital Region (NCR) in India. Firstly, we look at the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Delhi) that has for years adopted public sector model of land development, however, with limited success. Delhi has recently experimented with land pooling to unlock large peri-urban areas in the fringe. Secondly, Gurugram (Haryana) hailed as 'Millennium City' has been able to achieve high decadal real estate growth with Public-Private land development, but there is a cost to this fast growth to the society that results in severe planning and infrastructure bottlenecks. Lastly, we look at the Public land development model of Noida (Uttar Pradesh), which is distinct from Delhi and Gurugram, and has been able to provide one of the best infrastructures in NCR. But due to its pro-developer land allotment policy, it has created a city with several stalled projects that have resulted in the loss of home equity for home-buyers. These contrasting land development models when studied with property development models within the same geographical region provide key insights for policymakers, planners, city governments and academic fraternity. • Land development has an impact on stakeholders - public authority, private developers, landowners, home-buyers and society. • In addition to land development, this paper looks at property development to provide a holistic approach to urban development. • Land development models studied in NCR are public (in Noida), public-private (in Gurugram) and land pooling (in Delhi). • Findings provide key insights for policymakers, planners, city governments and the academic fraternity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic misuse is one of the major drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In India, evidence of antibiotic misuse comes largely from retailers as well as formal and informal healthcare providers (IHCPs). This paper presents the practices and perspectives of drug wholesalers, a critical link between manufacturers and last-mile dispensers. Four experienced wholesalers and an ex-State Drug Controller (ex-SDC) were interviewed in depth, using semi-structured guides in the National Capital Region of Delhi, India, between November 2020 and January 2021. Four main findings were that wholesalers (i) have limited knowledge about wholesale licensing and practice regulations, as well as a limited understanding of AMR; (ii) directly supply and sell antibiotics to IHCPs; (iii) facilitate medical representatives (MRs) of pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers in their strategies to promote antibiotics use in the community; and (iv) blame other stakeholders for unlawful sale and overuse of antibiotics. Some of the potential solutions aimed at wholesalers include having a minimum education qualification for licensing and mandatory Good Distribution Practices certification programs. Decoupling incentives by pharmaceutical companies from sales targets to improve ethical sales practices for MRs and optimize antibiotic use by IHCPs could alleviate wholesalers' indirect actions in promoting antibiotic misuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study envisions the influences of land use dynamics on the spatial trend of groundwater depth levels over a period of two decades in the south region of NCT Delhi, India. The findings have inferred that among five major LULC categories, built-up has shown a sprawling trend (+2.17 km2/year) from the north, northeastern, and central portions to the confined patches observed in the south and southwest fringes of South Delhi from 2001 to 2021. Likewise, vegetation class has also witnessed significant increment (+1.91 km2/year) to the peripheral boundary, i.e., southern, southwest/eastern fringes, and central portions under recent initiatives of city forests, plantation drives, and urban green spaces programs. On the contrary, a negative rate of change has been observed in fallow land (−2.78 km2/year), agriculture (−1.22 km2/year), and water bodies (−0.07 km2/year). LULC transition matrix has also showed prominent conversion of fallow land into vegetation and built-up class, and change of vegetation into built-up, and fallow land category. Subsequently, corresponding LULC maps have been superimposed with long-term trends of groundwater depth levels (as spatial contours). For entire South Delhi region, depth to water levels ranged from 2.02 to 66.45 meters below ground level (mbgl) where shallower depths followed a negative trend and remain persistent throughout the time period in north and northeastern fringes. Higher fluctuations in groundwater depletion with positive trends directly get influenced with allied land use transitions such as a steady increase in built-up area and steeper depth levels (> 40 mbgl) as observed in central, southwestern, and southern parts. Moreover, buffer peripheries in the proximity of groundwater monitoring stations viz., Hauz Khas, Pushp Vihar, Jamali, Gadaipur, and Bhatti Kalan have observed deeper groundwater levels allied to built-up expansion. Thus, groundwater depletion trends can be ascribed to the incessant conversion of recharging areas into impervious zones along with uneven distribution of groundwater usage and supply. Conversely, expanding vegetative land has also shown improved groundwater depth levels. Therefore, land use influences must be managed in the long run for ensuring sustainable management of groundwater resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capital cities form the focus of a sub-field in urban studies. Much of the literature concerning their planning concentrates on their histories, and on the core precincts in which these cities of power often focus their governmental functions. Lacunae in the capital city literature include little attention to twenty-first century capital city settings in large, complex and expanding city-regions; to recent developments in broader urban literatures/city studies; and to contemporary directions of their planning and emergent futures. This article seeks to contribute to filling these gaps through a comparative study of five national capital city-regions on four continents: those of Delhi, Beijing, Paris, Pretoria and Brasília. The methods applied rest on secondary sources as well as some primary research in each of these city-regions. The article proceeds through a substantial review of literatures on capital cities and relevant urban studies, and sets out a general comparison of the five city-regions historically and in terms of their current features. We then proceed to an examination of present challenges and planning approaches in each city-region in turn. A discursive conclusion explores possibilities for the future and argues that by 'catching up' conceptually to contemporary trends, including debates around 'extended urbanisation', capital city studies, as a sub-field of urban scholarship, could play a useful role in promoting critique of policy and planning responses. • The paper compares five national capital city-regions: Delhi, Beijing, Paris, Pretoria and Brasília. • Five case studies follow a substantial review of literature on capital cities, linked to contemporary urban scholarship. • The emphasis is on contemporary challenges and planning in each case. • Cases compare development of diverse capital cities into large, complex agglomerations. • By 'catching up' conceptually to contemporary trends, capital city studies could play a useful role in critique of policy and planning responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article attempts a quantitative as well as a qualitative analysis of the National Capital Territory ("NCT") of Delhi's legislative productivity in the year 2020. The Legislative Assembly of Delhi produced only one piece of substantive legislation throughout the year, sitting for one of its fewest number of sessions. However, the business of the Government continued to run apace through several subordinate legislations. While most of these pertained to routine matters of day-to-day administration, two primary regulations embodied the entirety of the State's pandemic response on the back of a colonial-era skeleton legislation. The article discusses the constitutional questions of concern raised by such promulgation of subordinate legislations, while acknowledging the backdrop of the emergency nature of the pandemic and the unique power-sharing arrangement in the Constitution of India regarding the National Capital Territory of Delhi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The River Yamuna is one of the largest rivers in northern India. It serves as a major source of potable water to the National Capital Delhi. A study was carried out to monitor and quantify three common antibiotics in surface water, with the help of Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) coupled with the Mass spectrophotometer (MS/MS)-based method. All the major river water locations in the research area were sampled in triplicate to determine the significant presence of antibiotics from local areas, hospitals, drug manufacturing facilities, and residential areas. Using spiked, as well as actual samples, an optimized method for the detection and quantification of different concentrations of antibiotics was developed. Spatiotemporal variations in the physicochemical properties at the five sites, including reference site-6 (Jamia Millia Islamia), during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon period, were also investigated. Maximum concentration was observed during the pre-monsoon season followed by the post-monsoon season. The highest detected antibiotic concentration from the river water samples was that of ofloxacin (145.3794 ng/mL), followed by amoxicillin (3.033 ng/mL) and erythromycin (2.171 ng/mL). An aquatic environment may be very vulnerable to dangers from these pharmaceutical residues, according to this risk assessment. Additionally, the levels and compositions of pharmaceutical residue in the aquatic ecosystem might be influenced by seasonal agricultural application, precipitation, and temperature. The findings revealed the existence of antibiotics because of their indiscriminate usage, which may have resulted in the development of resistant strains and ultimately contributed to the spread of antibiotic resistance among living organisms in the river. Thus, attention is required particularly to this section of river as it is the local lifeline source for urban consumers for the domestic water supply and farmers for cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to assess the intention of the older population to use healthcare wearable devices (HWDs) for wellness during life-threatening situations like COVID-19. The target population for the study was senior citizens (individuals aged above 60) living in Delhi and the national capital region. The respondents were aware that smartwatches could be used to monitor their health. Data from 534 respondents was collected using a structured questionnaire and nonprobability-based sampling method. The partial least squares structure equation model (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypothesized model derived from the protection motivation theory (PMT) and constructs from previous studies on HWDs. Healthcare wearables offer new perspectives for gauging both health and technology-related dimensions. The present study is important as unlike existing studies, it discusses not only the utilitarian characteristics of HWDs but also their health-protective dimensions, which are crucial in times of life-threatening situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings indicate that there is a significant impact of both the protective and utilitarian dimensions of HWDs. The study assesses the perceived vulnerability and severity of the older population in COVID 19 and the intention to use HWDs to handle such health crises. The study confirms that perceived usefulness and information accuracy of HWDs, as well as self-efficacy, perceived severity, and perceived vulnerability of senior citizens are high during the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly influences their intention to use HWDs. • The aim of this study was to explore factors influencing user's intention to healthcare wearable devices for wellness. • The study extends protection motivation theory (PMT) with the addition of other utilitarian aspects. • We found both PMT constructs along with utilitarian aspects impact behavioural intention of users. • This paper is a pioneer in the analysis of intention to use healthcare wearable devices in COVID 19 context. • This study provides a set of recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the last couple of decades urban areas of developing countries have been experiencing unprecedented growth. However, this growth is not well planned in most of the cities. Even in recent days, there is no significant change in city planning and still, there is a lack of concern regarding environmental issues especially the changing green covers in cities. Identifying the green space dynamics of major cities is crucial considering strategic planning of smart cities, policy intervention and combating the problems associated with degreening. The present study attempts to assess the potentiality of hyper-temporal normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and its temporal trend as an indicator of greening or de-greening process in Delhi National Capital Territory (NCT) and its peri-urban areas. Ten days composite hyper-temporal SPOT-VGT (Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre Vegetation) NDVI images (1998-2013) have been used for identifying the vegetation trend and further, it was compared with long-term CHIRPS (climate hazards centre infrared precipitation with station data) rainfall data to unveil the root causes behind the variation in vegetation trend specifically the contribution of natural and anthropogenic factor in changing scenario of urban green space. The study shows that hyper-temporal NDVI data with sufficient temporal depth can be highly convenient to explore the trend of vegetation and changes in green space. The spatio-temporal pattern of NDVI trend indicates a significant part of the area including Noida, Gurgaon etc. experienced decreasing vegetation trend which can be explained by large scale conversion of vegetated land into built-up areas due to establishment of new multi-storied buildings. The strong negative correlation (r ≤ - 0.8) between rainfall-NDVI indicates that rainfall is not the major controlling factor of vegetation trend in that area rather anthropogenic activities played a significant role in depletion of vegetation. During 1998-2013, the areas of bounding zone have been largely converted into built-up area and as a consequence, surface vegetation cover of these areas has been depleted. However, human induced greening was also observed in small pockets of Delhi NCT that can be explained by the impact of positive measures like tree plantation and proper maintenance of urban trees along roads, parks, and gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diwali (the festival of lights and crackers) is celebrated grandly, resulting in a significant drop in the city's air quality. To study the impact of the judicial prohibition in Delhi to improve air quality, a comprehensive and comparative analysis was conducted over two consecutive years, namely 2015–2016 (when no significant regulations on the sale or usage of firecrackers were imposed) and 2017–2018 (when radically different regulations were implemented). Data on PM10, PM2.5, NOx, and CO were analysed, and their trends and levels with various regulations in place were compared. In 2017, the concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NOx, and CO were reduced by 50%, 50%, 71%, and 64%, respectively, compared to 2016. However, in 2018, there was an increase of 32% in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations, as well as a 25% increase in CO concentrations, with the exception of NOx, which decreased to 25% on Diwali day. The data was also examined in conjunction with the entire timeline of the various court rulings and regulations imposed in Delhi. The questionnaire survey study revealed that, despite the legislation in place, ambient air quality continued to deteriorate, necessitating a deeper dive into the policy's structure and implementation to fine-tune its feasibility and applications. Air pollution-related health effects were recognized by 82% of participants. Despite this, only 13% of people were observed without a mask, and only 12% of people were aware of green crackers as of 2018. To combat this deteriorating situation, the national capital must enact radical and well-thought-out legislation and regulations governing firecrackers, as well as raise public awareness amongst its citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One out of three people in India is urban. In 2011, there were about 53 urban agglomerations larger than 1 million population as against only 35 in 2001. Much of this urban expansion has been occurring in the country's largest metropolises including the National Capital Territory of Delhi which has expanded horizontally and vertically both. This has also added to overall decline in its already dilapidated housing stock and quality of life. Delhi, a historical hub for regional, national, and international commerce, and a place for the socio-political elites, has failed to provide basic life amenities to its average citizens. This research critiques the (un)sustainable elements of Delhi's urbanization and concomitant decline in basic amenities pertaining to quality-of-life by examining the growth and expansion of its urban-built-up areas during 2001–2011–2020 and provides nuanced insights into its 'livability' by examining select quality-of-life attributes. The LANDSAT imageries for 2010 and 2020 are used to measure NDB-Index that assesses its built-up area and change, which are later corroborated with Census household data to examine change in its 'livable' and 'dilapidated' housing structures. Significant sub-regional disparity exists in the availability of good and livable homes, with almost 20–30% of several districts still without drinking water source inside premises. However, significant progress is also noted for basic amenities like lighting, latrine and bathing facilities, and majority of Delhi's built-up area has expanded along newer developments and transportation corridors. This calls for goal-oriented strategic interventions by policymakers to help achieve the SDG-11 on Sustainable Cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurship as a stimulant for modernization is useful for addressing a variety of environmental issues. Sustainable entrepreneurs balance the triple bottom line by reconciling financial strength, social equality, and ecological resilience via their business practices. Considering the significance and opportunity of sustainability in entrepreneurship, it is time to apply more rigorous study approaches and the establishment of large-scale empirical study initiatives to improve the debate on sustainable orientation and entrepreneurial activities including entrepreneurial intensity. This study attempts to ascertain the impact of sustainability orientation on entrepreneurial intensity specifically addressing the manufacturing sector in the Delhi/National Capital Region (NCR). The role of psychological capital as a mediator in the relationship between sustainable orientation and entrepreneurial intensity is also assessed. Empirical results of this study, based on 406 manufacturing-based micro, small, and medium-size enterprises (MSME) entrepreneurs, show that sustainability orientation has a significant impact on both entrepreneurial intensity and psychological capital. The results further illustrate the mediating impact of psychological capital on the relationship between sustainability orientation and entrepreneurial intensity. In essence, the study's results have important ramifications for decision makers and practitioners in the field of MSMEs. This study has implications for researchers, MSME entrepreneurs, policy makers, and educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventive measures are the best cure for any disease as they reduce the infection rate. Preventive measures are affected by knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards the disease. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the awareness, perceived risk, and protective behavior toward COVID-19 among undergraduate students of the Delhi and National Capital Region, India. An online questionnaire-based random survey was conducted amongst 605 undergraduate students to assess the demographic characteristics of participants, their level of awareness, perceived risk, and protective behavior regarding COVID-19. The overall awareness, perceived risk, and protective behavior for COVID-19 were found high in undergraduate students (0.000***,0.000***,0.000***). When variable (Gender, area of living, and subject studies) based analysis was performed among participants, a non-statistical significance difference was observed in total awareness among them (p>0.05) towards COVID-19 (p=0.996, 0.121, 0.937). Whereas Female, urban, and science participants were found to perceive the risk for COVID-19 more accurately in comparison to male, rural and non-science participants in total perceive risk analysis (p= 0.016**, 0.035**, 0.036**). However, urban participants showed more Total protective behavior as compared to the rural participants (p=0.048**) and there was no statistical significance difference in protective behavior in terms of Male/Female and Science/non-science participants (p=0.189, 0.100). These findings will contribute to the continued regional/global efforts to better understand preventive crisis response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study emphasizes the need for conducting periodic webinars for educational intervention for all college students which could be useful to create more awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yamuna is one of the main tributaries of the river Ganga and passes through Delhi, the national capital of India. In the last few years, it is considered one of the most polluted rivers of India. We carried out the analysis for the physiochemical and biological conditions of the river Yamuna based on measurements acquired at Palla station, Delhi during 2009–19. For our analysis, we considered various physicochemical and biological parameters (Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Saturation, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Alkalinity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), and Total Coliform. The water stats of river Yamuna at Palla station were matched with Water Standards of India, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and World Health Organization (WHO). Maximum changes are observed in DO saturation and total coliform, while BOD and COD values are also seen higher than the upper limits. Total alkalinity rarely meets the minimum standards. TDS is found to be satisfactory as per the standard limit. The river quality falls under Class D or E (IS2296), Class III or IV (UNECE), and fails to fulfill WHO standards for water. After spending more than 130 million USD for the establishment of a large number of effluent treatment plants, sewage treatment plants, and common effluent treatment plants, increasing discharges of untreated sewage, partially treated industrial effluents and reduced discharge of freshwater from Hathnikund are causing deterioration in water quality and no major improvements are seen in water quality of river Yamuna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contamination of soil and irrigation water by heavy metals (HMs) is a genuine concern due to the possible effect on human well-being via food chain. Thus, an assessment was carried out to find HMs concentration level in water and soil samples of peri-urban areas of National Capital Territory (NCT) Delhi. Analytical results revealed that significant amount of HMs concentration were found in irrigation water, out of which concentrations of Cu (2590 µg/L), Fe (5549 µg/L), Cr (1910 µg/L), Mn (2570 µg/L), Zn (2155 µg/L) and Cd (405 µg/L) in drain water were exceeded the permissible limit of FAO. Cu (108.94 µg/g) and Pb (163 µg/g) concentration in surface soils of majority of sites were recorded beyond the permissible limit of FAO. The overall mean HMs concentration in soil found in the sequence Zn>Cu>Fe>Mn>Cr>Ni>Pb>Cd. It reveals that increasing trend of HMs concentration in water used for irrigation results in metal accumulation in soil, and their consequent accrual in the crops lead to adverse impact on human well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Urbanization challenges conventional 2D cadastral representations. • 3D cadastres are argued as the future basis upon which to define property rights, restrictions and responsibilities. • Delhi already has a legal basis for 3D land administration, but is immature on policy, organizational and technical aspects. • International standards, technologies, and professional networks on 3D cadastres may offer an adaptable solution for Delhi. • Awareness raising and inter-agency collaboration building should be the immediate focus in Delhi. Urbanization and the trend towards complex infrastructure development challenges the traditional two-dimensional (2D) cadastral representations used in conventional land administration. Three-dimensional (3D) representations are argued to serve as the future basis upon which to spatially define rights, restrictions and responsibilities (RRRs) in these environments. In Delhi, the capital city of India, where horizontal expansion via new settlements in peri-urban areas, and vertical expansion by densification of city infrastructure, are both prevalent, the need to manage this increasingly complex 3D infrastructure environment presents a great challenge for land administration and management agencies. This paper explores both the current and potential future application of 3D representation in Delhi, with respect to land use planning, development and management. A cross-cutting thematic case study analysis is undertaken: policy drivers, legal frameworks, organizational aspects, and technical standards are considered. For each aspect a separate analytical approach is used. Based on the results, it is concluded that current practices related to 3D representation are somewhat immature and not adequate for capturing the future vertical growth of Delhi. This could lead to legal and physical boundary inconsistencies and irregularities, and dispute cases. However, by learning from international developments and standards-based approaches, agencies have the potential to enhance and support processes in their respective land administration systems. To realize this potential, internal and external policies, institutional settings and, technical and financial arrangements need to be reformed. In the short term it is recommended to focus on raising awareness for the widespread adoption of 3D representations in relevant agencies in Delhi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater variation can cause land-surface movement, which in turn can cause significant and recurrent harm to infrastructure and the water storage capacity of aquifers. The capital cities in the England (London) and India (Delhi) are witnessing an ever-increasing population that has resulted in excess pressure on groundwater resources. Thus, monitoring groundwater-induced land movement in both these cities is very important in terms of understanding the risk posed to assets. Here, Sentinel-1 C-band radar images and the persistent scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar (PSInSAR) methodology are used to study land movement for London and National Capital Territory (NCT)-Delhi from October 2016 to December 2020. The land movement velocities were found to vary between −24 and +24 mm/year for London and between −18 and +30 mm/year for NCT-Delhi. This land movement was compared with observed groundwater levels, and spatio-temporal variation of groundwater and land movement was studied in conjunction. It was broadly observed that the extraction of a large quantity of groundwater leads to land subsidence, whereas groundwater recharge leads to uplift. A mathematical model was used to quantify land subsidence/uplift which occurred due to groundwater depletion/rebound. This is the first study that compares C-band PSInSAR-derived land subsidence response to observed groundwater change for London and NCT-Delhi during this time-period. The results of this study could be helpful to examine the potential implications of ground-level movement on the resource management, safety, and economics of both these cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times, a significant number of studies on the composition and sources of fine particulate matters and volatile organic compounds have been carried out over Delhi, either initiated by or in association with the researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), in collaboration with researchers from within and outside India. All these studies utilized highly time-resolved, campaign-mode observations made with state-of-the-art instrumentation during the late winter months (mid-January to March) of 2018. Individually, each of these studies were rigorous in nature, containing explicit detailing about different types of ambient air pollutants in Delhi such as organic aerosols, inorganic elements, metals, carbonaceous aerosols, and volatile organic compounds. This study consolidates the extremely useful knowledge on source attribution of these air pollutants in the Delhi National Capital Region currently contained in these fragmented studies, which is vital to further enhancing our understanding of composition, characteristics, and sources of air pollutants over Delhi, as well as to designing appropriate mitigation measures tailored to local specifics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Yamuna, a major tributary of Ganga, which flows through the national capital region of Delhi, is among the major polluted rivers in India. The accumulation of various effluents, toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and increased organic load in the Yamuna directly affects the organisms that thrive inside or around this river. It also makes it an ideal site for studying the impact of pollution on the river microflora, which are sentinels of the water quality. Results: In this study, the microbial community structure and functional diversity of the Yamuna river water was assessed from the New Delhi region. The community structure of Yamuna during pre-monsoon (June) was found to be significantly different from the post-monsoon (November) time, with Acinetobacter being the most abundant genus during June, and Aeromonas during November. The functional characterization revealed the higher abundance of Methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein in the river water, which could be important for the microbial chemosensory adaptation in the environment. A higher abundance of genes related to nitrogen and sulfur metabolism, metal tolerance, and xenobiotic degradation, and complete degradation pathways of aromatic compounds such as toluene, xylene, benzene and phenol were identified. Further, the results showed the presence of a pool of antibiotic resistance genes in the bacterial microbiome in the Yamuna alongside a large number of broad-spectrum antibiotics, such as carbapenemases and metallo-β-lactamases. Efflux mechanism of resistance was found to dominate among these microbes conferring multi-drug resistance. The Principal Coordinate Analysis of the taxonomic composition of the Yamuna River water with publicly available freshwater and sewage datasets revealed significant differences in the two Yamuna samples and a greater resemblance of pre-monsoon Yamuna sample to sewage sample owing to the higher pollution levels in Yamuna in the pre-monsoon time. Conclusion: The metagenomic study of the Yamuna river provides the first insights on the bacterial microbiome composition of this large polluted river, and also helps to understand the dynamics in the community structure and functions due to seasonal variations. The presence of antibiotic resistance genes and functional insights on the metabolic potential of a polluted river microbiome are likely to have several applications in health, biotechnology and bioremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]