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Arsenic pollution of groundwater is a serious concern in the developing world. Over the last decade, significant progress has been made in arsenic remediation in India, where millions of households are exposed to arsenic poisoning through drinking water drawn from contaminated aquifers. Arsenic-treatment units (ATUs) have been effective in helping regions where piped-water supply of surface water is unachievable due to logistic constraints. However, no policy measure exists on environmental and economic management of the voluminous wastewater produced by ATUs. The waste is highly toxic in terms of its arsenic content and leachability and therefore can readily re-contaminate local environments if suitable stabilisation methods are not implemented. This paper presents an investigation of the recent developments in arsenic-wastewater-management practices of a severely affected state called West Bengal. Commercial fixation of the waste by incorporation into building materials is often seen as a potent method for ultimate encapsulation of arsenic toxicity. By analysing the practical efficacy of such a prospective project, the author has made an attempt to model scenarios involving non-hazardous and financially beneficial arsenic waste management for sustainable arsenic mitigation in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated the world of work, particularly labour. Worldwide economic crises and unemployment present a difficult road ahead in ensuring the sound health and productivity of labour. Among developing countries, India has been at the centre stage of this catastrophe, with millions of labourers suddenly losing their jobs and in desperate need of livelihoods to survive. Emergency policy measures undertaken to sustain industrial growth in the crises may not be comforting to the labour in India in the long run. This paper is intended to help policymakers and the civil engineering community in meeting the urgency of resolving the adverse impacts of the Covid-19 crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]