Five-year monitoring of physicochemical parameters was performed with two campaigns in low and high water periods of the Lower Soummam catchment. Data from 18 wells were processed by multivariate statistical tools in order to identify the principal factors influencing groundwater chemistry. Two matrices of 14 and 8 physicochemical parameters with 18 groundwater samples collected in wells were obtained. The correlation matrix showed strong associations between nine variables: K + , Ca 2+ , Na + , SO 4 2− , Cl − , Mg 2+ , NO 2 − , Zn 2+ and Sr 2+. Principal component analysis and factor analysis showed that the cumulated variance of high and low water periods was of 83.19% and 78.55%, respectively. The variables assigned to the mineralization effect or to pollution indicators were presented by the factor analysis. The bivariate plots confirmed a mineralization model, ascribed to dissolution of geological materials, and to high levels of saline contamination attributed to leakages from sanitary systems. They also showed an increase "upstream to downstream" of the mineralization, visualization of temporal variations, and a dilution process identification of the natural mineralization during the recharge of the aquifer.
Decentralized management of natural resources has the potential to solve the twin problems of Nepalese society which are poverty and poor governance. An important focus of the Local Self Government Act (LSGA) of 1999 is to develop a local self-governance system and local leadership through which local bodies (LBs) make decisions on matters affecting their daily needs and livelihoods. Through the capacity building of local bodies, there is an ample opportunity to boost effective decentralized agriculture service provision at the VDC level. The objective of this paper is to provide basic understanding of the challenge and issues felt during implementation of VDC-level decentralization in the agricultural sector. A review of documents describing extension reforms and experiences was conducted in support of this study. Experience to date shows a great willingness of rural people to take responsibility for local development and to receive appropriate training to improve their management capability. LBs and development partners can assist in capacity building and further strengthen such local bodies to mitigate weaknesses. However, there remain challenges and issues to provide effective agricultural services in enhancing the livelihoods of the poor and to the promotion of more market-led production system.
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