The seasonal patterns of phytoplankton primary production, chlorophyll-a concentration, cell number and several other limnological variables in Lake Phewa, located in the active monsoon zone in Central Himalaya, Nepal, were studied for a year beginning in April 2001. During the study period, the gross primary production and chlorophyll-a concentrations were relatively low during the monsoon season. The phytoplankton cell number, represented by 24 genera, also fluctuated seasonally, but tended to increase in the pre-and post-monsoon period. These results suggest that the monsoon plays a crucial role in the primary production and phytoplankton dynamics for Lake Phewa. Among the phytoplankton species, Microcystis aeruginosa, a representative species for eutrophic lakes, was the dominant phytoplankton. At the same time, however, it is clear that the lake is not yet heavily eutrophic. The present study suggests that the exchange of lake water during the monsoon season contributes to maintaining the health of the lake against further degradation. Nevertheless, the silt carried in the monsoon rain run-off from the lake's catchment area suggests increasingly serious degradation problems for this small mountainous lake.

We examined heterotrophic bacterial abundance, chlorophyll-a concentration and resources limiting bacterial growth from October 2004 to August 2005 in Lake Phewa. The lake has a large watershed that covers %435 ha of water surface surrounded by %23-time large catchment area that might receive up to 4850 mm annual precipitation. During the study, bacterial abundance ranged from 3.2 to 9.9 · 10 6 cells mL )1 , and chlorophyll-a varied from 2 to 32 lg L )1 . Bacterial abundance and chlorophyll-a weakly correlated (r = 0.40, n = 77, P < 0.1) in the lake. Experiments on resources, glucose (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) alone and in combination (CNP) limiting bacterial growth rate, were examined using dilution bioassays. Experimental bottles enriched with resources and controls without enrichment (in triplicate) were incubated in situ for 48 h at collection depth. Results showed that C, N and P in combination significantly (at 5% level) stimulated bacterial growth rate. Bioassays with single resource additions showed P as main nutrient limiting bacterial growth comparing with C and N, implying that rainfall received in the catchment might convey adequate resources causing increased P deficiency for bacterial growth in Himalayan foot hill Lake Phewa.

In order to understand trophic status of lake Phewa, largest lake (535 ha) in Pokhara valley, seasonal pattern of zooplanktons, chlorophyll a and nutrients level in water column was examined from January to December 2005. Total zooplanktons density was highest in January and November, showed bimodal pattern in Lake Phewa. The sequence of dominant species of zooplankton was Nauplius > Kerratella > Cyclops > Daphnia > Eodiaptomus in this lake. Correlation between zooplankton species and nutrients level was established. The Chlorophyll- a as an indicator of phytoplankton biomass peaks in November and chlorophyll-a concentration was found lower in winter months. The NH4-N ranged between zero to 0.021 mg/l with mean of 0.003 mg/l. The annual concentration of nitrate+nitrite (NO3+NO2) was found upto 0.148 mg/l (mean= 0.013 mg/l), soluble reactive phosphate (PO4-P) ranged from zero to 0.003 mg/l (mean= 0.001 mg/l), and total phosphorous ranged upto 0.052 mg/l (mean= 0.009 mg/l) in lake Phewa in 2005. Based on nutrients and chlorophyll-a dynamics, the lake varied from mesotrophic to eutrophic in different seasons. The Phewa Lake fluctuated from oligo-mesotrophic in monsoon seasons to meso-eutrophic in dry periods. Key words: Zooplanktons, nutrients, chlorophyll. DOI: 10.3126/eco.v16i0.3473ECOPRINT 16: 51-57, 2009

Knowledge on nutrient dynamics of the lake provide basis for modality and extent of exploitation of fishery resources. Therefore, a long-term data of physico-chemical parameters was analyzed for the assessment of changing aquatic environment and its impact on aquatic biodiversity. The physical and chemical properties of water have been changed over 14 years (1994 to 2007). Increase in mean annual concentrations of dissolved oxygen in recent years (2002 to 2007) were recorded in the lake, which indicate improvement in water quality due to lake restoration. Annual mean pH levels were not consistent to produce specific trends. The pH of the water increased from 1994 to 2002, and then decreased continuously in later period. Water transparency increased with the decreased chlorophyll 'a' concentration during 1999 to 2002 due to degraded condition. The higher concentrations (0.010- 0.017 mgl-1) of soluble reactive phosphorous (SRP- PO4) were recorded during 1994 to 2000, later SRP concentration (0.003-0.012 mgl-1) tend to reduce. Effect of fluctuation in the physico-chemical properties on the lake productivity in terms of fish yield was assessed.

The study assesses the prevalence of and factors affecting the anthropometric measurements i.e. stunting-WAZ, wasting-WHZ and underweight-WAZ each below -2 SD from the median of the reference population, among children below 5 years of age group in newly structured seven Provinces of Nepal by different background characteristics using Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) Data, 2016. Anthropometric indicators are far worse in Madhesh and Karnali provinces than the national average. The highest share of stunted children is in Karnali Province whose size at birth is very small (70.0%) against the national average of 36 percent. Children in the poorest quintile and born from illiterate mothers of Madhesh Province and Karnali Province have highly suffered from stunting. Data shows that children born to illiterate mothers are highly wasted in Madhesh Province (23.8%). Underweight increased with an increase in the age of the children; increases with birth order in all Provinces. Except for Gandaki Province, underweight is more common in rural areas than in urban areas. The prevalence of underweight children is the highest in the poorest quintile of Madhesh Province i. e. 50 percent as compared to the national average of 27 percent. High birth order has significantly contributed to worsening childhood nutrition. The statistical test infers that childhood stunting and underweight are in aggregate strongly related to all variables except sex while wasting is strongly associated with only children’s age and their mother’s education. The author suggests applying provincial policies and programs based on the findings to tackle their poor anthropometric indicators.

Background: Pregnancy and childbirth are momentous events, with deeply personal and social significance in the lives of women, families, and communities. Around the world, in every country and community, pregnancy and childbirth are immensely important events in the lives of women and families. So, the study aimed to assess the perception regarding respectful maternity care among postnatal mothers. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among postnatal mothers at Tertiary Centre Hospital in Koshi Province. The study was started after acquiring approval from the Institutional Review Committee of Nobel Medical College. Data was collected using a face-to-face interview technique with a standardized tool from June 2022 to September 2022.  A total of 102 postnatal mothers were taken as a sample by using a non-probability purposive sampling technique. Data analysis was done by descriptive study. Results: A total of 102 respondents participated in the study of which 62.7% had received overall dimensions of experienced Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) with a mean score ± SD (51.91 ± 5.56). Likewise, among the four dimensions of RMC, the highest average mean score of 81.96 is observed in the discrimination-free care with an SD of 11.08, where 100 % of the women claimed being received discrimination-free care. Conclusion: There was a significant association of RMC with residence and the number of ANC visits. Even though RMC prioritizes removing disrespectful and abusive settings from healthcare facilities, one-half of participants felt that they had not utilized all of RMC's offerings.