Academic literature on the topic 'Tufangang'

The groundwater quality of Koch Bihar District (West Bengal, India) has been assessed to determine the suitability of groundwater for drinking. Eight parameters have been taken into account for calculating the water quality index (WQI): pH, total hardness (TH), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), carbonate (CO32-) and bicarbonate (HCO3-), chloride (Cl), iron (Fe) and sulfate (SO42-). Secondary data on water quality were collected from Central Ground Water Commission (2018), and the samples of water have been collected from the various locations and analyzed accordingly. The physico-chemical data were evaluated following the standards of BIS and WHO guidelines. The calculated WQI ranges from 23.62 to 95.12. In terms of groundwater quality for drinking purposes, Tufanganj-1 and Koch Bihar-1 seem to be the worst blocks. The magnesium (Mg) concentration exceeds the acceptable limit of 30 mg/l in Mathabhanga I, Mathabhanga II, Koch Bihar II, Dinhata II, and Sitai Block and Koch Bihar II exceeds its permissible limit (100mg/ l). The Iron (Fe) value exceeds the acceptable limit of 0.5 mg/l in Koch Bihar II. The Total Hardness (TH) value exceeds the acceptable limit (200 mg/l) in Mekhliganj, Mathabhanga-I, Koch Bihar-I, Koch Bihar-II, Tufanganj II, Dinhata II, Sitai. However, no sample crosses the maximum acceptable limit for pH, carbonate, chloride, and sulfate. It is suggested that water drawn from such sources be disinfected adequately before being used for drinking or other domestic purposes.

BACKGROUND Childhood obesity, a precursor of obesity in adulthood, is an important risk factor for adverse health outcomes and is showing a rising trend in India. Duration of exclusive breastfeeding, early introduction of complementary feeding, overweight or obesity in the mother, and maternal diabetes are important risk factors. The study was conducted to determine the proportion of overweight and obesity and its determinants among children in a block of North Bengal. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 2 – 6 years attending Anganwadi Centres in Tufanganj I Block, District Cooch Behar, West Bengal. 221 children aged between 2 and 6 years, were selected by 2 stage sampling technique, from 5 AWCs by simple random sampling, after taking informed consent from their mothers. Proportions, 95% CI for prevalence, and adjusted odds ratio for risk factors were calculated. RESULTS Proportions of overweight and obesity were 22.2% and 11.3% respectively. The proportion of combined overweight and obesity was significantly higher when the duration of exclusive breastfeeding was for less than 6 months compared to more than 6 months [AOR=8.069, 95% CI = 1.778-36.624, P=0.007] and the duration of continued breastfeeding was for less than 6 months compared to more than 6 months [AOR=12.586, 95% CI = 5.196-30.486, P=<0.001]. CONCLUSIONS The proportion of overweight and obesity was observed to be higher compared to other studies. Increased duration of breastfeeding appears to be a protective factor for the prevention of childhood overweight and obesity.