The concentration of anthropogenic 137Cs and naturally occurring 226Ra, 232Th and 40K radionuclides were measured in the undisturbed soil at 0-5 cm depth and water collected from the natural reservoir in the Terrene of Goainghat and Jaintapur area of Sylhet district of Bangladesh near the Indian border area by gamma ray spectrometry, with the aim of evaluating the environmental radiation hazard. The activity concentration of 137Cs was observed in all the soil and water samples, ranging from 5.22 4 - 31.74 and 1.1 - 2.2 Bqkg-1respectively. The activity level of 137Cs in this area was lower than that of Cox’ s Bazar (27.38-45.51 Bq kg-1) and higher than that of Chittagong (2.66 Bq kg-1). Values of the natural radionuclides present in the samples were greatly influenced by the geomorphological conditions in the area. The average activity of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil were 57.5, 167.6 and 1202.3 Bq kg-1 respectively. The average activities of 232Th and 40K in the soil samples of this area were higher than the world average value of 25.0 and 350.0 Bq kg-1 respectively. The average γ-ray dose rate due to naturally occurring radionuclides in soil samples was found 180 nGy h-1.

This study endeavors to find out the factors affecting dependency on forest resources and cooperation that Local Government Representatives (LGR) could extend to the forest dependent people. One hundred households were selected from the Koyra Sadar Union adjacent to the Sundarbans following deliberate sampling technique to conduct this study and questionnaire survey, focus group discussion and participatory rural appraisal methods were carried out.  Most of the people in this union lives under the poverty line and about two-third of them predominantly dependent on the Sundarbans’ natural resources. LGR now is playing no role in the livelihood of the Sundarbans’ dependent people; however, there is need for cooperation  to improve their livelihood pattern.

Ternary phase equilibrium data for ethanol-water-1-hexanoic acid and 1-nonanoic acid were experimentally obtained with a view to evaluate the possibility of separation of ethanol from aqueous solutions by distributing each between water and ethanol phases. The mutual solubility curves, tie lines and plait points were constructed from the experimental results. Distribution coefficients and separation factors were computed for these systems. Hand’s method was used to correlate tie lines and to calculate coordinates of plait points. Tie line data were satisfactorily correlated by the Othmer-Tobias method on a mass fraction basis.