Rhododendron arboreum, known as Nepal’s national flower and belonging to the Ericaceae family, thrives throughout the Himalayan region. This study investigates the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of Rhododendron arboreum flowers. Three different extracts were prepared at concentrations ranging from 10 to 640 μg/mL and assessed for their total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and DPPH radical scavenging activity. Results showed significant accumulation of antioxidant compounds (P < 0.05), with TPC levels of 37.78, 67.29, and 53.46 mg GAE/g and TFC values of 49.46, 67.46, and 65.71 mg QE/g for LGP, LGE, and LGA at 640 μg/mL, respectively. DPPH activity was highest in LGE (96.33%), followed by LGA (87.11%) and LGP (76.59%), compared to the standard (77.38%). The antibacterial properties were significant against Aeromonas hydrophila, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli at 100% concentration, with inhibition rates of 15%, 16%, and 17% for LGP, LGE, and LGA, respectively. These findings indicate that Rhododendron arboreum petals, rich in bioactive compounds, possess strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties, making them potential candidates for developing cost‐effective therapeutic formulations. Further research should focus on isolating specific bioactive compounds and understanding their molecular mechanisms to enhance therapeutic efficacy.

Ethanol-distilleries are the key supporter to the world's economy, but these are moreover one of the major sources of environmental pollution that can impact the human heath if the effluents are not treated in proper manners. Distillery effluents with high biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) contains toxic chemicals which are reported to be of carcinogenic and mutagenic in nature. One of the widely used technology for the distillery wastewater treatment is based on up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) technology along with activated sludge process. This technology has fulfilled a need for high efficiency treatment of wastes from various distilleries. With the increasing demands of distillery units and strict guidelines by government agencies for the environment protection, more efforts are required to achieve the zero liquid discharge (ZLD). The research reported in this paper is an effort to perform the in-situ study for evaluating the impact of varying retention times on the efficiency of the condensate Polishing Unit (CPU) based on UASB technology along with activated sludge process for ZLD. The primary objective was to determine pH, BOD and COD after increasing the HRTs in the aeration tank.

The Sunkoshi River in Nepal is widely recognized as a prominent global destination for whitewater rafting. The objective of this study was to examine the variations in physicochemical factors that impact water quality and the variety of ichthyofauna during four separate seasons, from March 2022 to February 2023.The investigation commenced at Dolalghat, the point of convergence of the Bhote Koshi and the Indrawati Rivers. It completed at Benighat, the location where the Tamakoshi River converges with the Saptakoshi River. The Sunkoshi River enters Nepal from high-altitude sources and flows through the country's hills, forests, and plains before merging with the Saptakoshi River in India. During its trip, the river receives contributions from many tributaries. A comprehensive evaluation of water quality was conducted by closely monitoring various physicochemical parameters, including temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), total dissolved solids, turbidity, water velocity, electro-conductivity, depth, pH, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, acidity, alkalinity, nitrate, ammonia, chloride, iron, phosphate and total hardness as calcium carbonate content. Fish species richness was continuously assessed throughout the seasons, spanning from March 2022 to February 2023. The study identified five specific sampling locations: upper Dolalghat, Pachuwarghat, Kusheshwarghat, Khairenighat, and lower Benighat (Dovan), where the Tamakoshi River meets the Sunkoshi. All measured physical and chemical parameters were found to be within acceptable values. There was a total of 65 fish species identified, which were classified into 4 orders and 10 families. Among these, the family Cyprinidae had the highest diversity of species. This study highlights the importance of the Sunkoshi River as a crucial channel connecting Tibet and India via the Himalayan basins of Nepal. The whitewater of this river is renowned as the "River of Gold," confirming its esteemed position as a valuable natural resource.