Where the major Inner Planes meet, they form the para-elemental planes, minor planes of existence that combine the materials of two different major elements into a single plane. These planes are Ice, a minor plane of Air and Water; Magma, a minor plane of Earth and Fire; Ooze, a minor plane of Earth and Water; and Smoke, a minor plane of Air and Fire. They are considered minor because of the difficulty of reaching these planes, and the smaller number of inhabitants that reside on them. These planes, while minor, are far more dangerous than the major planes they adjoin, one of the reasons why they are so scarcely populated. Despite the danger of visiting such places, they each hold unique locales and treasures within their depths.
History
The para-elemental planes are first introduced in the Manual of the Planes (1987) where their foundations are first laid. It’s not until The Inner Planes (1998) that additional detail is provided on the inhabitants, specifics to the planes, and locations to visit. These planes’ paraelementals are the only creatures that are referenced in 3rd edition and in 4th edition, and while these planes are touched on in 5th edition’s Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014), very little is revealed on them, though Smoke is renamed to Ash.
An Outsider’s Perspective
These minor planes are as varied from each other as the major planes that make them up. For outsiders, these planes are dangerous, but for those who have learned their secrets, can hold hidden treasures unable to be found anywhere else in the planes. Each of these para-elemental planes presents unique challenges to be overcome.
Ice
Between the Plane of Air and the Plane of Water, the Plane of Ice is a realm of freezing temperatures where everything freezes eventually. Water, flesh, blood, stone, metal, ice, and even words and thoughts freeze in this plane the closer one travels to the center of it. The entire plane is covered in freezing ice, creating twisting caverns and tunnels, with large chasms that shrink and grow as the ice moves throughout the plane. Those who visit this plane do so to find frozen thoughts in the center of the plane, or to hunt the monsters who roam this plane, like yetis, animentals, ice mephits, and more.
Magma
Between the Plane of Earth and the Plane of Fire, the Plane of Magma is a flowing realm of super-heated rock. Large islands of obsidian float across the magma floes, with subterranean lava tubes that run throughout the plane like a spider web and is heavily used by traders and travelers as it is protected from the burning magma. Visitors are often searching across the plane for gems that form from the intense pressure and heat of this plane, as well as powerful wizards who have formed towers to study the elemental power of magma.
Ooze
Adjoining the Plane of Earth and the Plane of Water, the Plane of Ooze is a horrible realm of stinking gases and caustic muck that floods across the plane. Few visitors willingly travel to this plane, and it seems as if even the inhabitants of this plane want out from the slime, sludge, and muck of this world. Visitors of the plane have difficulty with the sludge-like caustic mud, searching through the wastes of Sigil for valuables, for ooze-gems, strange and rare gems that fetch a high price so long as they are thoroughly cleaned before being taken to market, as well as searching for hidden prisons of ancient creatures bound to Ooze.
Smoke
Between the Plane of Air and the Plane of Fire, the Plane of Smoke is a large fog bank of smog and smoke, of caustic fumes and burning embers that choke the lungs of those who try to breathe it. Visitors of this plane are often the djinn and efreet who wage a war across this plane, treating it as a vast and bloody battlefield as they attempt to gain elemental ground against the other side. Others who visit this plane do so either as mercenaries or as explorers searching through the smoke-laden air for rare gases that can provide healing, offer new experiences, as well as horrible poisons for assassins.
A Native’s Perspective
The majority of those who are willing to reside and inhabit this plane are the paraelementals and mephits who are formed from their plane. There are other races and creatures of these planes, though they are sparse and many have long ago left these planes for more hospitable planes like the major Inner Planes or the Material Plane. Almost no true powers claim any parts of these planes, though many are working towards taking on the mantle of archomental, primordial, and even godhood.
Ice
Freezing cold. Freezing chill. Miles upon miles of frozen caverns slowly freezing over and then re-freezing again. The inhabitants are cold just like their plane, uncaring for others who hate the cold and ice, looking with cool gazes at those who try to survive in this freezing realm. The inhabitants of this plane are largely the paraelementals who are ruled over by an up and coming archomental known as Cryonax. Cryonax rules from his icy fortress known as the Chiseled Estate and is focused on expanding his empire of ice and has imprisoned hundreds of wizards, some are even water and ice genasi, to help bolster his strengths and see him to victory.
Magma
Bubbling molten rock forms vast oceans of churning magma that threatens to burn everything that touches it. Those who live here must struggle against the burning rocks and caustic air of toxic fumes. While there are few settlements on this plane, at least visitable by outsiders, many of them are ruled over by individuals who are researching or hiding. The true rulers of this plane, the mephits, are vicious and cruel, they enjoy dominating any creature who comes to this plane, and by sheer numbers alone, can overtake any others on this plane. They are ruled over by a powerful magma mephit known as Chilimba, who insists that others call him the Searing Emperor, the First General of the Cauldron, and the Master of All Mephits. The mephits rarely negotiate and are seen as pests by outsiders like the efreet and dao who often meet on this plane.
Ooze
Probably the least inhabited of any of the para-elemental planes, the Plane of Ooze is often thought to be the most inhospitable of the planes, including the quasi-elemental plane of Vacuum or the Negative Energy Plane. It’s not that Ooze kills so quickly, which it does, but because it is such a horrible, stench-ridden, caustic ocean of muck, mud, and other rotting things. Inhabitants of this plane always seem to be wanting to leave, with even the ooze mephits searching desperately for ways off the plane even though they are formed from the plane itself. While the ooze mephits are the largest group of inhabitants, they have never built settlements on this plane and instead travel in nomadic groups, hunting for outsiders to drown in the murky depths of this plane. Paraelementals often stick to the darkest depths of this plane, while the animentals, animals of elemental form, are as disgusting as the plane itself. Ooze dogs still behave like dogs, but if they try to lick your face, their saliva is like caustic acid that melts through flesh, bone, and armor.
Smoke
Burning and acidic air, stinging smoke laden with ash, and endless expanses of foul gases make up this plane and hide dark secrets in their clouds. Several creatures claim this plane as their home, though their true numbers are hidden throughout the smoke and gases. The largest presence are the smoke mephits who follow Ehkahk, a simple smoke mephit who has decided that he has the powers of a true archomental, even if he has no special powers. After them, in almost equal numbers, are the smoke paraelementals who ignore the mephits that try to push their insane ruler on them. Instead, these paraelementals follow their Smoke Dukes, powerful paraelementals who rule over settlements and regions.
Atmosphere
The atmospheres on each of these planes are heavily influenced by the major elemental planes that they adjoin, combining them and bringing in new hazards. Not every plane is breathable, and each plane has unique hazards that make it difficult to survive traversing them. These planes can support life, but it is a life that has evolved in an alien way to overcome the dangers of each plane.
Ice
With its freezing air, the Plane of Ice is aptly named. This plane exists without light except what outsiders and inhabitants create for themselves, and no heat can be squeezed out of this plane. Freezing bodies might form the largest population on this plane, though if rumors are to be believed, those individuals are still alive, you just have to unthaw them. Similar to Earth, Ice is made up of a massive glacier of ice that has tunnels crisscrossing throughout it. There is breathable air throughout the plane, though if travelers end up inside of the ice sheets, or the ice forms up around them, they’ll quickly be cut off and begin suffocation.
Magma
Magma has a definite gravity, and thus has a surface to it that most are forced to wade through or sail on an obsidian vessel. The air is sometimes breathable, though it is laced with the burning smoke of fires and magma. To survive these toxic fumes, the air must be filtered or magically treated to make it safe to breathe for those who require it. Trying to peer through this burning haze is largely restricted by the ever-present smoke and foul gases, making it difficult to make out any details from further away than 100 feet.
Ooze
Similar to the Plane of Water, this entire plane is consumed by the murky mud of ooze, its caustic nature destroying and consuming anything that touches it. The closer one travels to Earth, the thicker the muck grows, making it almost impossible to swim or wade through as if it was made of large chunks of solid-mud, while the closer one travels to Water, the looser and more liquid it gets until its like swamp water, but made of powerful toxic waste. Spells and creatures who can normally breathe water are capable of breathing this filth, though it does nothing to stop it from being toxic and poisonous. Trying to breathe the air is difficult as it is just as toxic as the muck of this plane.
Smoke
While there is no risk of drowning, like there is on Magma or Ooze, this plane is just as dangerous to breathe in. Filled with the burning embers of long extinguished fires and toxic gases that are highly combustible, this plane is dangerous to breathe in. Those who breathe the fumes of this plane in, unfiltered and unprotected, immediately begin suffocating and dying as their lungs begin bleeding and burning away.
Traits
Travel to the Plane
Most people who are looking to travel to these planes are often asked why they would ever do that, doubly so for those who wish to visit the Plane of Ooze. Despite any misgivings a traveler may have of journeying to these planes, it is not extremely difficult for those who are keen on visiting. There are portals in Sigil, the Outlands, and other places across the multiverse that offer ways of arriving in these portals. Sigil has several portals in its sewers and in the Hive that offer connections to the Plane of Ooze, as well as portals to the other planes at random locations as the Lady of Pain sees fit to create them. Portals to the Plane of Smoke can be found on Bytopia that requires the breath of a gnome to open, and as if they shouldn’t be outdone, Moradin, the god over dwarves, built his portal on the slopes of Mount Celestia in his realm. Ooze has portals on many of the layers of the Abyss, like the 222nd layer where the kingdom of Juiblex is said to be. It’s little surprise that a demon prince of oozes might have some interest in such a horrible and mucky place like Ooze. If you are trying to get to Magma, there is a well-known portal in a remote portion of the Outlands built of basalt. No one knows who built the portal, and many believe it was quite a small creature who did so as most humanoids have to squeeze through, making it almost impossible for large creatures to access it. Instead, if a traveler is hoping to get to Ice, there are portals known to exist on Cania, the eighth layer of Baator, though that is a difficult portal to access if one isn’t a devil. There is also a portal on Muspelheim, a fiery layer located on Ysgard, though no one is quite sure how it formed or for what purpose. Portals to these planes can spring up anywhere their specific elements come together in sufficient quantities. Freezing cold oceans on the Material Plane may link to the Plane of Ice, just as the centers of volcanoes may hold a portal to the Plane of Magma. Smoke is often found above large forest fires where toxic air clings to itself, while Ooze portals can often be found in places of swampy detritus and rotted corpses. Since these planes adjoin the borders of the major elemental planes, they can also be walked to on any of the adjoining planes. This requires a guide, as each of these planes are infinite by their very nature, making it difficult for outsiders to truly understand where these borders are located.
Traversing the Plane
Only those who understand what dangers exist on these planes can truly be prepared for what they face. Traversing any of these planes is no simple task and requires magic, strength, and luck to survive them.
Ice
Depending on where a traveler is on the plane, they may have it quite easy or very difficult. In the areas near the Plane of Air, in a region known as Precipice, it is a sheer cliff that must be traversed up to get closer to the center of the plane. Spiked shoes, rope, pickaxes, and more are required to scale these cliffs, or one risks slipping on a slick piece of ice and plummeting to their freezing death hundreds of miles below them. As they journey towards the center of the plane, they must have access to some way to nullify the cold, though even that isn’t enough. Creatures immune to the cold, like white dragons and even creatures of ice, find the cold so painful that even they begin freezing. It isn’t unheard of to come across the frozen body of a creature in the twisting caverns of Ice. As a traveler moves closer to the Plane of Water, the massive block of ice that forms most of this plane soon gives way to a freezing cold ocean. Icebergs float across the dark oceans, and some swear that the water itself is far colder than even the ice of this plane.
Magma
Luckily for travelers, gravity exists on this plane and makes getting around it somewhat simple. Those who can fly can easily soar above the burning magma, though they still must deal with the toxic fumes that rise to meet them. Those who lack such an ability have a few other options. They can try and trudge through the magma, half walking and half swimming through the burning magma. This is a slow and painful process as the sticky fire burns anything within it that isn’t protected. Another option is to hire a dao obsidian ship that can sail across the churning sludge of Magma. These ships aren’t cheap but have natural bubbles of breathable air that are maintained around it with magic, making it the safest and easiest ride across the plane. The dao aren’t to be trusted as they have been known to make slaves of those who would hire their ships. Beyond simply swimming through the magma, there is also a complex lava tube network that spans the entire plane. In these hollow tubes, a traveler is protected from the sizzling magma, though the tubes do nothing to cleanse the air. Large trading caravans and explorers rely on these tubes to safely travel from Earth to Fire.
Ooze
Depending on where a traveler is on the plane, it may require them to swim through the thin muds of the plane, or they have to half-dig, half-swim through the thick muck. The ooze-mud near Water is liquidy enough to easily swim through, though the caustic nature of the plane means any swimmers must have some spells to stop them from being dissolved by the acidic muck. Closer to Earth, the muck gets thicker and harder to bypass, forcing those to dig and channel their way through the marshes of acidic mud. A traveler could also remain still and just allow the currents of muck that move through this plane to carry them off, moving wherever the languid currents carry them.
Smoke
Traveling across this plane is virtually identical to traveling on the Plane of Air, one must simply determine their ‘down’ and fall in that direction. There is no gravity on this plane, and most visitors who visit this plane find it easy to use the same tricks they’d use on the Plane of Air, here. One of the biggest differences though is that visibility is greatly reduced and typically travelers can only see up to 30 feet in front of them. This means they have to be constantly focused on what they are falling towards as earth motes can suddenly appear, and if they aren't fast enough, they may splat into it.
Locations
These planes adjoin the major elemental planes, as well as border several quasi-elemental planes. Each plane has six borders that behave slightly differently than the core of the plane, providing new hazards and dangers for travelers. Most settlements often form up around the most hospitable borders, leaving other borders devoid of life if it is too dangerous to reside there.
Ice
Ice shares borders with the Plane of Air, Lightning, Steam, Water, Salt, and Vacuum, each creating a unique interaction with the blistering cold of ice. Lightning and Ice creates a field of soft snow, blowing pleasantly across the landscape in a realm known as the Shimmering Drifts. While it may seem pleasant at first, if these electrical-charged snowflakes touch a creature, it can cause the creature to lose their wits and act as if they are under the effects of a confusion spell. Steam and Ice create the realm of the Fog of Unyielding Frost, a place of super-cold vapors that if breathed can freeze your lungs solid. While it is survivable in this realm, those who reside or travel through here must always have some sort of protection from the cold. Traveling towards Air is the region known as Precipice, this is at the very ‘top’ of Ice where snow-capped mountains and sheer ice cliffs creak and groan as the ice continues to grow. No sun illuminates this realm, making it so that to climb atop these cliffs or mountains, one must travel in the pitch-black of night. Moving downward, through the frozen ground towards Water, it eventually turns into the frigid place known as the Sea of Frozen Lives, a surfaceless ocean of suspended icebergs. It is said that even the water is colder than the ice that holds it and that the icebergs that float in this liquid were once travelers who succumb to the cold. Salt and Ice form a realm known as the Stinging Storm, a raging tempest of salt-water and acrid crystals that hail across the realm. Those who get caught in a storm are forced to contend with crystals of all sizes hailing down in a devastating bludgeoning cacophony of pain and acidic burns. Where Ice reaches Vacuum, it creates the Frigid Void, a realm free of ice and snow but it still retains its painful cold as well as the deadly void of nothing. There are only a few sites on Ice, for if you stop moving on this plane, you are likely to join the frozen statues. Traveling through the ice channels, even the warmth of a fire is a danger as it can melt some of the ice around you, turning it into a chilling liquid that splashes down on you and then instantly refreezes with you in the center of this ice block. It is best to travel with a magically-created light spell and protect oneself from the cold using magic.
Arcolantha
Thought to be the place that every visitor should see, at a spot deep in the ice is a strange world that is unaffected by the growing realm of ice. It appears like a massive sphere with its ice-walls perfectly polished to a high sheen, making it easy to peer through the ice for hundreds of feet. There is even a large light in the center of this sphere that illuminates the entire structure in a brilliant light, but the beauty of ice isn’t the reason to visit. That reason is the thousands of creatures that are ‘buried’ in the ice, these creatures, and even humanoids, have been taken from all across the multiverse and stored in the solid ice here. No one knows who is doing this, or for what reason, but travelers from all over who study specific creatures often venture here for a chance to look at one of their specimens up close through the ice.
The Chiseled Estate
Located on Precipice is the icy fortress of Cryonax, a colossal structure that extends well over a mile above the surface of the ice, and stretches far below in a vast underground network. In the very center lies a throne room where Cryonax rules from, watching over his realm and forming his plans on extending his power over ice and pushing the freezing reach of Ice onto other planes. Found throughout his twisting fortress are yetis, frost-covered umber hulks, snowy ropers made of ice, and massive dire-beasts formed of ice and snow who safeguard his fortress from intruders.
Magma
Magma shares borders with the Plane of Fire, Ash, Dust, Earth, Mineral, and Radiance, each creating a unique interaction with the bubbling and churning mass of molten rock. Radiance and Magma create the realm known as the Glowing Dunes, often thought to be one of the deadliest places in all the Inner Planes. Rolling hills are made of volcanic ash, and as one travels closer to Radiance the dust becomes metallic and radiates out energy and light. Those who travel across the hills risk catching a horrible disease or curse, no one truly knows what exactly it is but even those who are immune to such things can catch it. This disease or curse causes blistering skin, blindness, baldness, and hundreds of other symptoms before the eventual death. On the border of Mineral and Magma is the realm of the Obsidian Forest, with massive spires of volcanic glass and crystals that rise out of the burning wasteland. Its thought that evil creatures of stone reside here, having fleed from a powerful archomental known as Ogremoch located on the Plane of Earth. Traveling towards Earth, the magma thickens and creates an area of basalt cliffs and spires that overlook rivers and lakes of lava known as the Scorched Wastes, this area is largely devoid of life except for firenewts and salamanders. In the opposite direction, heading towards Fire is a realm known as the Searing Mists where fires erupt in massive explosions across the almost liquid-like magma that flows quickly across the surface like a massive churning ocean. At the very edge of the border against the Plane of Fire is a curtain of searing droplets of molten stone that form a fog-like haze separating the two planes. Traveling towards the Negative Energy Plane presents the two options of Ash and Dust. Where Ash and Magma meet is the region known as the Chalk Islands where islands of chalk rise up surrounded by rivers and oceans of magma. The islands are freezing cold and filled with the choking ash of their plane, while the magma creates rivers of boiling heat, making it quite difficult for travelers to contend with such extremes. Dust and Magma form the Sands, a realm of desert-like qualities, though it is the coolest place on Magma. Moving through the sands, the particles slowly become more and more powder-like, wreaking havoc on metal and mechanical items that begin rusting and corroding. Few settlements have formed up on Magma, as it is quite a dangerous place to spend too much time thanks to the sudden jets of flame that explode across the surface. A few cities are known to exist on the surface of this realm, as well as more than a few laboratories and magical towers manned by sages and wizards who wish to be left alone so they might work on their magic in peace.
Fields of Nevermore
On the surface of this plane is a cool crust of stone that has grown thick enough to be used as the foundation of a city. While typically such stone would melt into the magma, there is a great and powerful artifact at the center of this city known as the chillsword which has been planted in the magma itself as an attempt to destroy this artifact in ancient times. Unfortunately for the wielder, not even the melting magma of this plane could destroy the artifact, and instead the blade formed a cooled area where a settlement would eventually rise around. While the air is still dangerous and filled with toxins, ambitious travelers who are searching for a respite from this plane took a liking to the area and eventually formed a large city, creating strange breathing devices that transform the toxins of this plane into breathable air.
Targath’s Tower
While not a wizard himself, Targath Reniume had commissioned over a dozen powerful wizards to construct for him a tower on Magma. Some believe that he paid them with illicit goods that he had acquired, with the most unbelievable rumors that he had stolen the moaning diamond and gave it to them. This tower is made out of permanent walls of force, making it an invisible tower in the churning magma. It rises several stories above the plane of Magma and far below it where it is anchored to the lava tube network that crisscrosses the plane. He is happy to allow visitors to rest at his home, often only requiring news of the world outside for a comfortable bed and a lavish supper. No one is quite sure how Targath moves from his tower and out into the many worlds outside, but he seems to be able to travel with a care-free demeanor and can almost will himself to appear anywhere in the multiverse.
Ooze
The Plane of Ooze shares borders with the Plane of Earth, Dust, Salt, Water, Steam, and Mineral, each creating a unique realm as it interacts with the stench swamps of Ooze. At the borders of Steam and Ooze, it creates the realm of the Choking Gale, where the ooze and muck grow thin and eventually turns into strong winds that spray oily poisons over those who journey here. Rolling clouds of toxic vapor twist and pummel visitors across this realm, choking and burning even those who are immune to poison, its vapors clinging to skin and causing horrific burns. Between Ooze and Mineral, the ooze is said to congeal into a molasses-like substance that grows thicker and thicker the closer one travels to Mineral. This realm, known as the Slag Marshes, has a thin atmosphere, that is at least breathable, but it tastes of metal and the sludge of this marsh eats its way through clothes, skin, and even bone. Traveling towards Earth, the muck and ooze thicken until it becomes a thick mud that sucks at your feet as you move through it. This realm, known as the Muckmire, often solidifies and hardens around those who move through it, as there is little moisture here. This hardened muck quickly freezes travelers in place much like amber sap from a tree that freezes around an insect. It's not uncommon for motes of this hardened material to float to the surface with a horrified, and long-dead, creature trapped within it. On the opposite side of this plane, as one travels to Water, the muck and ooze grow thin in a region known as the Bile Sea where the ‘water’ clings to the skin like caustic acid. There are a few fish that have come over from Water, though they are horrible creatures with most slowly rotting in the ocean, making it that much more unappealing to visitors. Moving off to the Negative Energy Plane, Ooze shares borders with Salt and Dust. Traveling towards the borders of Salt and Ooze, the ooze thickens and becomes briny, with muck so caustic it corrodes metal almost immediately. Even magically protected weapons and armor begin to rust away into the Stagnant Sea. At the border of Dust and Ooze, is the realm known as the Oasis of Filth, a place so thick with disease that creatures concoct a massive variety of plagues, illnesses, and fevers that can only be found on this plane. It's no surprise that even the inhabitants of this realm seem to be seeking any way out of this plane. It is almost unheard of to find any traveler that has ever had a positive experience in this plane, making it so that few have any reason of setting up a permanent settlement on the sucking muds of this plane.
The Trash Heap
Sigil might have the largest concentration of portals to Ooze, but that is because it needs a place to put its waste material as there is nowhere in the city. Instead, it gets pumped through one of their portals, often requiring the dabus to clear out any clogs, and ends up in Ooze. Miles upon miles of junk litter this plane, rotting food, weapons, and even the occasional body, sometimes still alive, floats across this area. While many might turn their nose up, the trash heap is inhabited by dozens of individuals looking through the junk as sometimes there are treasures and lost items of high value worth living out here for.
The Cysts
This plane is quite useful for those who wish to entomb and entrap creatures using powerful magics to sink targets into the muck. These trapped creatures create cysts in the mire, and they are preserved, like living fossils. While cysts are impossible to see through, making it difficult to tell what is on the other side, they can provide some clues as a giant will form a cyst that is 15 feet or more in length, while a kobold may only create one a few feet tall. Occasionally these cysts might rupture, spilling forth their contents onto the plane, and while many might drown on the filth around them, several have escaped their confines, driven insane by the untold eons trapped on this plane. On rare occasions, travelers have walked on cysts that have risen to the surface, accidentally rupturing the cyst and spilling out whatever creature had been locked away.
Smoke
The Plane of Smoke shares borders with the Plane of Air, Lightning, Radiance, Fire, Ash, and Vacuum, each creating unique interactions with the choking gases of this plane. Lightning forms the darkened realm known as the Aurora, where brilliant waves of colors rip across the sky like lightning. It is said to be one of the natural wonders of the multiverse, a place that all must-see for its pure beauty. Next to this realm is the border of Radiance and Smoke, creating a realm known as the Sea of Stars that is also a vast expanse of darkness, but this one holds flakes of light and energy that zip and move across the expanse like lightning bugs. This glistening, radiant energy is dangerous to touch, but another wonder to behold for its beauty. Traveling to the Plane of Air, the smoke and heat begin decreasing on this plane but before one can reach the purified air of the self-named plane, they must enter through a gloom known as the Eternal Haze. This realm is completely poisonous with stranges gases and toxins not seen, or breathed, anywhere else in the multiverse. In the opposite direction, as one heads towards the border of the Plane of Fire and Smoke, is the realm known as the Scaled. This area is so hot that, while there are no flames, it is just as hot as Fire with smoke so thick that a traveler can’t see more than a few feet, if that, in front of them. It is said that all the smoke from Fire travels to this area, and gathers up in thick clouds that are impassable unless led by an efreet. Heading towards the Negative Energy Plane are the planes of Ash and Vacuum. At the border of Smoke and Ash is a place known as the Ember where flakes of super-heated ash move across the lit sky like from a campfire. This ash sears and blisters whatever it touches, making it a dangerous realm to stay for long in. At the borders of Vacuum and Smoke is the horrible realm of the Gray Way that is as deadly as it is subtle. The air here is not toxic, but it is still dangerous to breathe in as the vapors cause hallucinations and madness in all. Those who breathe in this realm, even for a short time, begin losing themselves in the madness, forgetting what it is to be alive and unalive, what is good vs evil, and becoming brutal and kind in the same moment. This horrible condition is thought to be only removed by a powerful restoration spell, but it's said that those who survive such a condition are forever changed. Unlike many of the other para-planes, this plane is often traveled though many of its travelers are efreet soldiers and djinn warriors who wage their battles across the entire plane.
The Choking Palace
Ehkahk, a semi-what powerful mephit, lays claim to this floating castle made of black iron that drifts across the plane. His palace holds a large library filled with a jumbled mess of esoteric lore, for Ehkahk prizes himself as a scholar and has gathered up any type of book or piece of lore that he can, filling his shelves with strange knowledge that may be best locked away. Hundreds of mephit scribes are sent across the plane, and beyond, searching for more knowledge to fill Ehkahk’s shelves. The Great Ehkahk is even quite a writer himself as he writes massive amounts in his journals that he stores in his libraries, though no one is quite sure why he does so. While Ehkahk, the Smoldering Duke, has made no moves against the other planes, many wonder if he is simply biding his time and growing his power so that he might truly become an archomental.
The Hidden City
Secreted somewhere in the plane, this massive city is built atop a natural spring of water, the only one like it in all the plane of smoke. Magic and smoke help to make this city almost impossible to find, safeguarding it from opposing forces that would like nothing more than to destroy the city or take it over as a large fortification. Djinn and efreet and are interested in finding and securing this city, with the djinn wanting to create an alliance with the city to house their armies, while the efreet wishes to enslave the occupants and transform the city into their fortress. Even the Smoldering Duke, the tyrant mephit, wishes to control the town, though it is more out of jealously that something could be hidden in the smokes that he so dearly loves. The rulers of the Hidden City are always twin heirs, at least for the past eight generations, and go to great lengths to ensure that those worthy travelers who need food and shelter can find the city. They are always open to those who are running away from the oppression of the genies, helping outsiders so long as they can find the city and are worthy of their protection.
Factions & People
Genies
The genies don’t reside on the para-elemental planes but do wage their wars across them. The djinn and efreet, from the planes of Air and Fire respectively, wage their war across Smoke. The dao and marid, from the planes of Earth and Water respectively, wage their war across Ooze. Dao and efreet often meet secretly on Magma, conducting trade missions as well as planning their attacks on their hated enemies. While the djinn and marid meet on Ice, neither much care for the freezing temperatures and, while they are not hostile with each other, rarely take to planning engagements against their enemies. The genies also use these planes as hunting grounds, moving across the planes in search of elemental animals of these planes, or hunting the mephits and paraelementals. The genies see the mephits as nothing more than vermin and pests, slaughtering large numbers of them like they would rodents.
The Powers
No true power lays claim to any portion of these planes, this might be because these planes are so difficult to get to or that they are just too hazardous for outsiders to visit that the gods have decided it isn’t worth the effort. There are a wide variety of individuals who believe themselves to be gods, archomentals, or primordials, though few, if any, truly hold such power.
Cryonax
On Ice is an individual that is the closest to becoming a true archomental, also known as a primordial. Standing at 15-feet tall and covered in white fur, he is often said to resemble that of a powerful yeti or a massive polar bear that stands on its hind legs. Cryonax often thinks of himself as a deity already, though he has yet to prove his true power against others, something many believe he aims to fix. He is hoping to expand his rule to the entire plane of Ice, and even for Ice to replace one of the major Inner Planes in importance. Some say he dreams of a day where he can freeze over the entire multiverse, ruling it with a freezing fist.
Paraelementals
The elementals of these planes are known as the paraelementals and include mephits and elementals. They are thought to be the plane given sentience and are summoned by spellcasters looking to trap elemental energies or control them in battle. While the elementals often have unique names to describe themselves, rarely if ever going by the title of paraelemental or mephit, they are categorized as such by scholars who study such creatures and beings. The paraelementals of these planes are wary and unfriendly, treating others with extreme caution and even hostility. Their planes are often turned into large battlefields between the warring genie factions who fight and slaughter other creatures indiscriminately across the plane. They can still be treated with, though they are typically only swayed by goods that they see as valuable. Smoke elementals value rare gases and strange perfumes while an ice elemental may value magical items that deal with the cold and create cold spells.
Encounters
Ehkahk's Books - A rumor in Sigil has been making the rounds, that there is an insane mephit on the Plane of Smoke searching for hidden books and lost knowledge to fill his shelves. Claims to be paying top coin and, those who can bring him valuable knowledge will be given large expanses of land, or smoke as the case might be, in the Plane of Smoke. They may even be elevated to the prestige of being a noble among the mephits, a questionable title if ever there was one. Frozen Thoughts - At the very center of the Plane of Ice, even thoughts freeze into crystals of unique forms. Scavengers and explorers brave these painfully cold realms in search of hidden information and ancient knowledge, selling these ideas to the highest bidders. Rumors are that the true name of a demon prince might be found in its frozen form, frozen on the lips of someone long dead. Lost Dabus - The Lady of Pain’s dabus are in charge of the operations of Sigil, which means they have to unclog the sewers from time-to-time that lead into the Plane of Ooze. Unfortunately, a temporary closed on a dabus doing such maintenance and is wandering the planes seeking a way back to Sigil. Obsidian Sails - Travel across the Plane of Magma is quite easy for those willing to pay for passage on one of the dao's obsidian ships. Unfortunately, many of these vessels have been commandeered by pirates, and while the magma pirates are incredibly rare, they aren't unheard of on the flowing oceans of lava. The Zoo - The mysterious caretaker of the Arcolantha is hiring a group of adventurers to bring several creatures to its realm so that it might freeze them inside of its walls for all to enjoy. These creatures are rare and difficult to find or might be incredibly deadly, but the pay is good, and it's a chance to find out who actually owns the Arcolantha.
Resources & Further Reading
Manual of the Planes (1st edition) / For more information on the introduction of the Para-Elemental Planes. The Inner Planes (2nd edition) / For more information on the locations and people in the Para-Elemental Planes.
I'm literally copying and pasting this article from Fight the New Drug's blog because I know people read posts more than they do links, but I recommend checking out the actual site. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy these points and find them as encouraging as I did:
Have better sex/understanding of sex
Perhaps the biggest lie porn sells is that its fantasy world is filled with sex positivity: sexual education, more sex, better sex, etc. What it doesn’t mention, however, is that the deeper a consumer dives into that fantasy world, the more likely their reality is to become just the opposite. Porn is complicated, the science is simple: the more pornography a person consumes, the harder it can become for real relationships and sexual experiences to measure up. Ditch the shallow counterfeits and put the “sex” back in sexy. Or if you’re not ready or not old enough for sex in your relationship, get stoked on having a healthier mindset and expectation around sexuality.
2. It can become an obsession or addiction
On the surface, tobacco and porn don’t seem to have a lot in common but more and more studies are coming out showing that consuming pornography tricks your brain into releasing the same pleasure chemicals as other behaviors, or even drugs. Much like a drug, when these pleasure chemicals such as dopamine and oxytocin pulse through the brain, they help to create new brain pathways that essentially lead the consumer back to the behavior that triggered the chemical release in the first place, similar to other compulsive or even addictive substances and behaviors. Although quitting can feel just as daunting and impossible as quitting a substance, the support out there is making it more possible than ever and the reward will feel just as liberating!
3. Habits and addiction can escalate
Because of its addictive nature, in order to retain the same level of interest and excitement, an individual usually needs an ever-increasing dosage of porn and constantly evolving material. Over time, their appetite escalates to more hardcore versions just to achieve the same level of arousal. The unshackling feeling that comes from breaking free from addiction before it escalates will empower you to live your life to its fullest potential!
4. Improve behavior
Sooner or later, consumers start to find themselves getting aroused by things that used to disgust them or that go against what they think deep down is right. Once they start regularly watching extreme and dangerous sex acts, these porn consumers are being taught that those behaviors are more normal and common than they actually are. There’s an obvious destructive behavior pattern caused by porn that compromises beliefs, changes ideas and turns relationships sour when pressure is placed on a partner to perform or live up to the standards set by porn. Reversing destructive behavior will happen soon after deciding to cut this hazardous influence from your life.
5. Form deeper connections
The porn industry objectifies people and commoditizes the act of sex. There’s nothing romantic or realistic about porn sex, and it seriously puts a disconnect between the consumer and reality. This makes it hard for them to have an intimate connection with a real person. You’ll only feel complete when you disconnect with porn and connect with a real person!
6. Appreciate your body
The makeup, surgery, Photoshop, and acting that goes into porn gives us an unrealistic view of the human body and sexuality. We start to subconsciously compare ourselves to what we’re seeing, causing overthinking and low self-esteem when it comes time to be intimate. Kicking your porn habit will restore a healthy body image and reinstate the sense confidence that you deserve.
7. Appreciate those you’re attracted to
In addition to affecting the way we see ourselves, porn can cause consumers to under-appreciate their partners by training them to see others as sexual objects and not as humans with beautiful and unique features. It’s likely due to the fact that porn promotes a completely fictional version of how people look and behave, and creates a false, exciting reality that their partners can never live up to. One of the first positive effects that people report soon after quitting porn is the ability to truly appreciate the beauty of real people without constantly objectifying them.
8. Prevent sexual dysfunction (ED)
This one is for the guys out there. The fact is porn often leads to less sex and less satisfying sex. For a surprising amount of consumers, porn eventually means no sex at all. Regular porn consumption has been found to affect the brain in such a way that it hinders sexual performance when they get with an actual human being. Porn-induced erectile dysfunction is a real thing in men, a side effect of watching porn that they probably never see coming. But thankfully, there absolutely is hope. A cure is to quit porn and let their brain “rewire” and return to normal
It’s true that not all porn is the same, but the reality is that the majority of even the most mainstream porn is packed full of people (especially women) being physically and verbally abused—and watching it takes a serious toll on the consumer. Even the non-violent porn portrays a power difference between partners where men are in charge and women are submissive sex objects. But unlike violence in movies where someone gets mad and fights back, research has shown that 95% of the victims of aggression in porn scenes reacted neutrally or responded with pleasure. This confuses frequent consumers to believe violence is sexy, and can lead them to hurting women in real life during sex. Unlearning this violent behavior will undoubtedly benefit you, your partner, and your sex life.
12. Increase your creativity
We believe that in order to be truly creative, you have to connect with the deepest, most honest parts of yourself. Porn clogs up your imagination with cheap content that disconnects you from feeling real passion and motivation. Once you let explicit images stop distracting you from inspiration, you’ll feel more imaginative than ever.
13. Live a more honest life
Not every porn consumer lies about their addiction, but most feel ashamed and obligated to hide it. Whether they admit it or not, they know that their partner wouldn’t like the idea of them sexually bonding to a computer screen. When you live a lie for long enough, you start to convince yourself of it as well and the more lies you tell, the harder it becomes to tell the truth about anything. Bring your secret out into the light and we guarantee you’ll feel freer than ever before.
14. Free up some time
You’ve probably realized by now that porn takes up a lot of your time. Porn consumers spend anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours daily consuming these harmful images. Anyone who frequently watches porn knows that as the years have gone on, they watch harder material for longer periods of time. Think of it this way: if you spent just 10 minutes a day watching porn, that’s over 60 hours at the end of the year you could have spent doing something beneficial to your life! Time is precious; spend it on making memories that last, not on images that disappear with a click.
15. Find someone special
In porn, everything from the way people look to how and why they have sex is a lie. Porn consumers often get so obsessed with chasing something that isn’t real that they miss out on actual relationships. Research has even shown that fewer men are getting married because they feel porn takes care of all their sexual needs. Ditch the lies and go find the love of your life! They’re waiting for you.
16. Be a better partner
Porn doesn’t just affect you, it affects your partner as well. While a great deal of information exists for those suffering from addiction, partners are often left feeling alone with equally real wounds of their own. Partners of porn consumers commonly feel betrayed and neglected when their significant other chooses to share their sexuality with a screen instead of them. When you cut porn from being the third party, you’ll find it easier to build a healthier relationship, emotionally and sexually.
17. Become a better parent
The harmful effects of porn don’t always revolve around romantic partners like boyfriends/girlfriends or husbands/wives. There are countless stories, like this one, that show how porn can isolate, consume, and eventually even destroy families. Additionally, children and teens these days are exposed to hardcore porn at a young age, and many receive their information about sex from porn which depicts unrealistic portrayals of human sexuality, leading to lifelong issues in the bedroom. Promote healthy displays of affection in your home and promote a porn-free life for your future family.
18. Become a better friend
Your porn habit can isolate you from valuable social time with friends and the shame that comes with watching porn can cause you to be distant at social gatherings. When you no longer allow yourself to be a prisoner to this habit, you no longer have to worry about the chains that come with it.
19. Maintain mental/emotional health
Being tied to a consistent porn habit requires you to spend a lot of time alone and can quickly make you uninterested in the everyday pleasures of life such as having conversations with real people and being active. Research has shown that frequent porn consuming is connected to mental/emotional health issues such as anxiety and depression. There is a strong victory over these challenges that comes with quitting porn that can be truly liberating.
20. Take back control
Research shows that one in five people who regularly watch porn admit to feeling controlled by their own sexual desires. As a result, many consumers start feeling like something’s wrong with them because they don’t know how to be turned on by a real person. This only leads to watching more porn because it’s the only escape that works. Quitting porn allows you to take back control of your sexual desires and connect with a real person.
21. Be the author of your own sexuality
With the exaggerated bodies and rehearsed scenes in porn, consumers can quickly lose perspective on their own natural desires, as well as their partner’s. Unplugging from porn will help you become more in tune with what you and your partner want instead of influencing you to reenact what you’ve seen in porn. Be the author of your own sexuality, not an imitation of something that isn’t even real.
It’s obvious that porn consumes your time and your sexual attention, but do you think about how that doesn’t leave you with energy for much else? A demanding porn habit can definitely drain your body of the mental and physical energy it needs to keep up with the daily hustle of life. By turning off the monitor, you can focus on being productive and making a difference in your life and others.
24. Regain focus
People often watch porn as an escape when they become overwhelmed by the daily decisions of life. Quitting porn allows you to assume responsibility and become accountable for your own goals. By getting this distraction out of your life, you can start to focus on the things that really matter to you.
25. Reclaim self-confidence
A belief in yourself is a huge casualty of consistent porn consumption. People who feel they don’t have control over their porn habit often believe they are broken human beings with a damaged capacity to love and feel joy. These negative feelings come from your own negative feelings about porn mixed with your inability to quit, or from any of the negative side effects that go with repeatedly watching porn. By kicking the habit, you might begin to feel happier, which will fuel your confidence in all aspects of life.
26. Protect your marriage/relationship
Addiction to pornography is cited as a major reason couples divorce annually around the world. Whether you are currently married or one day hope to be, it’s a sure bet that porn is a poisonous ingredient in a marriage, or any type of committed relationship. When porn is preferred to a healthy sexual relationship with a spouse, the outcome is often a broken home. With a risk as serious as this, it makes sense to remove porn from your life altogether and avoid a bunch of issues later on.
27. Save your money
Porn is a global, estimated $97 billion industry, with $12 billion of that coming from the United States. How much have you spent on it? Even if the answer is nothing, think about it this way: your time spent watching porn could have been spent on either A) making money or B) performing better at work where you could now be making more money. Time is money after all, and by ditching porn, you’re ditching an unproductive habit that can only drag you down from living your fullest potential.
28. Maintain your natural sexuality
Porn removes the concept of intimacy and emotional connection from sex. It teaches consumers that sex is about taking selfish pleasure rather than giving love. When you fill your mind with the explicit material porn offers, it takes away the excitement of intimacy and even distorts your sexuality. By kicking the habit, your brain can return to normal and reset your arousal patterns to normal.
29. Protect your passions
The more you watch porn, the less desire you might have for the things that previously got you excited. Hanging out with friends, playing sports, making music, etc., all these things lack the “shock factor” that porn gives the brain. But not to worry, the sooner you cut out porn, the sooner you can restore a healthy and fulfilling approach to the things you care about most.
30. Prevent sexual compulsion/addiction
Addiction is never a healthy thing, regardless of what it is. Porn can create a constant need for sex/sexual material that needs to be fueled, but is never truly satisfied. This cycle can quickly grow into an obsession for the consumer, which inhibits their ability to function like a normal person in the company of people, especially the opposite sex, and can also lead to serious and harmful behaviors like soliciting sexually exploited people to act out what they’ve seen in porn. Not making porn a part of your life is a sure way to not step foot down a potentially life-changing road.
31. Don’t bond to a screen
Oxytocin is commonly called the love hormone or the “bonding chemical” because it plays an important part in intimacy by connecting two people. Because the chemical is naturally released during sex, watching porn triggers the release of oxytocin as well, tricking your brain and essentially bonding you to the experience of sexual release and watching porn. Keep love real, and don’t take fake.
32. Prevent anxiety
As talked about earlier, porn can be the onset of a number of different anxiety problems. When consumers feel like they have to be watching porn or can’t stop thinking about it, it creates serious anxiety. Not to mention, this anxiety can transfer over to the bedroom and contribute to porn-induced erectile dysfunction. Anxiety can be extremely crippling and most people experience it to on some level from the daily stresses of life as it is. Why add to it?
33. Prevent depression
We know that pornography and other addictions or compulsions are used as self-medicating tools which only lead to feeling worse than before. The momentary escape only leads to feeling lower than before. Porn is a negative influence in your life, and an easy way to start feeling happier and more free is giving it the boot.
34. Live without shame
It’s pretty simple: no porn equals no porn-fueled shame. The secrecy surrounding your habit can have huge negative effects on your life and shame can quickly settle in. You may find yourself watching things you find unacceptable, but can’t seem to stop. When this feeling starts to take its toll, it usually leads to medicating with more porn. You’re guaranteed to feel relief when you break the chains of this vicious cycle.
35. Increase productivity
Think about what more motivation could mean for you. Do you want to be more ambitious and driven? Are you wanting to achieve your goals? A survey of a Reddit community called NoFap, which is committed to breaking free from porn, found that 67% of those who quit had an increase in energy levels as well as productivity. Put it to the test for yourself. What are you waiting for?
36. Be better at your job
Besides the obvious fact that porn is a waste of time, consuming it can also fuel anxiety and depression, and make them perform worse at their job. In fact, real stories of people being caught watching porn at work prove that more and more people are putting their jobs at risk by looking at porn during work hours. Don’t let this destructive material ruin the things that matter most for your daily life.
37. Prevent STD’s
Researchers have repeatedly found that people who have seen a significant amount of porn are more likely to start having sex sooner and with more partners, and to engage in riskier kinds of sex, putting them at greater risk of getting sexually transmitted infections.
38. Be proud of yourself
By quitting porn, you’re taking a stand against a dangerous, exploitive industry and becoming an advocate for positive personal and social change. This is definitely something you can feel proud of. Change yourself, and change the world.
39. Better the world
Every single click made on a porn site is counted by the greedy companies that make that content. Clicking fuels the demand for more, feeding and growing a dark industry that harms society as a whole. For all of the harmful reasons mentioned above, stop contributing to something that ruins people’s lives and supports sexual exploitation. This negative influence doesn’t have to affect you, your peers or the countless people in the industry who are forced, coerced, and abused behind the camera. Take a stand and be the change you want to see in the world.
Normalizing violence isn’t normal. It’s grown “normal” for 11-year-olds to be exposed to the most hardcore, degrading content imaginable. Imagine what that does to their expectations for real relationships and true intimacy—it corrupts and hurts it. Avoiding violent porn, and all porn in general, means avoiding the normalization and romanticization of abusive, violent behaviors that only serve to harm our society.
42. Respect others more
No one ever woke up and said, “Today, I want to get out there and ruin my current and future relationships. I’m going to cut myself off emotionally, undermine trust, and leave my partner feeling confused, rejected, angry, and betrayed.” No one says that, but a pile of research shows that’s exactly what can happen as a result of consuming porn. Choosing real love, and choosing not to consume porn means that you’re that much better at respecting others and yourself.
43. Object to objectification
There is a direct relationship between the sexual objectification of girls and aggression toward them, according to research by psychologists at the University of Kent in the U.K. We fight against porn because people aren’t just the sum of their parts, to be used and discarded without a second thought. The facts are clear: porn is harmful and research is proving it. No matter what people say to try and make pornography seem normal or harmless, there’s enough evidence out there that says it’s not.
A common plotline in porn is that a teen or underage person is being taken advantage of by someone older or more powerful. By avoiding porn, you’re avoiding the twisted and unhealthy fetishization of kids and teens, and that’s a great thing. By ditching porn, you’re helping to slow the demand for youth-themed porn content. Isn’t that worth the fight?
46. Enjoy real, flawed bodies
Photoshop isn’t something you can have in real life, but that’s a good thing. Perfection means predictable, and boring. But real, flawed human bodies are unique, and beautiful. A world without porn and synthetic “beauty” is a world where comparison doesn’t overtake appreciation. We’d like to live in that world, wouldn’t you?
47. Avoid romanticizing unhealthy relationships
Real intimacy offers so much more. Real intimacy is a world of satisfaction and excitement that doesn’t disappear when the screen goes off. It’s the breathtaking risk of being vulnerable with another human being. It’s inviting them not just into your bedroom, but into your heart and life. Real intimacy is about what we give, not just what we get. Porn doesn’t portray true connections, it can only scratch the surface.
48. Have realistic relationships expectations
Relationships are hard work. They aren’t always flawless, and sex (if sex is involved) won’t be easy and perfect every single time. Love can be messy but that’s the beauty of it—it’s real, not synthetic. It’s natural, not produced. And porn has no way of showing that, because it’s all about the performance and not about the connection. Real love is immeasurably better than porn because real love is exactly that—it’s real. Ditch the porn and have your expectations adjusted.
49. Believe in love
Sometimes, when porn has clouded a consumer’s idea of what healthy relationships are and what real love can provide, they start to believe it doesn’t exist. We see comments often on our Facebook page from frequent porn consumers who can’t believe that real, healthy love exists, and that it’s worth fighting for. Getting porn out of the picture means that you’re one step closer to healing from the lies that porn infects consumers with.
50. Choose real love
This is by far the most important reason to quit porn. Above all, porn can seriously come between you, your partner, and every other relationship in your life. It can get in between the love you have for even yourself. It distorts the meaning of love and intimacy, in all forms. The most common true stories we receive are from partners who lost the love of their life due to a struggle with porn that tore their relationship apart slowly but surely. We all want and need love. It’s the most important thing we can experience in life. If fighting for love isn’t the best reason to stay away from porn, we don’t know what is. Porn can kill love, but it doesn’t have to. Choose love, not porn.
Lupine Publishers | Water Quality Assessment in Sindh, Pakistan: A Review
Lupine Publishers | Open Access Journal of Environmental and Soil Sciences Abstract Increasing detrimental impacts of water pollution on environment and serious health issues, this review aims to investigate water quality status of Sindh, Pakistan.it also help us to determine current and future water demand of the province as well as adverse impact on human health in regards with water borne disease. To conclude, some recommendations are also outlined. Keywords: Water borne disease; Quality assessment; Water supply; Water contamination; Sindh; Pakistan Introduction Although surplus amount of water is available on the planet of earth, but only small portion is available for human utilization. Overall population wholly depend upon the water sources mainly consist on groundwater and surface water. Currently, countries around the world are facing water pollution as well as water scarcity problems. Following the report of UN, the total populace increases exponentially while accessibility of water decline with time. WHO announced that by 2025, half of the total populace will live in water-stressed zones? Unfortunately, water pollution stresses the remaining small portion. During last decades, Urbanization and industrialization further added burden on water resources around the globe. Quality of water around the world has been deteriorated with chemicals discharged into water bodies directly and improper dumping of solid waste. According to Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report 2017 on “Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene” 2.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water at home. Globally, 448 million lack to have basic drinking water services from which 159 million individuals are those who rely upon surface water. According to speech of UNO secretory on world water day 2002, each year 5 million people died of water disease i.e.10 times more than people died in war. Furthermore, several studies have documented various contaminants such as organic (Pesticides), inorganic (heavy metals), minerals (arsenic and chromium) and microbial (pathogens) are responsible for water pollution. Recently, water contaminated with arsenic has been documented around the world, especially in Asian countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Hungary, Chile and Argentina [1-4]. Pakistan has been blessed by natural resources i.e. surface as well as groundwater resources. Sudden rise in population, industrialization and urbanization have brought huge stress on water resources of country. The country once has surplus amount of water is not including in water stressed zone. Most of the population belong to different cities of country rely upon groundwater for survival. While, current water supply is about 79% in Pakistan. Pakistan has experienced six noteworthy floods between 2000- 2015, which killed many people and posed negative impact on groundwater through salinization CRED [5]. Furthermore, Per capita availability of water has been decreased from 5,600 cubic meters in 1947 to 1,038 cubic meters in 2010. It is expected to decrease further to 575 cubic feet in 2050 [6,7]. In addition to this, quality of water resources has been declined due to intermixing of municipal sewage with water supply line and direct release of industrial wastewater into water bodies. Pollutants such as heavy metals, pathogens and other dangerous chemicals have been found in different regions of the country. Only 20% of the population have accessibility to safe drinking water while 80% is compelled to consume unsafe water for drinking. Each year 2.5 million deaths from endemic diarrheal disease has been reported [8-13]. Pakistan ranks 80th, out of 122 nations of the world, on the basis of water quality [14-16]. According to a Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) report titled, “Pakistan’s Waters at Risk”20-40% health centers are filled with the patients of water borne disease which include diarrhea, gastroenteritis, typhoid, cryptosporidium infections, giardiasis intestinal worms, and some strains of hepatitis [17]. Quality of drinking water in Sindh province is unfit like other provinces of Pakistan. Large portion of water available is contaminated with pathogens, chemicals and toxic materials. Several studies have documented that the four major contaminants are responsible for water quality deterioration in Sindh i.e.69% bacteria, 24% arsenic, 14% nitrate and 5% fluoride. According to the report of Inquiry commission appointed by Supreme Court of Pakistan “78.1 % of all water sample tested were found unsafe for drinking”. The aim of this review is to analyses the status of water quality in different divisions of Sindh, Pakistan. It also describes the impacts of water quality on human health as well as outline some recommendations. Study Area Sindh is second most populated province (Figure 1) with population of 30.44 million situated in south-eastern part of Pakistan. It is stretched from 66°8’ East Longitude to 71°, lies between 24°4›N to 28°7’N and covers about 46,569 miles2 . Province is bounded by the Thar Desert to east, the Kirthar Mountains to the west, and the Arabian Sea in the south. It is divided into six divisions namely Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas and Larkana. Karachi i.e. the capital of Sindh province ranked at the top with 14.91 million and Hyderabad ranked the 8th most populated with 1.73 million population among the list of 10 most populated cities of Pakistan. Large number of populations of the province depend upon the fresh water for domestic and irrigation purpose. Indus basin is the major source of water provision in the area. In Sindh Province, only 10 % of land area had availability of fresh groundwater and occurs in shallow aquifers [18]. Following high average annual temperatures, semi-arid climate, sea water intrusion and high rate of evapotranspiration shallow aquifers are highly saline [19]. Irrigated land i.e. almost 78% of the province rely on saline groundwater which is not fit for irrigation. As the ground water is saline in most areas, rural population is also depending on supplies from the canal system. According to the survey conducted by Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) in 22 districts of Sindh province out of 1247 surveyed water supply schemes only 529 (42%) were functional with average duration supply of 5 hrs/day. From which only 25% water samples were fit for drinking while remaining are contaminated with microorganisms and arsenic. Current Demand and Future Requirement of Sindh In next 20 years, Province will undergo demographic change. Current population of 33 million is expected to increase to 52.6 million and urbanization will increase from 50% to 64% in 2025. Currently, Karachi’s demand for water supply is about 1,220 MGD against which has an allocation of 34,000 l/s (1,200 cusecs) from the Indus water which is expected to increase 65,460 l/s (2,320 cusecs), with increased population to about 23 million in 2025. Likewise, water demand for other urban cities will also increase which will put burden on water resources. In addition to this, rural population of about 18.8 million will need an additional about 7,125 l/s (250 cusecs) for drinking purposes. Hence, total municipal water requirement of the province in 2025 will be of the order of 94,000 l/s (about 3.300 cusecs). Besides municipal water requirement, water requirements for agriculture would also increase by about 50%. Current water use is about 52.6 Bm3 (42.6 MAF) which means an additional 26.3 Bm3 (about 21.3 MAF) required to meet the future demand of agriculture products (FAO). Water Quality Alarming increase in population is the single important driving force affecting the water sector and cause water scarcity problem in the province. Water pollution is another major problem which is deteriorating the quality of remaining small portion of water. According to Director General of Sindh Environmental Agency Baqa Ullah Unar “every day almost 500 million gallons of industrial waste and human consumption falls into Arabian Sea”. 80% samples from 14 different districts of Sindh are not safe for drinking as well as 78% of water used in hospitals is above standard limits. 90% of water had bacterial contamination and not fit for drinking in Karachi only (PCRWR). Several studies have been conducted in different cities of Sindh, Pakistan (Table 1) [20-29]. Abdul Hussain Shar [30] analysed the samples from Rohri for the presence of total coliform (TC), E. coli (Ec) and heterotrophic plate count (HPC) which result the contamination of all samples with TC (100%), Ec (41.6%) and with HPC (100%). In Hyderabad bacteriological tests on drinking water has been conducted by PCRWR found that 15 monitored sources as unfit for drinking mainly due to bacteriological contamination (93pc), excessive levels of iron (47pc) and turbidity (93pc). Mashiatullah [31] carried out a study on Malir and Lyari rivers, he analysed different Physiochemical and biological parameters. The coliform contamination i.e.156-542 per 100 ml in high tide and 132- 974 per 100 ml in low tide were observed which exceeded WHO guidelines. Aziz et al. [32] reported a study for drinking water quality in Pakistan including both urban and rural areas which results that total coliform and fecal coliform were 150–2400/100 ml and 15–460/100 ml respectively. The investigation reported the presence of anthropogenic activities which resulted. Mahmood et al. [33] measured the physical, chemical and microbiological parameters for the different groundwater samples collected from Thatta in pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. It was observed that concentration of heavy metals were; As (0.0045 to 0.0055 mg/l), Cd (0.15-0.22 mg/L), Zn (0.040 to 0.046 mg/l), Pb (1.40-1.49 mg/l) and Cu (0.001- 0.87 mg/L) in both the seasons and were in order of Pb > Cu > Cd > Zn > As in premonsoon and Pb> Cd > Cu > Zn > As in post- monsoon respectively. Other parameters Electrical conductivity (233-987 μs/cm), pH (6.9-8.9), TDS (161.1-690.9 ppm), Temperature (24-33°C), chloride (81.79-131.78 ppm), total hardness as CaCO3 (124.40-188.81 ppm), nitrate (2.10-5.20 ppm) were within prescribed standard limits. Some common diseases were found to be nausea, vomiting and kidney damage. Suresh Kumar Panjwani [34] collected Thirty-five groundwater samples and analysed for 22 different parameters including physicochemical parameters and bacteriological contamination. Three drinking water samples (9%) contain Fluoride as 1.83 mg/l to 0.44 mg/l which exceeds WHO limits. Two water samples (5%) were contaminated with nitrate–nitrogen i.e. 23.61 mg/l to 0.97 mg/l. (45%) 16 water samples were contaminated with E. coli ranges from 01-too numerous to count CFU/ml exceeding the prescribed limit by WHO (0/100ml). None of the drinking water samples (0%) were found bacteriological safe for drinking purpose. In 2014, another study examined water quality in Thatta, Karachi and Hyderabad found presence of heavy metals that exceeded the WHO drinking water guidelines [35]. Outbreak of Water Borne Disease Improper treatment and dumping of waste in water bodies accounted for rise in water borne disease. Deteriorated quality of water in Sindh province had badly affected the human health. More than 20,000 children die annually in Karachi only, from which majority of deaths caused by drinking contaminated water. Outbreak of water borne disease have been noticed in different parts of Sindh including typhoid, cholera and diarrhea. According to Zahid J [36] areas surrounded by poor households, children with mothers married in early ages, children having small size at birth and ages less than 24 months and children belonging to uneducated mothers are found most vulnerable where prevalence of diarrhea found non-ignorable. In Sindh, Tando Allahyar (46%), Matiati (50%), Hyderabad(44%), Badin (40%), Mirpur Khas (40%) Karachi East (40%) and Karachi South (52%) have highest rate of cases while lowest rate found in children from rich house holds’ of Larakana (6%) and Jacobabad (8%). In some areas including Gadap, Kathore and coastal areas 30-35% of people have been found infected with viral hepatitis. While 20-25% of the population is infected with the deadly viral disease said by Dr Shahid Ahmed, consultant gastroenterologist and patron of the PGLDS on World Digestive Health Day 2018 (WDHD 18). Recently, a drug-resistant typhoid strain identified first in Hyderabad, spread from the city to various parts of the country. 5,274 cases of XDR typhoid have been reported by Provincial Disease Surveillance and Response Unit (PDSRU) from 1 November 2016 through 9 December 2018.69 % (3658) of cases were reported in Karachi only, following 27% (1405) in Hyderabad, and 4% (211) in other districts of the province. On 9th July 2017, outbreak of acute watery diarrhea and abdominal pain in village Mir Khan Otho, District Shaheed Benazirabad were reported to the DG Health Office Sindh in Hyderabad. A total of 30 cases were identified (22 through active case finding) and n=16 (53.7%) were females. Mean age was 25.3 years (range: 1-50 years). Overall attack rate was 23%. People aged 21-30 years were the most affected (n=10; AR 43.5%). Apart from diarrhea, abdominal cramps (n=28; 93%) was the most common symptom. On bivariate analysis, consumption of water from the hand-pump near the swamp was significantly associated with the disease (OR=8.4, 95% CI: 3.1-22.7) [37]. In 2016, 22,000children have been hospitalized and more than 190 have died in Tharparkar district due to drought-related waterborne and viral diseases. According to the Joint UN Needs Assessment, water scarcity has been severely affected several districts (62% in Jamshoro and 100% in Tharparkar) which resulted in reduced harvest by 34-53% and livestock by 48% UNICEF [38]. According to local media, the total under- 5 deaths were rising from 173 in 2011, 188 in 2012, 234 in 2013, 326 in 2014, and 398 in 2015. According to the provincial health secretary, 450 children lost their lives in 2017, 479 died in 2016 and 398 in 2015 while reasons for the deaths vary. Furthermore, According to authorities in Tharparkar district, Sindh province, 99 children and 67 adults (43 men and 24 women) have reportedly died in Tharparkar since the beginning of 2014 as well as an outbreak of sheep pox occurred which has killed thousands of small animals (Pakistan: Drought - 2014-2017) [39]. Furthermore, three months after floods began in Pakistan, 99 cases of cholera were reported from across the floodaffected areas of the country (WHO). In 1994, first ever case of dengue has been reported in Pakistan, sudden rise in cases first occurred in Karachi in November 2005. Since 2010, Pakistan has been encountering dengue fever that has caused 16 580 affirmed cases and 257 deaths in Lahore only also about 5000 cases and 60 death confirmed from other parts of the country (WHO) [40]. The three provinces have faced the epidemic are Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh. In Sindh province, 2088 dengue positive cases had been reported as well as two people had died of dengue in Karachi city in 2018. Currently, according to the weekly report issued by Prevention and Control Programmed for Dengue (PCPD) in Sindh, from January 1 to January 7, 2019 a total of 38 dengue positive cases were detected. From which 36 were reported in Karachi only while two were in other districts of Sindh (PPI). Contamination Sources Climate Change For water resources, climate change is a long term and unmitigated risk. Water demands is expected to increase up by 5 percent to 15 percent by 2047 due to climatic change. In the upper Indus Basin, climate change will increase the risk of flood outbreak by accelerate glacial melting while in the lower Indus Basin, sea level rise and increases intensity of coastal storms also exacerbate seawater intrusion into the delta and into coastal groundwater. Furthermore, in coastal Sindh, groundwater quality will further be deteriorated and also impact the ecosystems, and irrigation productivity of the province. In addition to this, Sediment dynamics in the Indus sourcing, transport, and deposition have been significantly altered by water resources development. Past floods in Pakistan not only posed physical damage but also affected human lives in terms of flood-related death and illness as well as clean water and sanitation facilities. The flood destroyed 54.8% of homes and caused 86.8% households to move, with 46.9% living in an IDP camp. Lack of electricity increased from 18.8% to 32.9% (p = 0.000), lack of toilet facilities from 29.0% to 40.4% (p=0.000). Access to protected water remained unchanged (96.8%); however, the sources changed (p=0.000) [41]. Since 2013, Tharparkar has been influenced by a drought‐like circumstance affecting employments, nourishment and wellbeing conditions. In south-eastern Sindh, low rain fall throughout 2016 in districts including Tharparkar, Umerkot and Sanghar sharply reduced the cereal production also causes loss of small animals due to diseases and severe shortages of fodder and water. Moreover, it has aggravated food insecurity and caused acute malnutrition [42]. Poor Water Supply and Sanitation USAID reported that in Pakistan about 60% of the total number of child mortality cases are caused by water and sanitation-related diseases. Pakistan Strategic Environmental Assessment of the World Bank, 2006 stated that about 2,000 mgd of wastewater is discharged to surface water bodies in Pakistan. 13,000 tons of municipal waste daily generated in Karachi only, following 3,581 in Hyderabad while 48 million tons a year around the country. Water and sanitation sector have the highest financial cost to Pakistan from environmental degradation at Rs112bn a year as reported by WB. This is based on health cost of only diarrhea and typhoid and accounts for 1.81 per cent of the GDP. While figures for Sindh are not available. According to the media (The news) “More than 50 per cent of the people were suffering from diseases related to water and sanitation due to the lack of proper sanitation in the Sindh province” speakers told on‘ World Toilet Day with the 2018 theme ‘Toilets and Nature, the Pathway to Neat and Clean Sindh’. In Karachi, 42 percent of the city’s total population have no access to a proper toilet and appropriate sanitation system and live in 539 slums. Furthermore, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and Cantonment boards have public toilets at only 13 places. Poor Water Management According to Rubina Jaffri, the general manager of Health and Nutrition Development Society (Hands), only 440 MGD is being filtered out of 640 MGD of water supplied to Karachiat seven filtration plants. A recent survey accounted that 40% water samples collected from different parts of Karachi were not properly chlorinated. In Karachi, long transmission route also causes leakages and water thefts problems which account for the loss of almost 30% of the city’s water supply, said by Jawed Shamim, former chief engineer at KWSB (The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board).Moreover, Parallel water supply and sewage pipes currently lead to cross contamination and corrosion. Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in Sindh there were 2,109 water filtration plants, including 1,620 RO plants, and 818 of them were non-functional. He also added that there were 5,091 water supply and drainage schemes and 2,494 of them were non-functional and 244 of them had been abandoned (PPI). Agriculture sector consumes up to 90% of the available fresh water of the country. About 70% of the canal water is lost from river to the end user. The larger portion of canal water (35%) is wasted at field level which needs proper attention of the policy makers. furthermore, 30 MAF is equal to 10 trillion gallons which can feed a population of more than 500 million people has been dumped into Arabian sea instead of storage. Problem is the absence of efficient conservation, storage and usage of water [43-50]. Recommendations a) Basic filtrations units and 24 hours water quality monitoring stations should be established b) Proper usage, efficient storage and conservation strategies are utmost practices to deal with water scarcity problem c) Rearranging of water supply line to deal mixing of municipal sewage into water supply d) Latest and technical irrigation strategies to use water efficiently such as drip irrigation and sprinkling. e) Proper waste management system and treatment of industrial effluent should strictly implement f) Institutional capacity management in order to operate and maintain the water supply schemes g) Proper design of water distribution network to deal with the water loss. h) Education on the water conservation and utilization practice should be provided to people by arranging seminars and utilizing media i) Water thief and corrupted people should be deal according to law and regulations j) Construction of new water reservoirs and proper check in balance on old ones to enhance storage capability by resolving siltation problem k) Encouragement of new polices and proper implementation as well as check in balance l) Awareness campaign should be encouraged about water quality and water borne disease m) Basic health care and relief facilities should be provided at doorsteps when needed to reduce death related to water borne disease n) Involvement of community to reduce water pollution by providing basic knowledge and changing lifestyle. o) Proper check in balance on water filtration plants to provide safe drinking water to communities. p) Mitigation strategies to improve the response to climate change-induced effects on health and agriculture Conclusion Conclusively, water quality status of Sindh Pakistan has been reviewed. Most of the water in different areas of the province is contaminated with bacteria which causes outbreak of waterborne disease including, diarrhea, cholera, hepatitis and typhoid in many cities and caused millions of deaths simultaneously. Arsenic is the second hazardous chemical found in water of Sindh mostly in coastal areas. Fluoride and nitrite are other metal which pose threat to human lives in Sindh Pakistan. Thus, many policies have been established and many schemes were organized by provincial government to deal with the water crisis but still some gaps related to implementation exist that needs to be executed. Moreover, new reservoirs and flow distribution line should be constructed to deal with water scarcity and water loss problem of the province. https://lupinepublishers.com/environmental-soil-science-journal/pdf/OAJESS.MS.ID.000156.pdf https://lupinepublishers.com/environmental-soil-science-journal/fulltext/water-quality-assessment-in-sindh-pakistan-a-review.ID.000156.php For more Lupine Publishers Open Access Journals Please visit our website: https://lupinepublishersgroup.com/ For more Open Access Journal on Environmental and Soil Sciences articles Please Click Here: https://lupinepublishers.com/environmental-soil-science-journal/ To Know More About Open Access Publishers Please Click on Lupine Publishers Follow on Twitter : https://twitter.com/lupine_online Follow on Blogger : https://lupinepublishers.blogspot.com/
The Racist Origins and Painful Legacy of Atlanta's Zoning
I'm going to start this post off with a few disclaimers:
A good amount of my information comes from The Color of Law, by Richard Rothstein. I tried to find as many direct sources for the relevant topics brought up in the book as I could, but they weren't always readily availible. I highly encourage you to read the book itself if you want more details and his sources.
While I am going to try to use Atlanta-specific information as much as possible, there are some things that I can only provide evidence for in general, not to mention that I have to discuss this with the wider national historical context as well since Atlanta was but one part of a massive racist horror show.
I am by no means claiming to be an expert on this material. It's just what I have the most supporting information already at had for. Again, if you want to read more details from someone who spent much more time researching than I have, pick up a copy of The Color of Law.
I am by no means claiming that fixing zoning will be the end-all-be-all of segregation legacy, nor that it will singularly solve disparities for minority populations compared to white populations within the city. Undoing the sheer scale of bullshit put in place to codify segregation and racial suppression as it manifests today is an undertaking requiring effort on par with something like the Green New Deal (coincidentally, there can be quite a lot of overlap in with a GND, and that's why climate and social justice are so often packaged with various versions of a GND). Fixing the legacy of racist zoning's impacts is just one part to an incredibly complex system, but it's still one worthy of doing. Gotta start somewhere, right?
Alright, on to the main content... Buckleupkiddos,we'regoingforafuckinride!
Why the Fuck are you Talking About Zoning Right Now‽
The country is, to use an incredible amount of understatement, in a bit of a pickle right now. We're in the midst of a global pandemic that's surging, and resurging within our borders. We're reeling at a seemingly never ending parade of tragedy and failure of composure from the very police forces sworn to protect us. We're dealing with an ever escalating push back and response from a federal government that is attempting to label protesters as terrorists. We've had impeachments, assassinations of foreign political operatives, the emboldenment of out-and-loud racists, foreign bounties on our military, historic Supreme Court decisions, and record stock market crashes. We're staring down the barrel of a depression, and there's a looming climate catastrophe that's been burning in the background of all of this. So why, in the middle of all of this, am I bringing up zoning of all things? How could that possibly be relevant to any of this? Well... as it turns out... quite a bit. See, zoning is one of those core functions of government, generally on the local level but not always, that just kinda exists. It's a long, boring, complicated mess of legal code that just doesn't come up all that often in our every day discussions (unless you're a nerd like me who keeps trying to shove it into every conversation... ahem...). No matter how innocuous or intangible or boring zoning may feel, though, it actually has massive ramifications for how our build environment is shaped. That is literally its job, after all: codifying what is and isn't allowed to be built, where, and how. That build environment then has massive ramifications on a whole pile of social, economic, and environmental issues. A good zoning code balances public desires for safety, health, and environmental protections, while also helping to ensure various amenities are provided, ideally outweighing any downsides of development with benefits to the community at large. Unfortunately, most zoning systems fail at this balance, often focusing on the wrong components as perceived negatives when they're actually benefits, while codifying build requirements that actively make things worse for the communities around them. A bad zoning code can make housing more expensive, make it harder to meet climate and environmental goals, make the general population more sickly, impede the ability of persons to generate generational wealth, and horrendously damage the tax base, making it harder to fund public projects. As it turns out, most of these issues trace back to a few core ideas of the initial model zoning systems, and were originally put in as features of the codes. The intent at the time was mainly focused on creating a few specific negative outcomes, with many of the others having taken decades to fully manifest and be recognized. Yet, the original structure of the codes remain, bureaucratic momentum and an incomplete understanding of justice keeping them in place, dragging out the problems for years and years and years. So what were those features, and what specific negative outcomes were they trying to achieve?
Setting the Stage for Segregation
First, we have to step back, and take a bit of a historical run up to provide proper context. In 1877, Reconstruction ended. Federal troops, who had defeated the Confederacy, packed up and left the south after 12 years of postbellum occupation (14 if you include overlap years of occupation before the war's end). Reconstruction, though certainly not perfect, had been a time of relative empowerment for black Americans. Backed by federal troops, integration and political power was actually in reach. It wasn't 40-acres and a mule, but it was an incredible leap forward as the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were enforced in about as blunt a way as possible: at the muzzle of a rifle. That all came to a painful and tragic end with the election of Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, who had promised southern Democrats the end of occupation in exchange for electoral support. Almost immediately, black Americans suffered a bloody, violent resurgence of oppression, with segregation becoming standard practice, and enforced both at the hands of local law enforcement and mobs of white Americans. Worse yet, as Jim Crow laws and their efforts anchored themselves across the south, previously diverse and inclusive (relatively speaking) parts of the country began to follow suit. All over, towns and cities undertook the effort of removing, or isolating their black populations, using similar tactics learned from the southern states. Like a cancer, segregation spread far and wide, becoming more and more recognized and acceptable. By 1913, freshly elected president Woodrow Wilson and his cabinet approved the implementation of segregation in federal offices, marking about as drastic a change in federal priority as you could take over the course of three and a half decades. It is in this atmosphere of invigorated racist bullshit that zoning rises within the policy consciousness.
The Original Sin of Zoning
As a concept, zoning ordinances within the U.S. were rather new, with the 1908 Los Angeles municipal zoning ordinances being the first of their kind. The LA laws were a formalizing of existing nuisance laws, meant to create separations of land use and buffers between the harmful effects of industries and residences. Though specific business classifications (such as unnecessary prohibition of laundries, which were predominantly owned by Chinese immigrants at the time, in certain areas) did come with racial issues, they were quite tame by the standards of the time, as we're about to see. Prior to the rise of zoning as a popular government effort, it was fairly rare to see actual legal code dedicated towards segregation, instead focusing efforts on government-endorsed vigilantism and governments not enforcing equality laws already in place. This began to change, however. In 1910, a few years before the federal government would make official its office segregation, and two years after the LA zoning system was established, Baltimore became the first city in the nation, (as stated by the New York Times), to create an explicit law mandating the segregation of city areas. The city ordinance dictated that blacks could not buy homes on blocks where whites were the majority, and vice versa. The law was... horribly broken, and judges had to grapple with the complex, integrated reality of the city, trying to adjudicate who could and couldn't live where, or buy property where, creating an incredible mess of legal issues across the city. The practical problems with the law did not stop other cities from copying the effort, though. Invigorated by Baltimore's example, Birmingham, Dade County (Miami), Charleston, Dallas, Louisville, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Richmond, St. Louis, and others all made their own version of racial segregaition mandates within landuse. Amungst this list was, in fact, the City of Atlanta, whose ordinance virtually copied the Baltimore law, with the added provision that a person of one color occupying a house in a mixed block could object to one of another color moving next door. Unlike the initial LA zoning laws, the systems put in place following Baltimore's example were specifically racially focused, with more familiar zoning laws taking shape in the years to come. These initial racist laws would persist until the 1917 Supreme Court decision that such laws were unconstitutional in Buchanan v. Warley. However... the decision was based around the freedom of individuals to buy and sell property to whomever they wished, rather than a denunciation of segregation within law itself. Many cities simply ignored the Supreme Court ruling, and moved ahead with their segregationist laws, while others claimed that slight variations in the ordinances, such as the difference between block level and larger zoning styles, meant they didn't have to follow the ruling. The City of Atlanta was, once again, one of these cities. In The Atlanta Zone Plan: Report Outlining a Tentative Zone Plan for Atlanta (1922), written by Robert H. Whitten as a consultant for the the City Planning Commission, explicit residential districts were outlined by racial makeup, with R1 as "white residence district", R2 as "colored residence district", and R3 as "undetermined race district". It was nice enough to allow servants' quarters remain open to either race. The plan justifies this by saying:
the above race zoning is essential in the interest of the public peace, order and security and will promote the welfare and prosperity of both the white and colored race.
Additionally, Whitten defended his zoning plan in professional publications by saying that "[e]stablishing colored residence districts has removed one of the most potent causes of race conflict." This, he added, was "a sufficient justification for race zoning.... A reasonable segregation is normal, inevitable and desirable." Here is a map of the proposed zoning system within the then city limits. You can get an idea of just how limited housing areas for blacks were, just how much of the city was to be dedicated to single family housing compared to apartments, and how relegated commercial uses would be. Incidentally enough, this is where the City of Atlanta begins to see a zoning code similar to modern codes. We'll get to that in a moment. For now, note how closely this map matches some of the racial demographics of the city today, oh, and (just coincidentally I'm sure) how the largest 'Colored District' in the city was to be essentially bordered on three sides by industrial areas. Other zoning maps from the same time would go further with encroaching industrial zones, limiting colored areas, and limiting apartment areas. CanIjusttakeamomenttosayhowmuchIfuckinglovetheAtlantaHistoryCenteranditsarchives?Okay,movingon. At the same time that Atlanta was ignoring its constitutional duty to not segregate its people, the federal government was stepping into the zoning game. In 1921, then Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover organized an Advisory Committee on Zoning to develop a manual explaining why every municipality should develop a zoning ordinance, with an eventual goal of developing model legislation that could be easily adopted. This committee had such members as Frederick Law Olmsted, who argued in 1918 that not only were certain housing types "coincident with racial divisions", and, since it was undesirable to "force the mingling of people who are not yet ready to mingle", great care should be take not to mix housing types, and Irving B. Hiett, who was the president of the National Association of Real Estate Boards, an organization who would produce a code of realtor ethics stating that "A Realtor should never be instrumental in introducing into a neighborhood... members of any race or nationality... detrimental to property values" just a few years later. By 1922, the committee had developed A Zoning Primer, which argued that zoning was required to preserve property values, and which was widely distributed across the country. The policies would push out wide and far across the nation, following the federal government's example.
Pretending as if Racist Plans Aren't
In 1924, the Georgia Supreme Court struck down the City of Atlanta zoning code due to its racial components. Despite this, the underlying plan and map developed with segregation in mind, would act as the basis for future plans. Indeed, there are many overlaps with the 1922 plan, and even zoning designations today. Keep Whitten's and the Zoning Commission's mentalities concerning the importance of racial segregation when looking back through the rest of the initial Atlanta zoning proposal. It provides leading anecdotes (without apparent supporting evidence beyond some photographs that don't really seem to match the narrative) of the dangers of mixing small stores, and low-rise multi-family housing with lower densities, primarily focusing on the perceived loss of value of adjacent properties, while framing the persons who make such developments as greedy speculators only out for a quick buck (rather than look at the economic benefit to the store owner, the new access to the store that surrounding areas get, and the housing relief the apartment dwellers experience). Still without apparent evidence, the proposal makes sweeping, generalized statements about the need to preserve neighborhoods' character, and preserve property values. It proposes to do this by dividing the city into use, height, area, and race categories, with each mixing with the others to dictate specific allowances. The racial categories were removed, yet the remainder of the plan's suggestions would persist. Even in 1917 it was understood that density was a major component of affordability. Special City Plan Adviser for the City Plan Commission of Cleveland Ohio Robert H. Whitten's essay The Zoning of Residence Sections, where Olmsted argued the merits of preventing the mixing of people and their racially pre-dis-positioned housing preferences, outright states:
We want to distribute the population as much as practicable, but at the same time we do not wish to force people who for business or other reasons need to live close to the central business sections either to pay very high rents or to go to much less convenient locations. As a city reaches metropolitan size, the demand for housing space near the central area becomes so great that the only way to make that location available to any but the wealthy is to permit a more intensive utilization of the land. Were it not for the ability to pile one dwelling on top of another, rents would be prohibitive in these central locations for the great mass of the people.
Even while expounding on the virtues of low-density housing, Whitten takes effort to acknowledge the economic need for multi-family housing to maintain affordability. Yeah, it's done in a condescending way where he can only imagine a case where being adjacent to the central business district is a legitimate reason for housing density, but he at least still accepts it as reality. Yet, dwelling house districts, from which apartment houses would be excluded, were to include the larger portion of the area of Atlanta, and were to primarily be made up of the largest area class, requiring at least 5000 sqft per family of lot area. The code outright targets 2-3 story buildings with families living over a store (generally which they would operate) as being undesirable, and thus is explicitly designed to prevent such outcomes. All of these things drove up the per-house price, requiring a family to pay for a significant amount of land, as well as an individual house, in the majority of the city's residential area. In the maps I linked above, you can see just how few areas were allowed to have apartments compared to the wider single-family zones. The federal zoning primer includes similar sentiments, telling an anecdote of how an apartment house built next to a home would destroy values by becoming 'a giant airless hive, housing human beings like crowded bees', as well as lumping 'sporadic stores' in with 'factories or junk yards' as a contributing factor of blight within a residential neighborhood. It's important to note that none of these codes tried to make improvements to living conditions through legislation like building codes, which could have helped prevent the squalor conditions that were so readily associated with apartments, and which had been present in the U.S. since at least 1859, in Baltimore, choosing instead to essentially quarantine apartments to prevent their spread into single family areas. As I laid out above, these are all value judgements made by people who viewed the mixing of races as something to avoid, as something that itself would contribute to a loss of property values (rather than recognize that self-fulfilling white panic, was the actual source of value drop, and that the constrained black populations were willing to pay higher prices because there were so few homes they could even get into, actually raising prices), and even made racial connections to types of housing to keep separated. But, because of the insistence of the courts, their policies were forced to take on an air of race neutrality. Thus, explicit race-based zoning was stripped from the codes, and the far more familiar forms of space and use based zoning were established. Those forms just so happen to harshly restrict the kinds of housing openly accepted as being affordable to the masses, and, in particular, the demographics of people who were least economically able to choose elsewhere. As the federal zoning primer said: Zoning Is Legal This is not to say that exclusionary zoning was not without its legal challenges, of course. In the 1926 Supreme Court case of Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365, the court upheld the constitutionality of exclusionary zoning, using as part of its opinion the argument that "very often the apartment house is a mere parasite", and that, if allowed to mix with single-family houses, "come very near to being nuisances". The case was brought to the Supreme Court as an appeal to a U.S. District Court of Ohio ruling against the constitutionality of exclusionary zoning, stating that "the blighting of property values and the congesting of the population, whenever the colored or certain foreign races invade a residential section, are so well known as to be within the judicial cognizance." Essentially, while the Supreme Court decided that exclusionary zoning was based on inherit issues with mixing building types (even though 1) the issues aren't inherit, and 2) the exclusion argument is based on a slippery slope fallacy), the District Court had (correctly) identified an underlying racial motivation for preventing mixing.
When the Pretending Becomes More Overt
Were all else equal, we might be able to ignore the initial racial components of exclusionary zoning, and merely call the resulting codes classist (the reality is that racism and classism were/are tightly intertwined, with each giving perceived justification to the other), but things weren't equal. The median household income for a black family in 1947 (the earliest year I could actually find data) was just 51% of a white household (it was only up to ~63% in 2018). Even though modern discussion around apartments tends to bemoan the 'luxury' branding, and how accurate it may or may not be, the hard reality is that living in an apartment is cheaper than buying a house, at least in the immediate. For lower income people, it's pretty much the only option. For poor, and thus disproportionately black, people, the primary need for housing affordability was in the form of apartment buildings and residential density, even if that was only desired as a stepping stone. But that's not what the zoning system provided. Overwhelmingly, the city's land was designated for single family homes. Large lots, and individual homes drive up the per-unit costs of housing, locking poorer people out of being able to buy into neighborhoods. Worse yet would be the zoning systems of suburban and smaller towns, which would eliminate the ability to build apartments all together, essentially locking lower income, and thus disproportionately black, persons from being able to relocate there at all. This lead to crowding in the limited apartments, and, since the building codes hadn't been adequately updated to actually prevent it, the very slum conditions used as a justification for preventing apartments in the first place became self-fulfilling. Of course, not all black people were so poor that they couldn't afford to buy a single-family home, and quite a few did look to leave the limited availability of apartments. They were not met well, and indeed, in the years following the installation of exclusionary zoning systems, the federal government would essentially codify black exclusion from single-family neighborhoods, with cities clinging to the federal policies as justification for blocking black and integrated housing. Property (particularly home) mortgages used to be very, very different than how we think of them today, which locked many people out of the ability to get them. High-interest rates, huge down-payments, interest-only payments, and short (5-7 year) payback periods. These terms kept middle and low class persons (of all races) from being able to afford to buy property. As part of the New Deal, the Home Owners' Loan Corporation was established. The loan system was restructured to be closer to the lower rates, lower down-payments, overall payment, and long-term periods we're more familiar with today. Additionally, many existing mortgages were bought and restructured to save property owners from foreclosure. In the process of this, though, HOLC wanted an inventory of risk across the nation, so it could manage these new loan terms without crippling itself financially. This is where the kinda okay policy stopped. The risk inventory was carried out by local real estate agencies, who had national ethics codes and local policies for their agents to explicitly consider race when evaluating risk. So much so that they were actually under direction to maintain community segregation when otherwise selling properties. The inventory took the form of color-coded maps, where red sections on the map represented high-risk (don't loan people money / bail them out here). Many, many of these red areas were based on racial prejudice, with even wealthy / middle class integrated or black communities being rated far worse than equivalent income white areas. Here is a database of maps across the U.S., overlaid against modern areas. Here's a fun game: compare the Redlining Map for Atlanta to the initial racial zoning map! No it's not a 1-1 match, but it gets awfully close, particularly if you start to include initially designated areas for apartment buildings. This entire mess was made even worse with the establishment of the Federal Housing Authority, which was intended to insure private bank loans to first-time home buyers. Even though the FHA had its own auditing system separate from the HOLC, it still had direct segregation and whites-only policies. Additionally the FHA very specifically did not insure mortgages within urban centers. This meant that both HOLC and FHA services were denied to nearly the same areas: black or integrated neighborhoods, most often in urban centers. The FHA justified its racial rules by claiming that black people ruined property values. This was actually backwards, as the limited options available to black people meant that black and integrated properties were in high demand, and thus could be sold at a much higher price. What did happen, though, was 'block-busting'. So, because the FHA (and other organizations) continuously sold the idea that black people ruined property values, as well as the base-level racism, this left white neighborhoods vulnerable to manipulation. Speculators would buy up properties in blocks on the border of black / integrated and white areas, and then rent / sell them to black people. These speculators would also hire black people to walk around white neighborhoods asking about home sales, and looking like they lived there. Then the speculators would go around warning white property owners that their housing values would tank with all the black people moving in, and make stupidly low offers, buying out white properties well below the actual value (this is where the FHA was getting its data). Then the speculators would turn around and, because there were so few other options, sell the same properties above their actual value to black people at bad rates. This drove up costs for black people who otherwise just wanted a home, and the high prices contributed to perpetuating poverty and again creating self-fulfilling slum conditions. Many cities, private lenders, and other government agencies (like Veterans Affairs) anchored their lending and development approval processes on the FHA backing of home loans, which meant that blacks were barred from even the opportunity to really leave parts of the city within which they lived. It's worth reiterating that the HOLC and FHA policies were targeted directly at owning private homes, working off of a national policy that private homes were less communist than apartments. No, I'm not kidding. The U.S. Department of Labor distributed pamphlets entitled We Own Our Own Home to schoolchildren stating that it was a "patriotic duty" to cease renting, and to buy a house. Millions of posters were printed, and hung in factories and other businesses, while newspaper ads were run throughout the country. This national housing direction propped up single-family residences, and the infrastructure to support them, while leaving pretty much everything else to languish. Then there were the racial covenants, where individual properties were made unavailable to black people by deed restrictions, and which were often implimented on neighborhood scales. Then there was the New-Deal, where the Civilian Conservation Corps abided by local segregation policies for its camps and worker housing, further entrenching local segregation. Then there was the issue of cities targeting black and low-income areas overwhelmingly with zoning variances for industry and toxic waste disposal sites, exposing those persons to much higher quantities of toxins and pollutants. Then there was public housing which eliminated mixed-income tenants, was often explicitly segregated, often resisted adding housing for black people, and, when they did add housing open to blacks, located overwhelmingly in already black and poor neighborhoods, effectively concentrating poverty and increasing segregation. Then there were Interstate Highways, which were explicitly used for 'slum clearing' in many cities (including defining slum based on racial makeup rather than socioeconomic status of the persons living there), which were massive transportation subsidies to the very same segregated low-density suburbs already built with federal loan backing while public transportation languished, and which were actually used as physical barriers between parts of the city. Frankly, the list kinda just keeps going, and so I'm not going to try and fit it all. Seriously, go read the Color of Law for more explicit details. My main point with all of these is that, when you combine the initial versions of the zoning codes, the opinions of the people who made them, and the wider reactions and policies that came after the codes proved not to 100% segregate black people from white people, it becomes clear that a major component of the zoning system was established not actually to prevent health or value issues, but rather to maintain the separation of races.
That was a lot of words...
Right, so here's the summary:
After a decade of relative progress, the federal government abandons Reconstruction
Almost immediately, communities, including previously inclusive ones, begin to force their black populations out in a renewed effort of segregation
At first this is done outside of the law, but eventually cities get the idea to literally codify segregation through ordinances
That codified segregation was struck down in the Supreme Court, so cities are forced to find a proxy method of enforcing segregation
Cities used the separating of mixed-use developments and multi-family apartment buildings to create racial segregation through the proxy of economic segregation
When this doesn't work 100%, the federal government established home mortgage support systems that directly excluded black people, preventing them from buying into single-family neighborhoods even if they could afford it
There was a lot of other shit that happened to basically show that zoning was not the unbiased system it was pretending to be
Persistence of bad policy
Even though many of the explicitly racist policies have been removed or overturned, and what progress there has been in raising the wealth of black persons has helped with some racial mixing, it's clear that the proxy methods for discrimination persist to this day, with visible segregaition outcomes. Even when we do see integration, it is often in the form of wealthy white people moving into the limited new developments allowed in previously majority black areas (AKA 'Gentrification'). Today, Atlanta is still overwhelmingly zoned for low-density, single-family residential, even if some of those zones allow up to Accessory Dwelling Units (such density, much urban). Lot sizes in much of the city are still mandated to be quite large, and height planes still overly limit the number of stories buildings can be. What apartment buildings are allowed are constrained by cumbersome parking requirements (both codified and required by private lenders), and property setbacks. Mixed uses are often restrained on individual properties, requiring a specific zoning designation to be allowed. Even the city's plan for handling future growth still relegates nearly 75% of the area to relatively low-density housing as 'conservation' areas. Metro-wide, not nearly as many homes are being built as were pre-recession. While home prices are increasing back to pre-recessionary levels, housing inventory in metro Atlanta is constrained – partially due to a lag in residential construction. Prior to the recession, it was not uncommon for residential building permits to exceed 5,000 per month (in some cases, reaching over 7,000). After May 2007, the region experienced a steep decline in residential building permits, which persisted into early 2012, when the region began seeing modest increases. Though residential permits have trended upward since 2012, they have yet to reach pre-recessional levels, hovering instead between 2,000 and 3,000 permits per month. Because of this, all counties in metro Atlanta are experiencing the a decline in housing inventory. One of the main summary points of that report was: "Home prices rising significantly – faster than wages – due in large part to dwindling supply"ARC Regional Snapshot: Affordable Housing While the metro itself has been pretty easy to build new housing within (atleast from 2000 to 2015) compared to other metros, the parts of the city and close-in suburbs tend to be the hardest within which to add new supplly (of the 10 hardest zipcodes to build, the top 3 were partially in the city, and another three were in or partly in the city). Indeed, inflation-adjusted housing prices are rising quite quickly in the Atlanta Metro, even including months during this pandemic. Prices are looking to pass pre-2008 peak in 2023ish. Only, this time, vacancy rates for both renters and homeowners have been nearly at all-time lows for the metro (Source: Census Bureau). Many of the most intense price increases happening within the core city. At the same time, affordable housing initiatives are proving to be far too few to handle the rising costs, with recent 'Inclusionary Zoning' rules, as well as the wider public housing program failing to close the need. We're talking programs considering themselves successful at a few thousand units, when the demand for affordable housing (let alone total housing) is in the hundreds of thousands. The simple reality is that the racism of our past is leading to an over-all affordability crisis today. While, as usual, the hardest hit are African Americans, this affordability crisis has far reaching impacts across the demographic spectrum, including poor whites, and, particularly, poor Latino populations as well, locking out a wide variety of people who would otherwise want to live in the kinds of dense, walkable, urban areas the City of Atlanta uniquely offers within the metro. Not only that, but the very types of low-density developments so widely codified across the city and nation do not generate enough economic activity to actually pay for the infrastructure needed to support them, propped up by piles of hidden subsidies, all resulting in cities being effectively bankrupt. (Here's another real-world example) Even some of the most 'wealthy' of towns are having to seriously reconsider their historic development patterns to close out financial gaps. In Atlanta, this leads to things like a massive backlog of maintenance issues that even recent bonds and tax increases can't fully handle. Again, policies of a racist past are hurting everyone today. Undoing those policies, and transitioning back to tried-and-true development styles would greatly help fix financial issues. Additionally, as we work to overcome challenges with climate as a whole, we need to be seriously looking at our build environments, and just how much low-density development contributes to emissions compared to higher-density parts of the metro, and even the city itself. At the same time, moving away from cars would help reduce respiratory issues for poor and minority persons who are disproportionately affected by road-pollution, and generally moving to cleaner industries while cleaning up legacy pollution sites can help undo the years of inequality through industrial exposure..
Okay, so what do we do?
We need to have a hard discussion about zoning policies: their origins, their purposes, and their effects. We need to be prepared to recognize when policies were built on hate, and where they have lead to harm, just as much as we need to be ready to recognize that not every aspect of the zoning system is bad. We need to be willing to change, and be proactive about fixing the failings of previous generations. Ideally for the net benefit of all of us. As part of this discussion, though, we are going to have to really, truly consider what 'character' of this city are valuable. What are tangible goals, what are the potential negative outcomes, and what can be done to mitigate those outcomes, ideally while actually adding to the 'character' of the city. Again, we needs to be willing to change here. Not everything wrapped under the broad umbrella of 'character' is actually worth keeping, particularly given how I could probably copy and paste some of the 'neighborhood character' arguments from the initial racial zoning codes into places like NextDoor or Facebook or even here on Reddit without anyone suspecting they are nearly 100 years old.
A Fluoride-Free Pineal Gland is More Important Than Ever
by Paul FassaJune 02, 2009fromNaturalNewsWebsite There has been some controversy over the activity of adding synthetic fluoride to municipal water supplies and elsewhere, but not enough. The seriousness of this issue is more than what most realize. Fluoridation ranks with GMO's and tainted, forced vaccinations among the great crimes against humanity. Understanding the Different Fluorides There are two types of fluoride.
Calcium Fluoride, which appears naturally in underground water supplies, is relatively benign. However, too much consumed daily can lead to bone or dental problems.
Calcium is used to counter fluoride poisoning when it occurs. This redeeming factor indicates that the calcium in naturally formed calcium fluoride neutralizes much of fluoride's toxic effects. On the other hand, the type of fluorides added to water supplies and other beverages and foods are waste products of the nuclear, aluminum, and now mostly the phosphate (fertilizer) industries. The EPA has classified these as toxins: fluorosilicate acid sodium silicofluoride sodium fluoride For this article, the term Sodium Fluoride will include all three types. Sodium fluoride is used for rat poison and as a pesticide. According to a scientific study done several years ago, Comparative Toxicity of Fluorine Compounds, industrial waste sodium fluorides are 85 times more toxic than naturally occurring calcium fluoride: http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisheachs/journals/content/iechad/1934/iechad.1934.26.issue-7/ie50295a026/production/ie50295a026.fp.png_v03 Health Hazards of Sodium Fluoride Generally, most fluoride entering the body is not easily eliminated. It tends to accumulate in the body's bones and teeth. Recently, it has been discovered to accumulate even more in the pineal gland, located in the middle of the brain. This consequence of dental fluorosis, which seriously harms teeth, from daily fluoridation has been documented. Yet, the American Dental Association (AMA) continues beating a dead horse, promoting fluoride. There is a refusal to admit that instead of preventing tooth decay, fluoride causes even more dental harm. The flood of sodium fluoride in water and food also creates other more serious health problems that are not widely publicized, even suppressed. Nevertheless, in addition to fluorosis, independent labs and reputable researchers have linked the following health issues with daily long term intake of sodium fluoride:
Cancer Genetic DNA Damage Thyroid Disruption - affecting the complete endocrine system and leading to obesity Neurological - diminished IQ and inability to focus, lethargy and weariness Alzheimer's Disease Melatonin Disruption, lowers immunity to cancer, accelerates aging, sleep disorders Pineal Gland, calcification, which clogs this gland located in the middle of the brain
How Did We Get Stuck With Stuff? According to investigative journalist Christopher Bryson, author of The Fluoride Deception, getting large quantities of sodium fluoride into the water and food system was a ploy of public relations sponsored by the industries who were saddled with getting rid of the toxic materials. Fluoride was necessary for the processing or enriching of uranium. The pro-fluoride propaganda was started during the Manhattan Project to create the first atom bombs in the 1940's. The spin was to convince workers and locals where the largest nuclear plant was located in Tennessee that fluoride was not only safe, it was good for kids' dental health. In the early 1950's, the notorious spin master and father of advertising, Edward Bernays, continued the campaign for adding fluorides to water supplies as an experiment in engineering human consent! Then the AMA picked up on the dental issue and endorsed sodium fluoride's addition to water supplies. The few dissenting health studies and reports were usually squashed. Those dissenting voices were dismissed as quacks regardless of their credentials. Approximately 2/3 of the USA water supply is laced with sodium fluoride. Sodium fluoride is a common pesticide. So that residue is in some foods. Some sodas, packaged orange juices, and even bottled drinking water for babies contain fluoride additives. Buyer beware. Read your labels carefully. Avoiding Fluoridation Keep in mind that boiling only increases the concentration of fluoride to water more. But removing fluoride from tap water is not so difficult. Reverse osmosis works well for removing fluorides. If you own your home and can spring for the bucks, you can have one installed under the sink in your kitchen. That makes things very convenient for your fluoride removal from tap water. If this is not your situation, grab a couple of large jugs and fill them up from reverse osmosis machines in health food stores, supermarkets, and other locations. There are several such machines around, usually labeled as using reverse osmosis, and they usually take coins. So it is the most accessible and cheapest way to go if you can't install one where you live. The Physiological Importance of the Pineal Gland During the late 1990's in England, a scientist by the name of Jennifer Luke undertook the first study the effects of sodium fluoride on the pineal gland. She determined that the pineal gland, located in the middle of the brain, was a target for fluoride. The pineal gland simply absorbed more fluoride than any other physical matter in the body, even bones. Because of the pineal gland's importance to the endocrine system, her conclusions were a breakthrough. Her study provided the missing link to a lot of physiological damage from sodium fluoride that had been hypothesized but not positively connected. A veritable root source for the chain reaction of blocked endocrine activity had been isolated. Good news though. Frequent exposure to outdoor sunshine, 20 minutes or so at a time, will help stimulate a fluoride calcified pineal gland. Just make sure you take off your hat. This is more important than most realize, because the pineal gland affects so much other enzyme and endocrine activity, including melatonin production. The 2012 Connection First a bit about 2012, a date many have heard about. According to Carlos Barrios, anthropologist, historian, and investigator who was initiated as a Mayan ceremonial priest and spiritual guide,
"Anthropologists visit the temple sites and read the inscriptions... but they do not read the signs correctly... Other people write about prophecy in the name of the Maya. They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end. It will be transformed."
Carlos Barrios goes on to say that the transformation will be both spiritual and physical. The transition started in 1987. He says that we are in a spiritual transition from the rule of materialism, greed, and enmity to a new period of cooperation and peace - but not without difficulty. The current oligarchy is happy with what they have and don't want to give it up, and they are powerful. The Mayans claim that 2012 marks the end of the period of the fourth sun and the beginning of the fifth sun. Carlos points out that adversarial revolution against the ruling class will not work. It is up to those who want this shift to connect with others of like mind and begin actively creating networks of real cooperation. The old will crumble. The new period will dawn with its growing pains, the severity of which depends on our ability to accept what is happening and go with the flow. This, he says, requires evolving to unconditional love, with an open and simple heart, forgiveness, and cooperation with less ego competition. Connecting the Pineal Gland to This 2012 Matter Well, what does all this have to do with the pineal gland? A lot. It is considered a portal to the inner or higher self by yogi masters, including Paramahansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi. Psychics consider it to be the link for inter dimensional experiences. It is associated with what many call the third eye or sixth chakra, which is a doorway to higher consciousness and bliss. And it is vital for supporting intuition, an ability that will be needed during hard times. So it is necessary to evolve spiritually in order to help create better understanding, acceptance of our fellow humans, and easier group cooperation. Meditation is a part of this evolving. That and a little sunshine, good rest and food, can cause a calcified pineal gland to loosen up and allow that portal to open. An unusual psychiatrist, professor of medicine at University of New Mexico, and practicing Buddhist, Dr. Rick Strassman, MD, has written a book based on actual human studies of people under the psychedelic drug, DMT, titled DMT - The Spirit Molecule. He has discovered, among other things, that the pineal gland is a source of DMT production during birth and at death, and during near death or mystical experiences. This chemical approach corroborates the idea of the pineal gland as a portal, where the spirit passes through to other dimensions, either entering this physical realm or leaving it. South American and Central American shamans use Ayahuasca, an herbal potion that stimulates DMT for psychological healing and spiritual initiation ceremonies. They have expanded their ceremonies with Ayahuasca by traveling throughout the world or opening their local facilities to non natives. They are doing this urgently in anticipation of 2012. Their desire is to jump start and expand individuals' consciousness so the transition of consciousness will be facilitated and incorporate as many as possible. This information is meant to link the physical realm's pineal gland to higher states of awareness and other realms. The point is not to advocate or discourage psychedelic drug use, but to encourage health, meditation and spiritual growth by maintaining a fluoride free pineal gland. 2012 is approaching. Time to get in shape! Sources Fluroide: Friend or Foe? By Devid De Santo (www.lewrockwell.com) Germans and Russians Used Fluoride to Make Prisoners Stupid and Docile, by Devvy Kidd (www.newswithviews.com) Fluoride Accumulates in the Pineal Gland, by Sepp Hasslberger of Health Supreme (www.newmediaexplorer.org) Transcribed interview of journalist Christopher Bryson: The Fluoride Deception: How a Nuclear Waste Byproduct Made Its Way Into the Nation's Drinking Water http://www.democracynow.org/2004/6/17/the_fluoride_deception_how_a_nu... Article by Ingrid Nairman highlighting Mayan lecture in Santa Fe, NM by Carlos Barrios ingridnaiman.com/subscription_lists/email_index.html. The Pineal Gland: Interface Between the Spiritual and Physical Planes? (http://circleof13.blogspot.com) The Fluoride Debate - (www.fluoridedebate.com) Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/026364_fluoride_pineal_gland_sodium.html#ixzz2DLXwaPE6 Fluroide: Friend or Foe? By Devid De Santo (www.lewrockwell.com) Germans and Russians Used Fluoride to Make Prisoners Stupid and Docile, by Devvy Kidd (www.newswithviews.com) Fluoride Accumulates in the Pineal Gland, by Sepp Hasslberger of Health Supreme (www.newmediaexplorer.org) Transcribed interview of journalist Christopher Bryson: The Fluoride Deception: How a Nuclear Waste Byproduct Made Its Way Into the Nation's Drinking Water http://www.democracynow.org/2004/6/17/the_fluoride_deception_how_a_nu... Article by Ingrid Nairman highlighting Mayan lecture in Santa Fe, NM by Carlos Barrios ingridnaiman.com/subscription_lists/email_index.html. The Pineal Gland: Interface Between the Spiritual and Physical Planes? (http://circleof13.blogspot.com) The Fluoride Debate - (www.fluoridedebate.com) Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/026364_fluoride_pineal_gland_sodium.html#ixzz2DLXwaPE6 Fluroide: Friend or Foe? By Devid De Santo (www.lewrockwell.com) Germans and Russians Used Fluoride to Make Prisoners Stupid and Docile, by Devvy Kidd (www.newswithviews.com) Fluoride Accumulates in the Pineal Gland, by Sepp Hasslberger of Health Supreme (www.newmediaexplorer.org) Transcribed interview of journalist Christopher Bryson: The Fluoride Deception: How a Nuclear Waste Byproduct Made Its Way Into the Nation's Drinking Water http://www.democracynow.org/2004/6/17/the\_fluoride\_deception\_how\_a\_nuclear Article by Ingrid Nairman highlighting Mayan lecture in Santa Fe, NM by Carlos Barrios http://ingridnaiman.com/subscription\_lists/email\_index.html. The Pineal Gland: Interface Between the Spiritual and Physical Planes? (http://circleof13.blogspot.com) The Fluoride Debate - (www.fluoridedebate.com)
Determination of Heavy Metals in Water, Fish and Sediment from Ureje Water Reservoir- Juniper Publishers
Abstract The concentrations of Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr) and Manganese (Mn) in water, sediment and selected fish samples from Ureje water reservoir, Ado Ekiti, were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). A total of three samples each of water, sediment, fishes (Hemichromis fasciatus & Hepsetus odoe) were collected and analyzed for heavy metals. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) test at 0.05%. The results showed higher levels of Zn (13.08±0.45mg/g) and Fe (2.10±0.56mg/g) in fish in comparison with other heavy metals examined. Chromium has exceeded the toxicity threshold in the muscle of the fishes in line with WHO standards in food. Cadmium was not detected in soil, while other elements detected were in trace amount below the Environmental Protection Agency allowable limits in soil. In water, except for Fe (1.25±0.02)mg/l, other metals were below allowable limit in water with reference to the World Health Organization's recommendation. This finding indicates that the water is safe for both aquatic life and man.
Aquatic ecosystem is the ultimate recipient of almost everything including heavy metals. This has long been recognized as a serious pollution problem [1]. There are various sources of heavy metals in this ecosystem such as anthropogenic activities like draining of sewage, dumping of domestic wastes and recreational activities. It may also occur in small amounts naturally through the leaching of rocks, airborne dust, forest fires and vegetation [2]. Fish is considered as one of the most significant indicators of metal pollution in aquatic environment [3]. Fish may absorb dissolved elements and heavy metals from surrounding water and food. When fish are exposed to heavy metals in an aquatic ecosystem, they tend to take these metals up which may accumulate in various tissues in significant amounts and are eliciting toxicological effects at critical targets [4]. Some edible species of fish have been widely investigated for those hazardous effects of heavy metals on human health [5]. Sediments are important sinks for heavy metals in aquatic ecosystem. These metals are non-biodegradable and once discharged into water bodies, they can either be adsorbed on sediment particles or accumulated in aquatic organisms. Heavy metal pollution may increase the susceptibility of aquatic animals to various diseases by interfering with the normal functioning of their immune, reproductive and developmental processes [6]. Heavy metals could be found in water at the trace levels. Nonetheless, these constituents are very toxic and tend to accumulate in a long period of time. Heavy metals such as Pb, Cd and Cr are micro-pollutants and of special interest as they have both health and environmental significance due to their persistence, high toxic and bio-accumulation characteristics in water [7]. Heavy metals in human body can affect his health, hence the need to know the concentration of heavy metals in water, sediment and selected fishes in ureje reservoir because of its daily usage by man and proximity to urban pollution (Figure 1).
Ureje reservoir is one of the major Dams in Ekiti State. It is located in Ado Ekiti, the State capital. The reservoir overflows across Ado Ekiti /Ikere road, also cut across the southwest region of the State. The reservoir is strategic to the people of Ekiti State especially the residents of Ado Ekiti. It is the major source of pipe borne water and irrigation.
Two different species of fish namely: Hemichromis fasciatus & Hepsetus odoe that are commonly seen in the reservoir were collected at two different locations along the stretch of the dam. The fish samples were put into a pre-cleaned polythene bag and placed inside oven for drying in readiness for digestion process. The water sample collected at two different points were also placed in pre-cleaned container and preserved by adding 5ml of nitric acid (HNO3) to it thus, preventing microbial growth in the water sample. The sediment samples were collected from two different point and stored in a pre-cleaned polythene bag and later spread on a flat tray inside the laboratory to be air dried for three days at room temperature (25 °C) after which it was been grinded and sieved for further digestion process.
The fish samples were wash with distilled water and dried for 24 hours to constant weight in an oven at 105-- °C. After drying the fish sample in the oven, the bones and scales of the dried fish samples were removed and remaining only the muscle, head, tail, eyes, gills of the fish sample. The remaining parts of the fish sample were milled with a mortar and pestle. They were put in a dry labeled crucible and stored until digestion. This involves digesting 2g of the grounded samples with 5ml of HNO3 and 2ml of HCLO4 and was heated on a hot plate for 30minutes at 85 °C. After completing the digestion, the residue were allowed to cool and filtered into a 50ml volumetric flask. Distilled water was added to it to fill up to the mark. The filtrate was transferred into a pre-cleaned sample bottle and stored under cool temperature until it is taken for further Atomic Adsorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) analysis.
100 ml of the water sample was measured with a measuring cylinder and 5ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid was added to it. The solution was then transferred into a conical flask and heated on the hot plate for two hour at 105 °C to 25 ml. It was then transferred into 100ml volumetric flask and distill water was added to fill up to the mark where it was filtered and transferred into the pre-cleaned sample bottle and taken for further Atomic Adsorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) analysis.
After air drying the Sediment samples for 3days and ground into smaller particles, it was sieved and went through digestion process: 2g of the sediment sample was weighed and poured into a beaker, 5ml of hydrogen trioxonitrate (v) acid (HNO3) was added together with 2ml of perchloric acid (HClO4) and 5ml of hydrogen fluoride (HF) was added and heated for 1hour on a heater at 160 °C. After proper digestion the sample was allowed to cool down and it was filtered. The filtrate was transferred into 100ml volumetric flask and made up to mark with distilled water. The prepared sample solution was transferred into the pre-cleaned labeled sample bottles in readiness for Atomic Adsorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) analysis.
A black model 200A flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer was used in the metal analysis of the sample (Perkin Elmer 2000). The major underlined principle of AAS is that the ground state atoms are capable of absorbing radiant energy of their own specific resonance wavelength when passed through a solution containing the atoms in question, then part of the light will be absorbed. The extent of absorption is proportional to the number of ground state atoms present in the flame.
Concentration of heavy metals in different parts of Hemichromis fasciatus adult fish from Ureje dam is shown in Table1 below. Concentrations of Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr) and Manganese (Mn) in the Muscle, head, eye, tail and gills of the fish samples were determined. Although there was no significant difference in metal concentration in each part of the fish for each metal but the results showed higher levels of Zn (13.08±0.45mg/g) and Fe (2.10±0.56) in comparison with other heavy metals examined. Cadmium and Copper were not detected in some parts of the fish, indicating their low concentrations in the fish. Several studies have indicated that metal accumulation in fish depends on numerous factors such as food habits of the fish [8], tropic status, source of a particular metal, distance of the fish from the contamination source and the presence of other ions in the environment [9]. Also, Kalay & Canli [10] reported that metal accumulation in the tissues of fish varied according to the rates of uptake, storage and elimination. The high levels of iron and zinc in this study could be attributed to their high demand as essential elements in blood hemoglobin and as a dietary essential trace metals [11]. Chromium has exceeded the toxicity threshold in the muscle of the fish in line with W.H.O standards in food.
The results in Table 2 below show that the metal concentrations in fish organs of Hepsetus odoe followed the same pattern with Hemichromis fasciatus except that Cd, Cu and Pb were partially detected in the fish. Also, Fe (3.09±1.09) and Cr (0.15±0.03) were at the toxicity threshold in the muscle of the fish in line with W.H.O standards in food. This may be attributed to the abundance of these metals in the ecosystem and the tropic status of the fish (EPA, 2010). A remarkable relationship between heavy metals concentrations in water and fish were observed by [12].
Table 3 below shows the total extractable concentration of heavy metals from sediments in the study area. Cadmium was not detected in the two locations, while Cr, Pb and Fe were significantly (p>0.05) higher in location A than location B. The results obtained showed that the sediment samples were lower in heavy metals concentration in line with reference values for USEPA [6].
Heavy Metal concentrations in water samples from Ureje dam is presented in Table 4. Lead (Pb) was not detected in both stations. Zinc was in trace levels (0.02-0.06). Except for Fe, the heavy metal load in water was far below toxicity threshold level in comparison with W.H.O allowable limits in water [7].
This study examined the concentrations of Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr) and Manganese (Mn) in the Muscle, head, eye, tail and gills of the fish samples from Ureje Dam and compared the results with the World Health Organization (WHO) allowable limits in food. Also, the same elements were determined in water and sediment in line with US EPA, 2010. The observed differences in metal concentrations in the two species of fish examined indicated difference in metal uptake as reported by [13]. Metal uptake and accumulation has a direct link with the feeding habit of fish and where fish resides in water [14]. The reason for higher metal uptake in Hepsetus odoe compared to Hemichromis faciatus is that Hepsetus odoe is carnivorous and benthic while Hemichromis faciatus is an herbivore and pelagic. It was generally observed that Zn and Fe were more concentrated in the head and muscle than other parts of the fish, although there was a lack of general pattern of uptake and elimination which is species dependent as reported by Tuzen [8]. The concentration of heavy metals in water and sediments in the present study showed trace amount of heavy metals, mainly from anthropogenic input from the city of Ado Ekiti. The level of metal accumulation in fish, water and sediment in the study area has not constitutes health hazards to aquatic life or man. But it is necessary to monitor the usage of the dam by appropriate agencies by adhering strictly to the rules guiding its safety. Government must ensure safe disposal of agricultural, domestic sewage and industrial effluents and recycled where possible to avoid these metals and other contaminants from going into the dam. It is hereby recommended that, location of automobile workshops, dumping of domestic sewage and other activities that are inimical to the safe use of the dam should be discouraged, while regular assessment of the dam to see to its cleanness and proper maintenance should be encouraged. To Know More About Journal of Oceanography Please Click on: https://juniperpublishers.com/ofoaj/index.php
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