Search Results (430)

The conventional linear “treat-and-discharge” model has been challenged due to rapid urbanisation and the increasing generation of complex industrial wastewater. To this end, circular economy (CE) approaches can be considered as a key strategy for resource efficiency, sustainability, and waste reduction. The current study aims to review CE principles in industrial wastewater management policies across Asian countries. Findings from our review indicate that countries such as Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and China have made significant progress through integrated institutional frameworks, standards of reclaimed water, eco-industrial park initiatives, advanced treatment technologies, and supportive policy mechanisms. However, some developing Asian economies still depend primarily on pollution-control regulations and effluent discharge compliance; have limited guidelines on application-specific water-reuse quality standards, limited financial and tax incentives for SMEs, and inadequate policy support for resource recovery and wastewater valorisation. Strengthening these policy and institutional frameworks can promote circular industrial wastewater management, thus enhancing water security, resource efficiency, and sustainable industrial development across Asia. Full article

Heritage tourism has become an important driver of tourism development, particularly in Asia, where countries actively promote national and cultural identities to attract visitors. Although individual studies have examined heritage identity in relation to tourism, existing reviews have not systematically synthesised the theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and empirical evidence on how tangible and intangible heritage identities are utilised as tourism development resources across South and Southeast Asia. Accordingly, this systematic review addresses three questions: (i) how research on heritage identity in heritage tourism has evolved in South and Southeast Asia, including its publication trends, theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches; (ii) which forms of tangible and intangible heritage identity are most utilised in South and Southeast Asia; and (iii) what conceptual and practical challenges and future research directions emerge from the literature. This study presents a systematic literature review with narrative synthesis of 44 publications to analyze how tangible and intangible heritage identities are used to promote heritage tourism in the region. The findings indicate that most studies focus on tangible heritage such as monuments, archaeological sites and colonial architecture, while intangible heritage, including cultural festivals and living traditions, remains comparatively underrepresented. The review further shows that heritage identity plays a significant role in strengthening national identity, enhancing visitor experiences and supporting local economic development across South and Southeast Asia. At the same time, several challenges remain, including the underutilisation of heritage resources, limited recognition of intangible heritage and the need to improve visitor management and sustainable tourism practices. The study concludes that Asian countries have significant untapped potential to further integrate heritage identity into tourism strategies, particularly through more innovative uses of intangible cultural heritage and improved heritage governance and management. Full article

Nepal is a small, landlocked country with marked elevational variation from the Terai plains to the Himalayas. Here, four indigenous goat populations (Chyangra, Sinhal, Khari, and Terai) are raised at different elevations. This study aimed to clarify the genetic structure of these populations and how they are formed and propagated across the Himalayan region. We analyzed 136 Nepalese goats using mitochondrial (mt) DNA D-loop and sex-determining region Y (SRY) 3′-untranslated region (UTR) sequences, as well as 50 K SNP array data. The mtDNA haplogroups D (0.162) and G (0.03) were detected only in Chyangra, whereas haplogroup B was predominant in Sinhal (0.42), followed by Khari (0.260). Regarding SRY haplotypes, Y2B was detected in all populations, whereas Y1AB (0.42) was found only in Chyangra. Genome-wide SNP analysis showed that Chyangra was genetically related to Tibetan and Central Asian goats, while Terai resembled South Asian goats. Interestingly, Sinhal formed a distinct cluster, whereas Khari exhibited an admixed genetic structure. These findings suggest that Nepalese goats originate from at least three ancestral lineages and that an additional migration route may have existed through the southern Himalayas. Full article

The agricultural sector in Greece heavily relies on migrant workers, particularly from South Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. Research has shown that these workers face numerous challenges, including unsanitary living conditions, exposure to hazardous working conditions, harmful chemicals, a lack of safety equipment, accidents, abuse, violence, and exploitative conduct from employers. Drawing on 45 in-depth interviews, this article analyzes the experiences of Bangladeshi migrant farmworkers employed as strawberry pickers in Nea Manolada, Greece. This study specifically examines how precarious and harsh working conditions in the agricultural sector affect the health, quality of life, and social integration of these unskilled workers. Evidence from the empirical sample reveals that Bangladeshi workers experience hazardous working environments, a lack of labor rights and contracts, chronic job insecurity, and exposure to harmful chemicals and are particularly vulnerable to injury, exploitation, and poverty due to the ethnic–racial division of labor, legal uncertainty, threats of deportation, overcrowded and unsanitary housing, poor nutrition, persistent job insecurity, health risks, and limited access to healthcare. These challenges and inequalities, both in employment and health, are seen as situations akin to modern slavery. This study underscores the urgent need for legislative, labor, and public health interventions to address the specific conditions faced by Bangladeshi migrant workers in the agricultural sector. While this research provides an in-depth insight into this group, it also acknowledges limitations regarding gender, sector, and wider representativeness. The results contribute to a nuanced understanding of the intersection between legal status, the ethnic–racial division of labor, working conditions, health, and quality of life among South Asian migrant agricultural workers in Southern Europe. Full article

Passenger Car Equivalent (PCE) factors are widely used to convert heterogeneous traffic streams into equivalent homogeneous flow rates for the design and analysis of roads and intersections. In developing countries, mixed traffic conditions differ substantially from those in developed contexts due to variations in vehicle composition, operating characteristics, roadway parameters, and environmental conditions. Consequently, PCE values are highly context-specific and require periodic updates to accurately represent prevailing traffic conditions. However, such updates are often infrequent because conventional PCE estimation relies on extensive field data collection through time-consuming and costly traffic surveys, as well as the availability of experienced experts to conduct and validate the analyses. In Sri Lanka, the currently adopted PCE factors are more than two decades old and no longer reflect existing traffic conditions. Although several recent studies have estimated PCE values for mid-block roadway sections of various facility types (e.g., four-lane roads, two-lane roads, and freeways), no study has comprehensively addressed intersections, which are critical for signal timing and geometric design. This study aims to develop a systematic methodology for estimating intersection-specific PCE factors using drone-based video data. Traffic data were collected at selected intersections using an unmanned aerial vehicle to obtain an accurate bird’s-eye view of vehicle movements. The methodology compares the area occupancy of different vehicle categories under varying traffic compositions with that of a passenger-car-only traffic stream operating at the same average speed. Using the extracted traffic parameters, the basic headway method was applied to establish a framework for calculating PCE factors. PCE values were estimated for ten vehicle categories, and the results reveal significant deviations, particularly for three-wheelers, motorcycles, and commercial vehicles, when compared with values currently in use. A high-level comparison with studies from other developing countries in the South Asian region indicates notable differences in vehicle impacts at signalized intersections in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the proposed methodology provides a practical, economical, and less labour-intensive approach for estimating PCE factors, enabling more frequent updates without requiring extensive field surveys or specialized expertise. Because it relies on a straightforward headway-based framework and drone-derived traffic data, the methodology can be readily adapted to different roadway facilities, including highways, rural roads, and intersections, making it suitable for application across diverse geographical regions. Full article

Smokeless tobacco (SLT) consumption is a significant risk factor for oral dysbiosis and oral cancer in South Asian countries, including India. However, its impact on oral microbial ecology, functional restructuring, and sex-specific microbial responses remains unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate tobacco-associated oral microbiome dysbiosis across different subject groups (addicted male/AM, addicted female/AF, non-addicted male/NAM, and non-addicted female/NAF) using a controlled sibling-based pooled temporal representative framework. To reduce short-term temporal variability and generate representative oral microbiome profiles, oral gargle samples were collected daily for seven days and pooled within each study group prior to DNA extraction and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla in all samples. Addicted users showed a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, fewer cultivable species, and more pathobionts, along with lower Shannon diversity in tobacco addiction and a partial separation in beta diversity between addicted and non-addicted samples. The enrichment of Streptococcus, Gemella, Neisseria, Veillonella, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas in tobacco-associated microbiomes and Comamonas, Chryseobacterium, Delftia, Flavobacterium, and related taxa in non-addicted individuals were consistently identified by all three analyses, that is, differential abundance, STAMP, and SIMPER. A shared core oral microbiome and unique “tobacco-associated” microbial signatures were observed. Orotype mapping showed that the transition in the microbial community to a Streptococcus-dominated (S-type) dysbiotic state was driven by tobacco addiction, introducing a novel conceptual framework, the Tobacco-Associated Dysbiosis Index (TDI), which showed higher values in addicted participants. Furthermore, functional prediction analysis revealed increased enrichment of ammonia oxidation, dehalogenation, sulfate reduction, nitrite reduction, chitin degradation, and xenobiotic metabolism pathways, highlighting microbial adaptation towards detoxification. In summary, chronic exposure to smokeless tobacco is linked to ecological imbalance, pathobiont enrichment, loss of microbial diversity, functional dysbiosis, and metabolic reprogramming, suggesting descriptive ecological patterns that may be relevant to chronic inflammation and oral carcinogenesis. Full article

Background: Dysregulated brain aging leads to dementia in some older adults. South Asia is one of the most populous regions of the world with a rapidly growing older adult population. Yet, very few studies have focused on quantifying the status and risk factors driving aging-related conditions such as dementia in this part of the world. Objectives: We explored multiple sources of global health data to quantify and compare all-cause dementia indices in South Asian countries. Design: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were considered. Population statistics and dementia as a priority area were examined using US Census Bureau and World Health Organization Global Dementia Observatory data. Crude and age-standardized rates (ASR) of dementia incidence, deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were extracted and analyzed from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 Study. Results: Our analysis reiterated that there are limited resources dedicated to dementia in this region. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan had the highest dementia crude rates and age-standardized rates, respectively [Crude DALYs, Sri Lanka = 321.52 (132.12–736.58); ASR DALYs, Afghanistan = 432.72 (179.01–1001.95)]. The burden of dementia in some South Asian countries was comparable to estimated global averages, and was largely driven by population aging. Analyses of available data on known biological, behavioral, environmental and disease risk factors in the region highlighted the role of metabolic dysregulation in dementia. Conclusions: Our preliminary analysis of available global health data highlights an emerging need for resources for dementia prevention and care in South Asia. There is also a critical need for future longitudinal follow-up studies focusing on dementia that are well-designed and can be harmonized with other dementia-related studies. We describe a roadmap for designing them—taking into account cultural, economic, public health and population aging dynamics that may be uniquely applicable to South Asian countries. Full article

Background: Vaccine acceptance is a fundamental prerequisite for uptake, which may vary over time in response to contextual and vaccine-specific factors and major global disruption. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated global trends and determinants of vaccine acceptance between 2009 and 2024. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using pre-defined keywords and controlled vocabulary related to vaccination, vaccine acceptance or hesitancy, with a broad search strategy designed to capture global evidence across multiple vaccine categories and geographic settings. Studies restricted to high-risk groups or other specific sub-populations (e.g., healthcare workers) were excluded. Studies reporting vaccine acceptance outcomes were systematically identified and pooled estimates were calculated across vaccine categories, WHO regions, income groups, and pandemic periods. Temporal trends and interaction effects were assessed to evaluate changes in vaccine acceptance among different vaccines and before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: A total of 264 publications, including 650,772 participants from 97 countries, were included. Overall, pooled vaccine acceptance was 70.63% and remained relatively stable throughout the study period. Most studies originated from high-income countries, whereas low-income countries and the African region were underrepresented. Childhood vaccines demonstrated the highest pooled acceptance (80.26%), followed by HPV vaccines (66.48%), while influenza vaccines showed the lowest acceptance (52.00%). Childhood vaccine acceptance increased over time and during the COVID-19 period, whereas significant negative interaction trends were observed for HPV and influenza vaccines. Higher vaccine acceptance was observed in African and South-East Asian regions compared with Western Pacific and European regions. Acceptance also varied across income groups, with greater hesitancy generally observed in higher-income settings. Conclusions: Vaccine acceptance among the general population remained relatively stable globally between 2009 and 2024 but varied substantially by vaccine categories, geographic regions, and economic settings. These findings highlight the context-specific nature of vaccine acceptance and the need for harmonized measurement tools and stronger evidence from underrepresented regions to support equitable immunization strategies. Full article

South Asia has experienced a persistent rise in per capita carbon dioxide emissions despite growing policy attention to low-carbon development. Against this background, this study examines how economic growth, energy intensity, renewable energy, urbanization, and trade openness shape per capita carbon dioxide emissions in six South Asian countries over the period 1990–2023. Grounded in the STIRPAT framework, the analysis combines fixed-effect estimation with two-step system generalized method of moments to address unobserved heterogeneity, endogeneity, and emissions persistence. The results show that economic growth remains strongly carbon-intensive, with gross domestic product per capita exhibiting a near-proportional elasticity with emissions. Energy intensity significantly increases emissions, while renewable energy reduces them. Urbanization exerts a positive but smaller effect, whereas trade openness remains statistically fragile. The findings also indicate strong emission persistence, underscoring the importance of early intervention. The study contributes to the regional environmental literature by providing an integrated and dynamic assessment of South Asia’s growth–energy–emissions nexus and by introducing a composite policy-support dimension into the empirical framework. The results offer practical implications for energy efficiency reform, renewable expansion, and climate-sensitive urban policy in developing economies. Full article

At the international level, heritage is widely recognised as a critical component of sustainable development. However, in South Asian countries such as Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, historic cities continue to struggle to preserve and integrate built heritage amid rapid urbanisation, socio-economic transformation, and evolving contemporary urban demands. Heritage places in these contexts are shaped by complex interrelations between collective memory, the built environment, and socio-cultural identity. Yet, conservation practices have been mainly implemented through fragmented, building-by-building approaches that neglect urban-scale coherence and intangible cultural dimensions. This article addresses this gap by examining adaptive reuse as a value-based conservation strategy in historic urban quarters, where heritage serves as both a repository of cultural memory and a catalyst for sustainable, experience-based tourism. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork, heritage value assessment matrices, and doctoral research, this study uses the Saddar Bazaar Quarter in Karachi, Pakistan, as a case study to explore how tangible and intangible heritage values can be systematically integrated into conservation and regeneration processes. The findings demonstrate that heritage-led adaptive reuse, when embedded within a comprehensive urban-scale conservation framework, can sustain everyday socio-cultural practices, reinforce local identity, and enhance the legibility of historic urban environments. Rather than positioning tourism as a primary driver, the study shows that culturally sensitive and community-oriented tourism emerges as an outcome of successful heritage integration, grounded in lived urban experience rather than commodified representation. Based on these insights, the article proposes a value-based integration framework that aligns heritage conservation, adaptive reuse, and sustainable tourism within historic urban quarters. The framework offers transferable methodological guidance for revitalising heritage places and collective memories, while providing policy-relevant insights for heritage governance that support sustainability objectives, community resilience, and inclusive urban regeneration in post-colonial contexts. Full article

Background: Liver cancer remains a persistent global health challenge due to its high occurrence and fatality rates, critically impacting health outcomes and quality of life. The disease burden in East Asia, considering China, Japan, South Korea, and Mongolia, is among the highest globally. This study aims to examine the patterns and trends of liver cancer in selected East Asian countries from 1990 to 2021. Methods: This study employed data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 pertaining to key burden metrics—prevalence, incidence, mortality, years of life lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)—for selected East Asian countries from 1990 to 2021. Furthermore, the epidemiological trends and patterns were analyzed using decomposition analysis, Joinpoint regression, and age–period–cohort methods. Projections of the cancer burden through 2036 were generated using the Bayesian age–period–cohort model. Results: For all key indicators (incidence, prevalence, mortality, YLDs, YLLs, and DALYs), China had the highest values in both 1990 and 2021. The highest age-standardized rates for incidence (ASIR), mortality (ASMR), prevalence (ASPR), YLDs, YLLs, and DALYs (ASDR) were recorded in Mongolia. For all measured indicators of disease burden, the peak rates in each of the selected East Asian nations were consistently concentrated in the population aged 50 and above. Mongolia is forecasted to maintain the top-ranking ASIR values among the selected East Asian nations considered up to 2036. Conclusions: Over the past three decades, liver cancer has imposed a heavy disease burden on all selected East Asian nations, with rates being notably higher in the elderly population. These insights will provide policy-makers with evidence to guide public health strategies for disease prevention. Full article

Municipal solid waste disposed of in open dumpsites and unlined landfills contaminates groundwater, soils, and air across urban areas of low- and middle-income countries. Nevertheless, impacts across all three environmental media have not been systematically assessed together. We conducted a PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review of 286 peer-reviewed studies from PubMed, Dimensions, and OpenAlex, applying structured eligibility screening and quality appraisal using an adapted JBI checklist. Heavy metals—lead, cadmium, chromium, and zinc—were the most frequently detected contaminants in leachate and groundwater, commonly exceeding WHO drinking water guidelines by one to three orders of magnitude. Soil contamination by potentially toxic elements was documented at virtually all open dumpsites studied, persisting for decades after site closure. Particulate matter at South Asian MSW sites reached up to 41 times the WHO 2021 annual guideline. Microplastics acting as heavy metal carriers and dumpsite leachate as a source of antimicrobial resistance genes were identified as emerging risks outside standard monitoring frameworks. Non-carcinogenic hazard indices exceeded acceptable thresholds in the majority of health risk studies reviewed. Engineered containment was the strongest predictor of contamination severity across all sites. Phytoremediation, constructed wetlands, and biofiltration showed promise as mitigation approaches. Critical evidence gaps remain for Central Asia, harmonized reporting standards, and longitudinal monitoring data. Full article

This study focuses on the commonalities and differences in the public housing systems of three East Asian countries, using Japan’s UR Rental Housing as a case study. It employs a composite methodology that integrates architectural typology and cross-cultural comparison, constructing theoretical linkages within a three-dimensional framework of “social institutions–cultural context–spatial structure”. The research emphasizes three key dimensions: (1) The evolution of policy frameworks and their underlying socio-cultural drivers; (2) The spatial layout logic and functional concepts embedded in residential unit planning; (3) The transformation and inheritance of traditional residential values in contemporary housing design. The study strictly adheres to a progressive logic of “sample construction–type decoding–paradigm extraction–cross-domain comparison–theoretical feedback”. It begins by analyzing the core issues in the supply structure and spatial adaptability of affordable housing in China and South Korea. Next, it systematically examines the policy evolution and spatial design paradigms of Japan’s UR Rental Housing. Subsequently, it constructs a comparative analytical matrix for public housing in China, Japan, and South Korea, identifying transferable common experiences and pathways requiring localized adaptation. Finally, it proposes targeted recommendations across three dimensions, namely policy framework, spatial design, and community building: (1) At the policy level, a full lifecycle governance framework is advocated; (2) In spatial design, the principles of “compactness and efficiency” are emphasized, alongside enhanced flexibility and cultural relevance; (3) In community building, efforts are directed toward activating interpersonal connections and strengthening the social functional attributes of housing. This study emphasizes transnational comparability and knowledge transferability, aiming to provide practical insights for China’s affordable housing reforms and South Korea’s public housing modernization. It seeks to promote cross-national learning and collaborative innovation in the regional housing sector, offering both theoretical reference and practical pathways to realize the shared vision of “restoring housing to a human scale”. Full article

Goal-based financial management and planning for future financial needs is a critical element for individuals’ wellbeing in the modern world. Lacking the ability to identify key financial needs may negatively affect one’s standard of living and lead to adverse consequences. Like other aspects of individuals’ lives, culture plays an important role in shaping attitudes and, consequently, financial planning practices. In this respect, the literature lacks studies from developing countries and south-east Asian cultures. This study aims to address this gap by undertaking an exploratory investigation of the personal financial practices of the emerging middle class in Bangladesh. Using surveys and interviews, we find that immediate financial needs and family financial wellbeing are central to the financial concerns of the middle class. We found previous financial hardship, along with perceived wealth, to drive savings and other financial planning practices. However, findings also suggest poor knowledge of and lack of trust in financial products and services which may jeopardize financial inclusion. Orchestrated efforts from professionals, advocacy groups, and regulators are needed to build trust in the financial system and facilitate financial inclusion—a key component for economic growth and societal advancement in a developing country such as Bangladesh. Full article

There is great interest in school leadership models, with their potential to explain and interpret leadership structures and processes. Models developed in the Global North, notably in the UK and USA, are now widely cited by scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners in many countries, including in the Global South. This article reviews the origins and development of these models, and their application in African and Asian contexts. It also examines the emergence of indigenous models, notably Ubuntu, Confucianism, and Islamic theory. The problem under scrutiny is why indigenous models appear to be neglected in the Global South, in favour of international models. These specific approaches are chosen because they have wide applicability, beyond nation-states. The paper stresses the importance of context and offers links between global and indigenous models. The topic is important and relevant given the growing concern about post-colonial influences in many Global South countries. Full article