The Chinese economy is one of the largest and most dynamic economies in the world. Over the past few decades, China has experienced rapid economic growth from agrarian to industrial powerhouse fueled by manufacturing, exports, and services. However, this rapid growth has also brought about challenges, including environmental issues like water contamination. The indulgence of cadmium metal in regular used water can cause serious health issues, including kidney damage and cancer. Many strategies have been implemented for treatment of water contamination. The main focus of this research is to introduce a novel methodology for treatment of cadmium contaminated water problem in China. This study seeks to demonstrate the multi-criteria group decision-making ability based on the outranking relations within the confines of a contemporary, well- organized and extremely flexible model of spherical fuzzy rough numbers. Spherical fuzzy rough numbers, amalgamation of rough numbers with traditional spherical fuzzy numbers, make the use of membership, nonmembership and neutral membership degrees along with the manipulation of the subjectivity and reliance on objective uncertainties. The combination of spherical fuzzy rough numbers with an outranking multi-criteria group decision making technique, Elimination and Choice Expressing Reality, integrates spherical fuzzy logic to handle uncertainty and imprecision in multi-criteria decision-making. This approach captures degrees of uncertainty and hesitancy with spherical fuzzy numbers, improving the handling of imprecise information. The working mechanism involves generation of outranking relations among alternatives by comparing predominant and subdominant options, calculating score degrees, concordance and discordance sets, and incorporating subjective spherical fuzzy rough criteria weights. Unlike traditional methods that use crisp or conventional fuzzy numbers, this technique provides a more reliable and flexible evaluation by integrating rough set theory for better handling of imprecision and uncertainty. Finally, an outranking graph is drawn that points from the supreme option to inferior one. The legitimacy of the proposed technique is, then, testified by making its comparison with other existing techniques.

Heavy metal contamination in water and soil presents a growing global issue that poses significant risks to environmental integrity and human well-being. Various heavy metals, including arsenic (As), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr), contaminate ecosystems. These metals enter the environment through both natural processes and human activities such as coal mining, leather production, metal processing, agriculture, and industrial waste disposal. With their high toxicity and tendency to accumulate in organisms, heavy metals induce oxidative stress in cells, resulting in organelle damage. This toxicity can lead to genetic mutations and histone alterations. Given the severe effects of heavy metals, urgent actions are required to eliminate them from polluted soil and water. While physicochemical techniques like membrane filtration, precipitation, oxidation, and reduction exist, they have limitations. Hence, there is a pressing need to devise environmentally friendly and cost-efficient approaches for heavy metal removal. This article examines heavy metal contamination in water and soil, its adverse impacts, and the cleanup of heavy metals using eco-friendly methods. [GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT]

The Karnak Temples complex, a monumental site dating back to approximately 1970 BC, faces significant preservation challenges due to a confluence of mechanical, environmental, and anthropogenic factors impacting its stone blocks. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the deterioration affecting the northeast corner of the complex, revealing that the primary forms of damage include split cracking and fracturing. Seismic activities have induced out-of-plane displacements, fractures, and chipping, while flooding has worsened structural instability through uplift and prolonged water exposure. Soil liquefaction and fluctuating groundwater levels have exacerbated the misalignment and embedding of stone blocks. Thermal stress and wind erosion have caused microstructural decay and surface degradation and contaminated water sources have led to salt weathering and chemical alterations. Multi-temporal satellite imagery has revealed the influence of vegetation, particularly invasive plant species, on physical and biochemical damage to the stone. This study utilized in situ assessments to document damage patterns and employed satellite imagery to assess environmental impacts, providing a multi-proxy approach to understanding the current state of the stone blocks. This analysis highlights the urgent need for a multi-faceted conservation strategy. Recommendations include constructing elevated platforms from durable materials to reduce soil and water contact, implementing non-invasive cleaning and consolidation techniques, and developing effective water management and contamination prevention measures. Restoration should focus on repairing severely affected blocks with historically accurate materials and establishing an open museum setting will enhance public engagement. Long-term preservation will benefit from regular monitoring using 3D scanning and a preventive conservation schedule. Future research should explore non-destructive testing and interdisciplinary collaboration to refine conservation strategies and ensure the sustained protection of this invaluable historical heritage.