ABSTRACT As population continues to increase especially in African and Asian countries, demand for more food is equally increasing. There have been challenges in meeting the food security needs in most countries especially those depending on rain-fed agriculture. Although a number of countries are addressing the shortfall by investing heavily on irrigated agriculture, the availability of irrigation water still remains one of the major challenges. Irrigation has been ranked as one of the activ...
ABSTRACT In Kenya and other countries in the world, most water treatment works derive their raw water from rivers that flow in a watershed. Lack of proper management of watershed leads to high runoff generated and subsequent flooding downstream leading to damaged infrastructure, pollution and deterioration of water quality. The main aim of this study was to simulate runoff water quality effects and establish a relationship models in three water sheds in Yala basins. The river watersheds consi...
ABSTRACT Potable water supply distribution networks are designed and constructed to convey treated water from the water treatment plant to end users. In developing countries, urban water supplies are mostly intermittent, typically ranging from 2 hours to 4 hours in a day and experiences high physical water losses resulting from frequent pipeline burst and repairs along water distribution pipelines due to high water pressure heads in aged distribution lines. Pressure management as a way of man...
ABSTRACT This study was undertaken in Kitui South in Kitui County in the south eastern parts of Kenya. The main objective of the study was to develop a spatial model that can be used for selection of suitable sites for sand dam in Kitui South. Data analysis was done using three approaches. The first approach involved the use of the Remote Sensing (RS) technique where data was preprocessed and analyzed using Erdas Imagine software and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for spatial modellin...
ABSTRACT The South West Upper Tana Basin, Kiama, Chania, Kimakia and Thika sub basins, located in the central region of Kenya has been experiencing increased water abstraction and river diversions. However, the causes of this increased water abstraction have not been fully investigated. Several factors that could be responsible to these abstractions; climate change, land cover/land use changes, agricultural practices and changes in streamflow. Previous studies in the region have not determine...
ABSTRACT The Mara River is the lifeline of the Trans boundary Mara basin across Kenya and Tanzania. The basin is considered one of the more serene sub-catchments of the Lake Victoria Basin and ultimately the Nile Basin. The basin traverses the famous Maasai Mara and Serengeti National Parks in Kenya and Tanzania respectively. The basin also contains forests, largescale farms, smallholder farms, pastoral grazing lands, as well as hunter gatherers and fishers. There is growing concern however, ...
ABSTRACT Human-related activities are known to have deleterious effects on the water quality of aquatic ecosystems globally. However, there is limited information on the impact of similar perturbations in tropical regions, especially the River Chania in Kiambu County, Kenya, which is an important source of water for humans and animals and also provides habitat for a variety of flora and fauna along its length. The aim of this study was to determine the spatial and temporal variations of sele...
ABSTRACT Forests are believed to play critical ecological, social, cultural, and economic role to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Kenya and even all over the world. Forestry Provisioning Ecosystem Services (FPES) contribute significantly to smallholder farmers‘ livelihoods though this contribution is sometimes not accounted for. Understanding the role played by FPES to the livelihood of smallscale farmers is crucial for sustainable management of the forest resources. This study th...
x ABSTRACT The study is primarily an assessment of groundwater quality in the Yatta Plateau of Kitui County. The study focused on the spatial temporal distribution of key chemical parameters namely pH, TDS, Colour, Total hardness, Turbidity, Conductivity, Total alkalinity, Fluoride and Iron. Yatta Plateau is a volcanic formation which is characteristically flat at the top thus limiting overland flow and depression storage necessary for other methods of water supply to the community resident o...
ABSTRACT This study is focused on the assessment of the effects of deforestation on springs found in Nuu and Mutaitho hills in Kitui County. Deforestation is manifested by clearing of dry land forests on a massive scale. Springs in Nuu and Mutaitho hills originate from groundwater aquifers and are essentially formed on hillsides and valley bottoms that intersect groundwater flow at or below the local water table. The main objective of the study was to determine the main causes of decline in s...
ABSTRACT Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to model the impacts of land cover changes on stream flow regime in the Thiba River basin a sub-catchment of Tana River Basin covering a surface area of 1648 km2 in central region of Kenya. The basin is characterized by intensive agricultural activities including the largest rice irrigation scheme in Kenya. A study was undertaken to test the capability of the model in predicting stream flow response under changing land use conditions in ...
ABSTRACT Regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between urbanisation in Harare and river yield of Manyame River at gauging station C21. To detect the effects of urbanisation, Landsat images were downloaded from USGS website (http://landsatlook.usgs.gov/viewer) and they were processed in Quantum GIS and System for Automated Geoscientific Analysis. Image classification was carried out in SAGA were the images were classified into five main classes which were Forest, Scrub, Gr...
Abstract Various studies have shown that the use of tracer techniques such as the chloride mass balance (CMB) and stable isotopes’ methods are suitable and good practical approaches to estimate groundwater recharge. Estimating groundwater recharge improves the understanding of groundwater availability in making informed strategies for groundwater resources management. Using secondary data, this study estimated groundwater recharge within the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin (CEB) via the CMB and stable...
ABSTRACT The open concrete-lined Calueque-Oshakati canal has been operational since the 1970s, carrying raw water from the Calueque Dam on the Kunene River in the Southern region of Angola to the Central Northern region of Namibia. This raw water is conveyed to the purification plants along the canal, where it is purified before distribution to towns and villages through pipelines. This thesis presents the findings on the estimation of evaporation losses using the stable isotopic composition ...
Abstract The Cuvelai-Etosha Basin lies in north-central Namibia and due to the prevailing climatic situation, the basin is dominated by strong seasonal and annual variations of either very dry conditions with drought or heavy flooding in certain years. A growing population in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin has resulted in increased demand for water for daily use and agricultural activities. Floodwater Harvesting Infrastructures are considered to be a more effective way to solve those problems. Henc...