ABSTRACT With the urbanisation of the world's population proceeding apace and the increasing demand for metals putting permanent pressure on natural resources, metals have become a priority area for decoupling economic growth from resource use and environmental degradation. This is imperative if cities are to remain relevant in ensuring appropriate levels of supply and reduce the negative environmental footprints in the quest for global green economy. In that perspective, urban mining has bee...
ABSTRACT The closed Mallam State Construction Corporation (SCC) waste disposal site is one of the many unengineered and improperly decommissioned municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills in Accra, Ghana. The site served as a landfill site for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (A.M.A) for 7 years and received variety of solid waste from the A.M.A and other neighbouring municipal assemblies. Leachate management plans were, however, not implemented. Untreated leachate from the waste disposal site flo...
Abstract Climate change and variability has been a major cause of water insecurity in drylands of Africa. This study seeks to understand the dynamics and lived experience of climate-induced water (in) security in four agro-pastoral rural savannah communities in north- eastern Ghana, using mixed methods. The study shows that rainfall and temperature were the two main climatic elements that significantly influenced water security. The study observes a 20C rise in temperature 1983-2013. The shif...
ABSTRACT City authorities the world over are lamenting on the ever increasing liquid and solid waste management problems, and are in continuous search for inexpensive and easy solutions to these waste problems. Ghana, like many other developing countries, in its effort to controlling these problems enacted an Act (Act 490) through Parliament in 1994, which charged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to demand for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on all developmental projects which ...
ABSTRACT The environmental effects of sewage pollution and wastewater effluent quality management in the Tema Metropolis, Ghana was assessed over a three month period. Effluent samples were collected from main manholes comprising raw wastewater from domestic, central business area (CBA), industrial and the outfall point at sea, sakumono beach. The Physico-chemical and bacteriological analysis were determined using standard methods. The results of the Physico-chemical parameters values were; p...
Abstract Hypertension has become an issue of public health concern in Ghana like most parts of the world presently. The condition has taken a new trend in prevalence other than what it used to be. In recent time, the available data suggest the disease has been affecting people mostly of low-income communities. Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) is a cosmopolitan area,, which encompasses people from diverse backgrounds that makes it ideal for a study of this nature which sought to establis...
ABSTRACT Societies are dynamic: so too are the farming systems that provide their food and other needs. The study examines transitions in farming systems and their contribution to food security at the household level. This is important as most people in rural areas rely on farming for their basic needs. These systems are under pressure from both external and internal forces with diverse impacts on food and livelihoods. A mixed-methods approach, which combined a survey with different qualitati...
ABSTRACT Laboratory and field studies were conducted to investigate the toxicity, antifeedant activity, moulting inhibition property and persistence of two neem seed extracts against the cocoa mirids Distantiella theobroma (Dist.) and Sahlbergella singularis Hagl. The study also investigated the effects of neem extracts on nontarget arthropods. Propoxur (Unden 200 EC) was used for baseline comparison. In the laboratory bioassays, the neem was applied at the concentrations of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%...
ABSTRACT Mangroves and other blue carbon systems are under high pressure due to population pressure and coastal development. The continuous degradation of mangroves leads to the loss of the carbon stocks stored in the mangrove ecosystem. In this study, GIS based analysis using Landsat images and allometric equations were used to estimate the above-ground carbon stock of mangroves in the Lower Volta area in Ghana. The Landsat images were classified to obtain the mangrove area. An ASTER GDEM co...
ABSTRACT The influence of human behaviour and culture on open defaecation has attracted global concern in recent times. As a way of placing the behavioural and cultural factors influencing open defaecation behaviour in Ghana on the public agenda, a school-basedcross-sectional study was conducted in eight first cycle schools selected from eight communities within the Eastern and Volta regions of the country. The objective of the study was to explore the behavioural and cultural factors inf...
ABSTRACT Human beings are always exposed to background radiation that comes both from natural and man-made sources. Natural radioactivity is widespread in the earth environment and it exists in various geological formations such as earth’s crust, rocks, soils, plants, water and air. Mining has been identified as one of the potential sources of exposure to naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). However, mining activities are not being monitored and regulated for NORM in Ghana. Mos...
ABSTRACT Although recent statistics reveal a decline in poverty in Ghana, many people still live below the poverty line. Rural small-holder food crop farmers are the most vulnerable groups affected by poverty. This is due to their limited access to micro-credits. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is a Non Governmental Organization in Ghana and has been working with small-holder farmers in the Yilo Krobo District with the aim of improving rural income and improving the well-be...
ABSTRACT Renovation, a term most commonly associated with buildings is known to be the act or process of improving the existing condition of a broken, damaged or outdated structure. It is the process of restoring to a good condition or making new again a building structure currently in a bad state. The concept of renovation as it relates to buildings will always remain relevant as long as every newly purchased item have a tendency of wearing out over a long period of usage. Reasons for renova...
ABSTRACT A major constraint to increased and sustainable production of tomatoes is its infestation by insect pests particularly the tomato fruit worm Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The control of this insect relies heavily on the use of synthetic insecticides which have negative environmental effects. Some insects have developed resistance to certain insecticides. Efforts are therefore being made to look for alternative control strategies that are environmentally-safe...
ABSTRACT Pesticide use pattern on exportable pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merr.) (Smooth Cayenne) was studied in the Akwapim South District of Ghana through administration of questionnaires. Among the several pesticides listed as being used, only nine, representing 43%, had been provisionally approved for use on exportable pineapples. Farmers handled pesticides carelessly without necessary caution though they had general awareness of hazards of pesticides. Residue levels of chlorpyrifos...