Abstract: This study was conducted to assessing of selected heavy metals (Cr., Cd, Zn, Hg and Pb) accumulation in the edible portions of cabbage, tomato and onion cultivated around Wonji in eastern part of Ethiopia. The concentrations of the same heavy metals were determined in water samples collected directly from industry discharge and also three irrigation sites Varied between sampling points. Vegetable Samples were first optimized through wet digestion procedure and contents of heavy met...
Abstract: Understanding the importance of home gardens in the production of food, generating income, traditional medicine and other useful products for human beings is indispensable. In Ethiopia, research and documentation on home gardens are very few. The present study was intended to investigating the role of home gardens for improved livelihoods, plant species composition and their diversity. This study was conducted in Midakegn Woreda, West Showa zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia from Septem...
Abstract: Nowadays declined natural resources alongside rapid population growth necessitate optimum use of scarce land resources based on their potentials. In this regard, land suitability evaluation which identifies the fitness of land for a defined use has no substitute. It is with this understanding that a study was proposed to evaluate the suitability of land at Edo Gojola watershed for major rainfed cereal crops wheat, maize, teff and sorghum. This study was aimed to identify suitabilit...
Abstract: The use of benthic macro invertebrates together with physico- chemical parameters was considered as the reliable method for water quality assessment. This study was conducted to assess the level of pollution in the Rukkisa River water using biological and physico chemical parameters. Three sampling sites were selected, one site was not affected by the coffee processing plant effluent used as reference site and two affected sites in the outlet and downstream were used to collect the...
Abstract: Recently, the use of organic liquid fertilizer assumed as a proper and practical fertilizer for plant productivity purposes. This study aimed to produce ecologically friendly organic liquid fertilizer from cow manure and onion peels that can be used for hydroponic growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). The fermentation process was carried out in open container covered with cotton cloth (to prevent entries of insects). After 43 days of fermentation the mixture was converted in to or...
Abstract: This paper introduces the various upstream land use activities that are major contributors of downstream water pollution. The proposed measures to reduce the pollution of downstream water bodies such as sustainable agricultural activities, systematic land allocation and management are discussed in the paper. It presents the analysis of upstream land use against the water quality parameters measured at different water management facilities to identify the most significant land use f...
Abstract: In this study, activated biochar from municipal sewage sludge was used for the treatment of sewage water. The sewage physicochemical parameters were measured before and after bio filtration with biochar applying the principle of adsorption using the standard methods. Biochar with 500 m2/g surface area at a loading of 2.5 g/L was employed. A reduction of more than 75% was observed for the total nitrogen, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total solids, electrical cond...
Abstract: This paper is a case study review of the timber waste problem and solutions that have been proffered in the Manicaland region of Zimbabwe. The study was conducted through primary data collected during site visits and a review of literature reports on the area. It revealed the absence of up to date quantitative and spatial data on timber waste, with literature reporting at least 70,000 tonnes per annum of sawmill waste. Most of the offcuts and chips are utilized at commercial sawmil...
Abstract: The recovery of precious metals like gold is increasing each day due to its high market prices along with diverse applications. Bio-sorption represents a biotechnological innovation as well as a cost effective and excellent tool for recovery of precious metals from aqueous solutions. This study offers an overview of a recent scenario of bio-sorption studies carried out on the use of some promising bio-sorbents which could serve as an economical means for recovering gold for small s...
Abstract: Plastics have remained the material of choice, and after serving their intended purpose, a large proportion ends up in the environment where they persist for centuries. The packaging industry is the largest and growing consumer of synthetic plastics derived from fossil fuels. Food packaging plastics account for the bulk of plastic waste that are polluting the environment. Additionally, given the fact that petroleum reserves are finite and facing depletion, there is a need for the d...
Abstract: Ammunition used for military training and exercises has been found to contain high content of lead (Pb). The Pb present in the ammunition projectiles undergoes an array of transformation and weathering reactions when it reaches the shooting range soils. Seven military shooting ranges in the eastern and northern Botswana were used for this study. Soil samples were collected at each of the seven shooting ranges at the berm (stop butt), target line, 50 and 100 m from the berm. Pb conc...
Abstract: Issues on environmental soil quality continue to attract much global attention. Domestic wastewater is a potential source of contaminants capable of degrading the soil environment. This study reports the accumulative effects of 21 years (1995 – 2016) of treated wastewater discharge on heavy metal concentration levels in the proximal environment of Palapye wastewater treatment Plant (PWTP), Central Botswana. Soil samples were collected from eight geo-referenced pedons: four situat...
Abstract: Vegetation plays a vital and important role in regulating climate, water balance and energy. This research examines vegetation variability and degradation in semi-arid Palapye, eastern Botswana. These were assessed over an 18 year period (1998 to 2016) using Remote Sensing based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series data. NDVI has been widely used as an indicator of vegetation growth because it measures the amount of plant greenness from the spectral responses m...
Abstract: In Botswana crop production has been the most vulnerable component of the agricultural sector due to its heavy reliance on rainfed agriculture. At the same time, the availability of rainfall is uncertain due to natural climatic variability which is worsened by climate change. Already the local farmers have knowledge of the climatic conditions around them, and from time to time, they have been adjusting their farming practices in line with the prevailing climatic conditions. Climate...
Abstract: Delonix regia, an ornamental tree that can tolerate an elevated level of heavy metals, was evaluated for phytoremediation potential in mine tailings with fly ash, compost, and mycorrhiza. A two-factorial experiment was conducted under screen house conditions using mine tailings from Bamangwato Concessions Limited (BCL) Cu-Ni mine. The treatments are mine tailing (MT) without mycorrhiza (MT – AM), MT with mycorrhiza (MT + AM), MT with 10% fly ash (FA) without mycorrhiza (MT + FA �...