ABSTRACT Land use/cover alteration within lake basins is occurring at accelerated rate most importantly in developing countries like Ghana. Anthropogenic activities (livelihood change, population growth, agricultural intensification and practices) and natural factors like seasonal variations are in most situations the major cause. To examine the effects of land use/cover on the physico-chemical and biological properties of Lake Bosomtwi, satellite images of the Lake’s watershed covering the...
ABSTRACT Although wastewater treatment plants efficiently reduce the loads of pathogens in wastewater, the conventional treatment processes do not show significant removal of antibiotics, antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistant genes, resulting in the introduction of these contaminants into the environment. This has human health implications for wastewater reuse and the use of effluent receiving water bodies as irrigation sources. Humans may be exposed to resistant bacteria a...
ABSTRACT Potassium (K) plays an outstanding role in plants and animals. Cassava, a widely grown staple in Ghana is noted for extracting large amounts of K from the soil. Cassava’s ability to absorb K from the soil is worth studying as it is vital for sustainable production and biofortification. The study was conducted to assess cassava’s ability to absorb K under fertilized and unfertilized systems. Two cassava genotypes, Cape Vars and Botan were grown under different fertilizer treatment...
ABSTRACT Maize is consumed by over 95% of the Ghanaian populace and the practice of using atrazine, lindane and other organochlorine pesticides in its production has raised concerns about potential adverse effects on human health and the environment. A field survey was conducted in this study to assess farmers‟ knowledge of safe handling and use of these chemicals as well as toxicity awareness and symptoms among farmers and traders. Residues of the pesticides in maize samples as well as th...
ABSTRACT Ethnobotanical and ecological studies were carried out to take inventory of the species used by the inhabitants surrounding the Subri River Forest Reserve for reproductive health care and to assess the ecological status ofwoody plant species ofthis reserve. The study was carried out between November 2005 and December 2006. Medical ethnobotanical knowledge was gathered from 80 inhabitants in 25 , , communities using questionnaires. Reproductive health conditions were categorized into...
ABSTRACT Organic nutrient sources such as compost could be used to improve the low fertility of tropical soils as it has the potential to enhance soil physical, chemical and biological properties and improve growth, yield and quality of crops. Pot and field experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of compost on growth, yield and nutritional quality of okra, Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench. The pot experiment was done using the Completely Randomized design while field trial was ...
ABSTRACT The study assessed the impact of an operating Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) of Adamus Resources Limited (Nzema Gold Mine) in the Ellembele District, Western Ghana, on catchment surface and groundwater quality. Water samples were collected between June and December 2014 from seventeen (17) sampling sites including the TSF decant water (TSF-DW), three (3) streams, a water storage dam, a pond and eleven (11) groundwater monitoring boreholes within 500m radius of the mine’s Tailings ...
ABSTRACT Agricultural waste can be processed under pyrolysis to generate energy for cooking, resulting in a byproduct called biochar. Biochar has the potential to be used as a soil amendment but this facility has not been explored by researchers. Unpelletized corn cob and oil palm press were subjected to water boiling test, burning duration test, biomass consumption rate, biochar yield, pH of residual water and flame characteristics using Lucia stove. The results generally indicated that corn...
ABSTRACT The construction of the Akosombo and Kpong dams have led to a change in the watershed ecology which has in turn contributed to the change in land use and land cover of the Lower Volta Basin (LVB). Inevitable changing global climate has also played a role in the alteration of land cover and crop production which have affected livelihoods. In this study, a post-classification comparison change detection algorithm was used to determine changes in land use and land cover that have taken ...
ABSTRACT Changes in river flows for hydro-electric power generation, agricultural purposes and water conservation, and other land use changes have had major ecological, social and economic consequences, which include but are not limited to disasters. The poor who mainly live in rural areas directly depend on most of these ecosystems and the services they provide for their livelihood, and so are more vulnerable to changes in ecosystems. This study was carried out to identify communities in the...
ABSTRACT The impact of climate change is now posing a greater threat on the hydrological cycle leading to drought and water stress in small basins. Matters of climate change have now become a primary concern to most nations due to the implication on society and humanity. The study used 17 ensemble climate model from the Coupled Model Intercompersion Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to estimate the future climatic condition for the 2050s (2035 to 2065) under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) ...
ABSTRACT Lagoons are highly productive coastal systems that provide natural services to the ecosystem, however, their pollutions cause adverse changes to the natural environment. Korle and Kpeshie Lagoons in Ghana, both receive wastes from industries and municipal sewage. Controlling and monitoring of contaminants in these systems is very important to environmental protection. The study examined the presence of heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and zinc) in sediments, cra...
ABSTRACT Improving the microbial quality and safety of cooked food in the school canteen is an effective means of reducing the burden of diarrhoeal diseases among school children. Studies across Africa have highlighted that foods sold on streets pose a great health hazard and contribute significantly to morbidity and even mortality among children. The main objective of this study was to determine the microbiological quality and safety of cooked food sold in canteens in some selected schools t...
ABSTRACT Herbal medicines continue to be used in every country around the world in healthcare delivery, however, due to poverty and high doctor to patient ratio; about 75% of the population of the developing world solely rely on herbal medicine for their primary health care. It is thus imperative to develop measures to maximize the medicinal potentials of indigenous plants to reduce the number of lives lost through diseases. However, most herbal products sold in public places lack scientific ...
ABSTRACT The Wetland environment is a unique with unique biota, including insects. Insects serve as indicators of environmental health. However, the recent spate of human encroachment on wetlands would affect this unique biota structure. This phenomenon could pose a threat to the wetland environment. The physical and chemical quality of these habitats would provide background information for comparison against established quality standard of the wetland environment. Information gathered could...