Abstract Natural resources are essential for human well-being, providing clean air, food, shelter, and more. However, over-exploitation harms ecosystems and exacerbates inequality. To address this, we must strike a balance between resource use, social benefits, and environmental impacts. The United Nations recognizes the right of nations to sovereignty over their natural wealth, but this must be exercised in the interest of national development and people’s well-being. Achieving sustainabl...
Water safety and quality are fundamental to the well-being of humans, and hence providing access to safe water is one of the most effective ways of promoting good health. Contaminated water requires appropriate treatment to remove disease-causing agents. The study examined the effects of floods on water supply from the Jambusie Water Treatment Plant in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region of Ghana. The study adopted a cross-sectional design. The mixed-method approach (quantitative an...
The Community Resources Management Areas (CREMA) mechanism which is Ghana’s version of the Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) concept was introduced in the country by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Division to ensure sustainable conservation and natural resources management. Since then, over 40 CREMAs has been established in Ghana. Three of these CREMAs were established in the Black Volta Basin, north of the Bui National Park to ensure sustainable conservation of th...
Ghana like many other developing countries is faced with the challenge of waste management due to rapidly urbanizing cities and inefficient waste management systems. Many researchers have focused their work on the effect of land use and spatial planning on solid waste management and hardly on the perceptions and behavioural dimensions. This research was done to identify and assess the perceptions and attitudes that influence waste management in the Wa Municipality. The research used a mixed m...
The Ghana Water Company (GWCL), until 2017 had relied on mechanized boreholes with daily production of 1,400m3 against a demand of 6,432m3 for people in the Wa township resulting in huge water supply deficit. The Wa township currently relies on a 15,500m3 capacity Jambuse Water Treatment Plant for water supply. This study sought to assess the effects of water service quality of GWCL on customer satisfaction in the Wa township with the introduction of this new plant. The specifics included the...
The application of appropriate EIA procedure on the various environmental categories is imperative for realizing quality and sustainable environment at all levels. This could be achieved through effective collaboration among the key actors or stakeholders and clear delineation of roles and responsibilities assigned to the respective players who are mandated to ensuring the realization of this course. This research assessed the application of EIA procedure on siting filling stations in the Wa ...
Abstract/Overview Carbon nanomaterials have recently attracted wide scientific applications due to their tunable properties. These novel materials act as best fillers that can provide substantial benefits due to their high strength, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivities. With their huge applications as bulk materials, when implemented in polymer matrix as fillers, they give rise to new promising materials with which their properties can be tuned to suit a particular applicat...
Abstract/Overview A magnetically active nanocomposite material has been synthesized from the reaction mixture of magnetite core iron nano-particles electrostatically coated with SiO2, hydrotalcite nanosheets ([Eu8 (OH) 20 (H2O)n] 4+), and decatungstophosphate anion ([α-PW10O367−]). The resulting nanocomposite material, denoted as Fe34@SiO2@LEuH@PW10, is demonstrated to effectively adsorb chromate anions from aqueous solutions, the adsorption isotherms fit the Langmuir model with a capa...
Abstract/Overview Unilameller nanosheets with a lateral dimension of one nanometer have been isolated from a colloidal solution of europium-containing layered rare-earth hydroxide (LRH) material by the flocculation method. The nanosheets were achieved by changing pH of the colloidal solution from 6.7 to 11.5. The resultant flocculated nanosheets show high efficiency in sorption of fluoride anions from aqueous media (40 mmol/g), providing a potentially useful sorbent material for water p...
Abstract/Overview Aflatoxin B1 is a toxin produced as secondary fungal metabolites by the fungus Aspergillus, particularly A. flavus. The toxin has significantly contaminated the food supply chain especially cereals in Kenya. Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has recently banned five maize flour brands, citing high aflatoxin levels. They also suspended seven peanut butter products and the permits of their parent companies over aflatoxin contamination. The huge losses encountered by these c...
Abstract/Overview It has been suggested that Plasmodia manipulate their vertebrate hosts to enhance parasite transmission. Using a dual-choice olfactometer, we investigated the attraction of Anopheles gambiae to 50 Kenyan children (aged 5–12 years) who were naturally infected with Plasmodium falciparum or non-infected controls. Microscopic gametocyte carriers attracted almost 2 times more mosquitoes than children who were parasite free, harboured asexual stages, or had gametocytes at su...
Abstract/Overview The plant species Lonchocarpus eriocalyx Harms (Fabaceae) is a deciduous slender tree or shrub which grows up to 15 m tall. It is an important medicinal plant in Kenya used to treat a wide range of ailments including eye infection, wound and ulcer. However, little is known about its chemical constituents. The present study aims to isolate secondary metabolites from the plant leaves along with their various biological activities. Eight compounds, namely friedelin (1), lup...
Abstract/Overview Socio-economic and medical information on Bondo sub-county community was studied to help establish the relationship between the water quality challenges, community health and water rights conditions. Health challenges have been linked to water quality and household income. A total of 1,510 households/respondents were studied by means of a questionnaire. About 69% of the households have no access to treated water. Although 92% of the respondents appear to be aware that tr...
Abstract/Overview Sap flux density (SFD) measurements were used, in combination with morphological characteristics of trees and forest structure, to calculate whole-tree transpiration, stand transpiration (St) and mean canopy stomatal conductance (Gs). Analysis based on the relationships between the morphological characteristics of trees and whole tree water use, and on the responses of SFD and Gs to short wave radiation (RR), vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and soil water content (SWC) duri...
Abstract/Overview Forests are some of the key natural assets that provide a wide range of goods and services to forest adjacent communities. However, there is inadequate information on the factors that influence community members’ level of dependence on forest resources. This study examined and analyzed factors that influence dependence of households on non-timber forest products from South Nandi forest, Kenya. 431 household heads from 9 villages were interviewed using proportional rand...