ABSTRACT Hospitals effluent often contain chemical compounds which may have negative impact on the environment and human health if not properly treated. Investigations were conducted to determine the bacteriological and physico-chemical qualities of effluent discharged from University of Ghana hospital into the environment and its effects on agricultural soils and vegetables. Water and soil quality analyses of some physico-chemical and bacteriological variables were carried out on effluent s...
ABSTRACT An investigation was carried out to determine the nutritional composition of some selected dominant aquatic plants and their significant effect on chemical and physical characteristics of the water. Four aquatic plants namely Nymphaea lotus, Ipomoea aquatica, Typha ausralis. and Scirpus cubensis were sampled, identified and authenticated at the Ghana Herbarium. The proximate nutritional compositions of the plants were determined using standard procedure outlined in Association of Of...
ABSTRACT Shoreline change analysis provides important information upon which most coastal zone management and intervention policies rely. Such information is however mostly scarce for very large and inaccessible shorelines mostly due to expensive field work. This study investigated the reliability of medium resolution satellite imagery for mapping shoreline positions and for estimating historic rate of change. Both manual and semi-automatic shoreline extraction methods for multi-spectral sat...
This research examines four environmental factors influencing women farmers’ adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) in Nakuru County, Kenya. About 30% of environmental problems in the world, and particularly in the study area emanate from poor agricultural practices. CA is currently being promoted as a better practice than the conventional farming methods because CA has been found to result in optimum agricultural production. In addition to resulting in better agricultural yields, CA pro...
ABSTRACT In South Sudan like in many other developing countries, one to two thirds of the solid waste generated is not collected. There is a great problem in the household’ management of solid wastes in the rapid growing town of Bor in South Sudan. This study sought to generate information on solid waste handling practices, which could provide appropriate data that can be used to come up with strategies for managing solid waste. The research focussed on 384 respondents in Bor Town in order...
ABSTRACT Climate variability is an emerging global environmental issue of concern, posing a threat especially for pastoral livelihoods of communities in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), necessitating an understanding of the emerging climate variability effects on local ecosystems. This study sought to understand the effects of climate variability on pastoralism, focusing on Turkana Central Sub-County in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were: to analyse rainfall and temperature va...
ABSTRACT Given the subsequent degradation and potential encroachment of mangrove ecosystems, the slow recovery nature of these systems and huge restoration failure efforts (100% mortality after planting in some cases) of mangrove ecosystems, quantification of the role of early colonizing vegetation to mangrove systems recovery is necessary. While sea blight (Suaeda monoica) is common in the degraded sites of Mwache Creek mangrove forest in Kenya and within its growing patches a marked regene...
ABSTRACT The rapidly increasing human population and consequently the human activities carried out especially around wildlife areas such as Mount Elgon trans-boundary ecosystem have increased the pressures on wildlife found in the ecosystem. These pressures occur in the form of habitat loss, poaching and trafficking. Poaching whether commercial or subsistence is a major threat to the viability of wildlife. Not only does it lead to decimation and extinction of some vulnerable species but also...
ABSTRACT Allergic conjunctivitis is a common problem affecting about 20% of the world’s population. In Kenya, it constitutes one fifth of all the total diagnoses made in eye clinics with school teachers in Nakuru North Sub-County in Nakuru County having a prevalence of 51.2%. Untreated allergic conjunctivitis can cause injury to the conjunctiva and the eye lids while some of the drugs used to treat can cause life threatening diseases. Irritants such as the volatile organic compounds which ...
ABSTRACT Adoption of a technology varies from place to place. According to the Rogers Diffusion Theory, most technologies are adopted by farmers if they are perceived to have returns. It is from this view point that this research assessed the role of socioeconomic and environmental factors in the diffusion of the zero grazing (ZG) technology in Samia Sub-County, Kenya. A survey, using a questionnaire and observations was conducted in Lower and Upper Samia. The study employed strata sampling,...
ABSTRACT An assessment of the efficiency of heavy metals removal by a constructed wetland system at Egerton University, Kenya, was conducted between August 2013 and January 2014. The aim of the study was to evaluate the physico-chemical characteristics of wastewater and investigate heavy metals retention in the wetland. Water samples were collected monthly in plastic bottles at the inlet, along the wetland, and at the outlet; sediment samples were collected from the gravel bed and the three ...
ABSTRACT With an ever-increasing global need for sustainable animal protein, agriculturists are turning to aquaculture for an alternative source of protein and revenue. Aquaculture is widely considered as an important component for enhancing food security, income and nutrition. Tilapias are considered as the best species for culture globally and in Kenya, Oreochromis niloticus has shown significant success. However, little is known about the aquaculture potential of Oreochromis jipe. This st...
ABSTRACT Water pans are excavated earth with embankments used as boundaries that are used to harvest surface runoff. Water pans are the main sources of water for domestic purposes in arid and semi-arid lands, however, lack of protection and water treatment of this water sources exposes the dependent communities to human health problems. This study sought to assess the microbiological water quality of water pans in relation to prevalent water-related diseases in the study area. This was achie...
ABSTRACT Accessibility to potable water is a fundamental right for dignity and well-being. In spite of this observation, over 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. This is particularly true in the Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia regions. The main aim of this study was to Assess Water and Sanitation Accessibility and Prevalence of water-related diseases in Marigat town Baringo County, Kenya. The study employed a Cross-sectional household survey. Stratified random sampl...
ABSTRACT In West Africa, artisanal gold mining competes with agriculture, more specifically crop farming and livestock keeping. Mali is not an exceptional to this observation. In Sikasso region, women and youths have been reported to abandon agricultural activities for artisanal gold mining. It is against this background that this study was conducted to assess the factors that influenced households to be engaged in artisanal gold mining, to evaluate its impacts on water quality, subsistence ...