Abstract: Coal mining in South Africa is renowned for large scale removal of topsoil and subsoil through opencast mining. Such processes lead to an enormous amount of land degradation and thus, limit the land capability after mine closure. The removal and stockpiling of topsoil leads to adverse effects not only on the fertility of the soil but also the physical properties of the soil which greatly limit the ability of the soil to sustain plant development. Resultant mined soils have a varied...
Abstract: Surface water concentrations of inorganic nutrients and suspended particulate matter (SPM) components were examined and compared between Mtwapa and Shirazi creeks in Kenya. This was aimed at assesing the ecological situation of the two creeks and determine the influence of sewage discharge. The results obtained were further compared with those from Ramisi, an estuarine system. Mtwapa recorded higher nutrient, chlorophyll a and phytoplankton carbon concentrations than Shirazi. The t...
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: Production of biogas through anaerobic digestion of organic waste materials provides an alternative environmentally eco-friendly renewable energy. In this study, biogas production from co-digestion of the Justicia schimperiana and cow dung in five mix ratios,A100%JS, B 75%JS: 25%CD, C 50%JS:50%CD, D25%JS:75%CD, E100%CD was evaluated under mesophilic conditions (38ºC) using a batch digester in microbiology laboratory of Haramaya University. In all treatments, Total solid, Volatile ...
Abstract: Food safety issues are of growing concern to consumers globally because of the risks associated with consumption of foods contaminated with heavy metals and pathogenic microbes. In Harar town, kebele 05 vegetable farm is known to produce vegetables irrigated with wastewater. To what extent these vegetables are contaminated with heavy metals and pathogens was not known. Thus, a laboratory based cross sectional study was conducted from October 2016 to January 2017 to assess the exten...
Abstract: Energy is one of the most important factors for human development and to global prosperity.Biogas is a versatile renewable energy source, which can be used for replacement of fossil fuels in power and heat production. Therefore, this research was initiated to utilize biomasses such as Vernonia auriculifera leaves (VA) and cow dung (CD) for biogas production. In this study, biogas production from co-digestion of the VA and CD in five mix ratios (100% VA, 70% VA: 30% CD, 50% VA: 50% ...
Abstract: The level of water pollution and ecological disturbance of Ejersa river was assessed using physico-chemical parameters and benthic macro-invertebrates. Ejersa river which is part of the Omo-Gibe basin is used for various activities such as irrigation, washing and cattle watering. But it is exposed to wastewater discharge from municipal sewage, nearby prison institution and abattoir. Three sites selected randomly at upstream as site one, at the back of prison institution in middle o...
Abstract: The use of benthic macroinvertabrates together with physico- chemical parameters are considered as the reliable method for water quality assessment. The main objective of this study was to determine the water qualities of Meta River using biological and physico chemical parameters. One reference site which is less affected by the beer factory effluent discharge and two affected sites in the down stream were used to collect the water samples. A total of three water samples were coll...
Abstract: Tremendous waste generated rapidly and creates lots of problems in developing country like Ethiopia. If these solid wastes not managed properly, these would certainly have a negative impact on sustainable living style, local environment, and human health. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess physico-chemical characterization of municipal solid wastes and assessment of its management practices. To achieve the objective, a cross-sectional descriptive survey design was...
Abstract: Forests play vital role in combating climate change through carbon sequestration in the atmosphere and serving as a carbon sink in the form of carbon pool systems of forest ecosystems. This study was aimed to estimate carbon stock variation along the environmental gradients and its contribution to climate change mitigation in Gara-Muktar forest, Western Hararghe zone, Eastern Ethiopia. A systematic sampling method of thirty- six quadrant plots having a size of 20m x 20m each distri...
Abstract: Forests play significant role in climate change mitigation through capturing atmospheric carbon. Ethiopia, despite being one of the biodiverse countries at the global, it has limited forest resources distributed in certain parts of its territory. The moist evergreen Afromontane forests of Western Ethiopia are among the Ethiopian forests that contribute significantly to the climate change mitigation. Jorgo Wato Forest is one of the moist Afromontane forests in Western Ethiopia that ...