Wetlands are continuously degraded via agricultural activities, pollution and settlement. In Lari sub-county for example, increase in population pressure, decline in soil fertility, unreliable rainfall plus quest for food security is forcing the farmers to encroach on the seemed idle Upland wetland. Opportunity for conservation of this wetland lies on the participatory approaches that can be embraced at local level helping in conservation of this vital natural resource. Ruiru river main ...
ABSTRACT Stakeholder participation has been shown to be an effective approach in increasing access to safe water and sanitation in many parts of the world. This study investigated stakeholder participation in management of water resources in Machakos Sub-County of Machakos County, Kenya. Specifically, it sought to assess the level of community participation in water resources management, collaboration between stakeholders, stakeholder contribution in increasing access to reliable water resou...
ABSTRACT There is a growing demand for indigenous medicinal plants and an increasing interest in their use among Kenyans who depend on them for one use or another. The study was conducted with the main objective to determine the utilization and conservation of indigenous medicinal plants in Koipirir, Ilchurai and Ikumae in Baringo County. The specific objectives were to assess the composition and abundance of the common Indigenous Medicinal Plants in the study areas, to find out the diversity...
ABSTRACT Forests cover approximately 30% of the earth‘s land surface area and provide critical ecosystem goods and services to mankind. However, forest cover in Kenya is among the lowest in the world, currently at around 7.6%. The Mau Forest Complex is the largest water tower in Kenya, but is threatened because of land use change and rapid human population growth in the adjoining areas. The overall objective of this study was to assess community attitudes and perception towards conservatio...
An experiment was undertaken in NM-AIST farms in Arusha Tanzania from January to July 2017 to assess the potential of pesticidal plants on supporting the beneficial insects, controlling pests’ and influencing bean growth and yield. Six treatments were evaluated. This included: bean plots imposed close to the following field margin pesticidal plants: 1) Tephrosia vogelii, 2) Lantana camara, 3) Tithonia diversifolia and 4) Lantana trifolia 5) positive control treatments sprayed with synt...
Flash flood is a natural disaster that occurs due to the sudden onset of rainfall that causes runoff waters from high altitude areas to low altitude area. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects and management of flash floods in Marigat Sub-County. The study used a descriptive research design. The target population of the study area was 24,893 households. Purposive sampling and stratified random sampling methods were used to select three locations affected by flash floods...
Polythene bags have been preferred for packaging purposes because they are light in weight, cheap and resistant to degradation. Despite the benefits, poor disposal of polythene causes degradation of soil, water, land and air resources leading to health problems. Burning polythene releases Greenhouse gases mainly Carbon dioxide, associated with Climate change. Furthermore, polythene kills wild game, livestock and aquatic organisms. The adverse effects of polythene bags in the country led ...
Many studies on Artisanal Gold Mining have estimated that it employs an estimated 13 Million people worldwide, with another 80 to 100 million people directly or indirectly benefiting. In sub Saharan Africa it is viewed as an economic mainstay activity providing direct employment to over two million people. Artisanal gold mining uses rudimentary processes to extract valuable minerals from primary and secondary ore bodies, and is characterized by the lack of long-term mine planning. In Ken...
The efficiency of the sewage works depends on the quality and quantity of the influent and the design of the sewage works. Inefficiency of the sewage work has adverse health impact to the aquatic ecosystem. Pollutants can bio-accumulate and bio-magnify in the food chain causing health impact to both human being and wildlife. The main objective ofthis study was to assess the effectiveness of wastewater management system of Njoro industrial sewage works. This study used descriptive resear...
ABSTRACT This study which aimed at assessing the resilience of dryland grapevine farmers to climate change was conducted in Chamwino District and Dodoma Municipality. The specific objectives were to identify the factors influencing grapevine production in the context of climate change, to assess the level of awareness of grapevine farmers on climate change, to assess the grapevine farmers‟ adaptation strategies and their adaptive capacity to climate change, and to develop the grapevine far...
ABSTRACT There is growing concern on environmental degradation and human population displacement. This study adopted multiple models that consider the variables linking human population displacement and local environmental degradation. The main concern of this study is tied on refugee ecological impacts as consequence of spatial and temporal changes in land use and land cover. The study adopted a combination of descriptive research design and integration of RS and GIS techniques in underscor...
ABSTRACT Currently, there are over 10,000 telecommunication base stations (BSs) in Ghana. Experts insist the number of BSs is practically inadequate to ensure quality service nationwide. However, in Accra and other urban centers the installation of BSs to expand coverage has met opposition from the public. Accra has a population density of over 15,000 persons per km2 with an annual growth rate of 4.4%; hence, the number of people estimated to live closer to BSs is higher in Accra than in any ...
ABSTRACT The study investigated the impacts of the Pantang and Mallam landfill sites in the Greater Accra Region on the surrounding environment. The Pantang landfill site is an active site that still receives waste of all kinds from various parts of Accra. The Mallam landfill, on the other hand, was decommissioned over a decade ago. Samples of leachate from the two landfill sites and air in the vicinity of the respective sites were taken over a period of three months and analysed. Soil sample...
ABSTRACT The construction of dams on the Volta River and the consequent regulation of the river‘s flow pattern led to the development of a permanent sandbar at the Volta estuary that resulted in many problems for the estuary, with the major one being the disruption of salt water in-flow. Poor salinity conditions of the estuary resulted in, among other things, the development of freshwater plants which served as breeding grounds for some planorbid snails which harboured the parasites that ca...
ABSTRACT The Kpong Headpond was formed in 1982 when the Lower Volta River was dammed at Akuse. The main uses of the water in the Headpond are for hydroelectric power generation, domestic and industrial use and for irrigation. Several activities however, tend to put this body of water at risk of pollution. These include poor waste disposal, poor farming practices and extensive human and animal contact with the water. An eightmonth field study was undertaken to monitor the water quality of the ...