Gildas David Farid Adamon, M. A. Konnon, Merscial Raymond, Rodolphe Ndeji, A. Agonman, Adonai Gbaguidi, Togon Clotilde Guidi, L. Fagbemi
The different controls of water hyacinth, an invasive species of tropical and subtropical environ-ments, have demonstrated some limitations requiring additional monitoring tasks to maintain the ecological balance. Therefore, quantifying and valuing this aquatic biomass becomes a sustainable management alternative. However, the water hyacinth estimation remains a challenging task in developing countries with regard to the used methods: empirical relationships between yield and production indices calculated experimentally, structural parameters measured or calculated through specific experiments (not dynamic), etc. These methods lose precision depending on the type of plant, cultural methods and practices and the seasons. Then, it becomes urgent to develop a dynamic estimation method with a proven track record of reliability despite the inconsistency of the factors mentioned above. This article contributes to the improvement of aquatic biomass estimation by proposing a Computer Vision based solution for estimating fresh mass of water hyacinth. To achieve this goal, the morphology of the species is assessed and an XML classifier is developed. This model is then implemented in a mobile app facilitating its end use. The proposed algorithm demonstrated a mean average precision of 96.89%. Considering the recorded level of accurateness, the developed method can be used to estimate different types of biomass.
{"title":"Estimation of Water Hyacinth Using Computer Vision","authors":"Gildas David Farid Adamon, M. A. Konnon, Merscial Raymond, Rodolphe Ndeji, A. Agonman, Adonai Gbaguidi, Togon Clotilde Guidi, L. Fagbemi","doi":"10.5539/ep.v12n1p1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5539/ep.v12n1p1","url":null,"abstract":"The different controls of water hyacinth, an invasive species of tropical and subtropical environ-ments, have demonstrated some limitations requiring additional monitoring tasks to maintain the ecological balance. Therefore, quantifying and valuing this aquatic biomass becomes a sustainable management alternative. However, the water hyacinth estimation remains a challenging task in developing countries with regard to the used methods: empirical relationships between yield and production indices calculated experimentally, structural parameters measured or calculated through specific experiments (not dynamic), etc. These methods lose precision depending on the type of plant, cultural methods and practices and the seasons. Then, it becomes urgent to develop a dynamic estimation method with a proven track record of reliability despite the inconsistency of the factors mentioned above. This article contributes to the improvement of aquatic biomass estimation by proposing a Computer Vision based solution for estimating fresh mass of water hyacinth. To achieve this goal, the morphology of the species is assessed and an XML classifier is developed. This model is then implemented in a mobile app facilitating its end use. The proposed algorithm demonstrated a mean average precision of 96.89%. Considering the recorded level of accurateness, the developed method can be used to estimate different types of biomass.","PeriodicalId":11724,"journal":{"name":"Environment and Pollution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85287198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. Badawy, R. El-Motaium, M. Hossain, H. Abdel-Lattif, H. Ghorab, M. El-Sayed
Nickel (Ni) concentration in soils is highly depended on the parent materials and the types of pollutant sources that plays a beneficial role in plant growth however; at high concentration it may cause toxicity for plants and creating hazards to animals and human. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the levels of Ni in soils, straw and grain of rice and wheat plants grown in the soils contaminated with Ni and evaluate its effect on human health. In the surface soil layers the total (31.4 ±8.02 mg kg-1) and available Ni concentration (3.10 ±0.91 mg kg-1) are slightly higher by 1.25 ±0.14 and 1.24 ±0.25 fold respectively, than the subsurface layers. Available Ni increased linearly with increasing Ni in soil (r = 0.91). A significant positive correlation was found between available Ni and soil OM content (r = 0.89), while a significant negative correlation was observed for soil CaCO3 percent (r = - 0.72) and soil pH (r = - 0.90). Rice Ni content of the straw (2.1 ±0.32 mg kg-1) and grains (0.44 ±0.07 mg kg-1) were significantly correlated with soil total Ni (r = 0.89 and 0.86) and available Ni (r = 0.84 and 0.74), respectively. Wheat Ni content of straw (1.68 ±0.28 mg kg-1) and grains (0.28 ±0.04 mg kg-1) were significantly correlated with soil total Ni (r = 0.87 and 0.81) and available Ni (r = 0.84 and 0.85), respectively. By increasing straw Ni content grains increased (r = 0.89 for rice and r = 0.95 for wheat). Grains of rice and wheat exhibited lower Ni concentration than that of the straw (20.9% ± 1.64 and 16.7% ± 1.04, respectively). According to FAO/WHO rice and wheat grains contain normal Ni concentration and no evidence of possible potential human health risk with grains consumption.
{"title":"Health Risk Assessment and Nickel Content in Soils, Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) and Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) Grown in Damietta Governorate, Egypt","authors":"S. Badawy, R. El-Motaium, M. Hossain, H. Abdel-Lattif, H. Ghorab, M. El-Sayed","doi":"10.5539/ep.v11n2p1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5539/ep.v11n2p1","url":null,"abstract":"Nickel (Ni) concentration in soils is highly depended on the parent materials and the types of pollutant sources that plays a beneficial role in plant growth however; at high concentration it may cause toxicity for plants and creating hazards to animals and human. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the levels of Ni in soils, straw and grain of rice and wheat plants grown in the soils contaminated with Ni and evaluate its effect on human health. In the surface soil layers the total (31.4 ±8.02 mg kg-1) and available Ni concentration (3.10 ±0.91 mg kg-1) are slightly higher by 1.25 ±0.14 and 1.24 ±0.25 fold respectively, than the subsurface layers. Available Ni increased linearly with increasing Ni in soil (r = 0.91). A significant positive correlation was found between available Ni and soil OM content (r = 0.89), while a significant negative correlation was observed for soil CaCO3 percent (r = - 0.72) and soil pH (r = - 0.90). Rice Ni content of the straw (2.1 ±0.32 mg kg-1) and grains (0.44 ±0.07 mg kg-1) were significantly correlated with soil total Ni (r = 0.89 and 0.86) and available Ni (r = 0.84 and 0.74), respectively. Wheat Ni content of straw (1.68 ±0.28 mg kg-1) and grains (0.28 ±0.04 mg kg-1) were significantly correlated with soil total Ni (r = 0.87 and 0.81) and available Ni (r = 0.84 and 0.85), respectively. By increasing straw Ni content grains increased (r = 0.89 for rice and r = 0.95 for wheat). Grains of rice and wheat exhibited lower Ni concentration than that of the straw (20.9% ± 1.64 and 16.7% ± 1.04, respectively). According to FAO/WHO rice and wheat grains contain normal Ni concentration and no evidence of possible potential human health risk with grains consumption.","PeriodicalId":11724,"journal":{"name":"Environment and Pollution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89198780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Due to climate change biochar is recently recommended as a control approach to increase crop productivity and global warming reduction. As biochar application changes the soil pH towards alkalinity, this effects acid soils nutrient cycles the same as microbial abundance. This research was conducted to investigate the microbial abundance as affected by waste-derived biochar application in two different rates on acidic soil of Bangladesh. Slow pyrolyzed (500±50ºC) different waste-derived biochars viz. sewage sludge, sugarcane bagasse, potato peels, water hyacinth, and organic waste were applied at 10 tons ha-1 and 15 tons ha-1 on the acidic soil. An in-vitro incubation study was conducted on experimental soil applying all the biochar to understand how nutrient availability and carbon dynamics affect the microbial abundance of the acid soil. The incubation study was divided into two stages: submerged condition (up to 60 days) followed by a dry condition (61 to 120 days) and biochars were applied in two different rates such as 10 and 15 tons ha-1. The viable count of bacteria significantly (P<0.05) increased with the variation of incubation periods and soil moisture content, although the rates did not make any difference. The beneficial Rhizobium spp. bacteria count ranged from 4.21 to 6.47 log CFU/g; Azotobacter spp. count ranged from 2.33 to 5.60 log CFU/g and Phosphate Solubilizing Bacterial count ranged from 2.30 to 3.74 log CFU/g. However, no sign of coliform bacteria or Escherichia coli was found in any sample, but also none of the biochar amended soil samples possessed Pseudomonas spp. and Trichoderma spp. In outcome, the waste-derived biochars treatments showed an insignificant impact on microbial parameters over the first 2 months after biochar incorporation which progressively increased with the course of time and the presence of oxygen.
{"title":"Microbial Abundance of Waste Derived Biochar Incubated Acid Soil in Bangladesh","authors":"G. Rabbani, M. Hossain, Z. Parveen","doi":"10.5539/ep.v11n1p33","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5539/ep.v11n1p33","url":null,"abstract":"Due to climate change biochar is recently recommended as a control approach to increase crop productivity and global warming reduction. As biochar application changes the soil pH towards alkalinity, this effects acid soils nutrient cycles the same as microbial abundance. This research was conducted to investigate the microbial abundance as affected by waste-derived biochar application in two different rates on acidic soil of Bangladesh. Slow pyrolyzed (500±50ºC) different waste-derived biochars viz. sewage sludge, sugarcane bagasse, potato peels, water hyacinth, and organic waste were applied at 10 tons ha-1 and 15 tons ha-1 on the acidic soil. An in-vitro incubation study was conducted on experimental soil applying all the biochar to understand how nutrient availability and carbon dynamics affect the microbial abundance of the acid soil. The incubation study was divided into two stages: submerged condition (up to 60 days) followed by a dry condition (61 to 120 days) and biochars were applied in two different rates such as 10 and 15 tons ha-1. The viable count of bacteria significantly (P<0.05) increased with the variation of incubation periods and soil moisture content, although the rates did not make any difference. The beneficial Rhizobium spp. bacteria count ranged from 4.21 to 6.47 log CFU/g; Azotobacter spp. count ranged from 2.33 to 5.60 log CFU/g and Phosphate Solubilizing Bacterial count ranged from 2.30 to 3.74 log CFU/g. However, no sign of coliform bacteria or Escherichia coli was found in any sample, but also none of the biochar amended soil samples possessed Pseudomonas spp. and Trichoderma spp. In outcome, the waste-derived biochars treatments showed an insignificant impact on microbial parameters over the first 2 months after biochar incorporation which progressively increased with the course of time and the presence of oxygen.","PeriodicalId":11724,"journal":{"name":"Environment and Pollution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84181715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The discourse on the evolution of the Earth is a polemic with the Big Bang theory, which claims the formation of the universe 13.8 billion years ago. It is claimed that in a fraction of a second, elementary particles of matter formed from an atom of "peculiar" density, and then, in the process of primary nucleosynthesis, elements were formed. The alternative theory of the primal forces of nature negates this version of the explanation of the phenomenon and proves that the process of creating elements takes place today in a thermonuclear synthesis reaction in the Earth's core. The probability test of these theories is the georadiation criterion, based on the quantitative ratios of uranium and the helium 3He isotope on Earth. Referring to earlier publications, the activity of a thermonuclear reactor in the Earth's core and the appearance of 200 million years ago, the phenomenon of Earth expansion, is proven. The conclusion of the article is the statement of the evolutionary sequence of all planets in the solar system and the transformation of hot planets into new stars.
{"title":"Discourse on the Evolution of the Earth","authors":"Andrzej Pawuła","doi":"10.5539/ep.v11n1p65","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5539/ep.v11n1p65","url":null,"abstract":"The discourse on the evolution of the Earth is a polemic with the Big Bang theory, which claims the formation of the universe 13.8 billion years ago. It is claimed that in a fraction of a second, elementary particles of matter formed from an atom of \"peculiar\" density, and then, in the process of primary nucleosynthesis, elements were formed. The alternative theory of the primal forces of nature negates this version of the explanation of the phenomenon and proves that the process of creating elements takes place today in a thermonuclear synthesis reaction in the Earth's core. The probability test of these theories is the georadiation criterion, based on the quantitative ratios of uranium and the helium 3He isotope on Earth. Referring to earlier publications, the activity of a thermonuclear reactor in the Earth's core and the appearance of 200 million years ago, the phenomenon of Earth expansion, is proven. The conclusion of the article is the statement of the evolutionary sequence of all planets in the solar system and the transformation of hot planets into new stars.","PeriodicalId":11724,"journal":{"name":"Environment and Pollution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84643184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Green jobs are of intense interest in the USA but heretofore have not been rigorously estimated. While green jobs are desirable and are increasing rapidly, consistent time series estimates and forecasts of these jobs are not available. This has impeded research and policy development. We analyze the importance of green jobs and estimate the green jobs created by the USA economy 1970 – 2030 by industry, occupation, skill, and salaries. Here we show that: 1) jobs generated by the USA green economy have increased from 1% of total jobs in 1970 to 6% 2020, and are forecast to comprise 14% of jobs in 2030; 2) most persons in these jobs do not realize that they owe their livelihood to the green economy; 3) jobs generated by the green economy are at least 3 or 4 times larger than realized; 4) most green jobs are not attractive, well paid, or unionized; 5) advocates can be their own worst enemies by misrepresenting the reality of green jobs. The significance of green jobs is not appreciated and this has serious economic, environmental, and policy implications that must be remedied.
{"title":"Jobs Created by the Green Economy in the USA","authors":"R. Bezdek","doi":"10.5539/ep.v11n1p21","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5539/ep.v11n1p21","url":null,"abstract":"Green jobs are of intense interest in the USA but heretofore have not been rigorously estimated. While green jobs are desirable and are increasing rapidly, consistent time series estimates and forecasts of these jobs are not available. This has impeded research and policy development. We analyze the importance of green jobs and estimate the green jobs created by the USA economy 1970 – 2030 by industry, occupation, skill, and salaries. Here we show that: 1) jobs generated by the USA green economy have increased from 1% of total jobs in 1970 to 6% 2020, and are forecast to comprise 14% of jobs in 2030; 2) most persons in these jobs do not realize that they owe their livelihood to the green economy; 3) jobs generated by the green economy are at least 3 or 4 times larger than realized; 4) most green jobs are not attractive, well paid, or unionized; 5) advocates can be their own worst enemies by misrepresenting the reality of green jobs. The significance of green jobs is not appreciated and this has serious economic, environmental, and policy implications that must be remedied.","PeriodicalId":11724,"journal":{"name":"Environment and Pollution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78182882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The article is devoted to the understanding of the emergence of new traits of the global economy under the impact of climate change and the COVID pandemic. Economic research is nowadays primarily oriented towards the unpredictable and sometimes confusing situations related to the consequences of climate change. Global economy is a complex behavior with a new dynamic. If green energy is to be the main predictable feature we are confronted with three questions: is it robust, sustainable and resilient? The new global economy is not about a bright future; it is about selecting a positive norm that indicates today a positive behavior of it. Hydrogen fossil issue, electricity becoming a tradable commodity, the new role of nuclear energy as a crucial complement to renewables are among the main contributors in redesigning energy markets. We can safely say that by mid-century the world will need to remake its energy system. Indeed, while the science of climate change is today firmly established on powerful truths, the final outcome is not a simple extension of present-day trends. The environment, under the impact of climate change, is presently in a disordered phase of transition. Global disorder should not be inevitable even if critical thresholds seem to be inevitable. The obvious solution is cooperation out of what we believe to be true. We have to act in the presence of uncertainty and often that means that a better situation could be simply an unattainable one.
{"title":"The New Global Economy between a Well-Planned Journey and a Chaotic One. Under the Impact of both Climate Change and the Post Pandemic, the NGE: A More Complex and Less Predictable System","authors":"Petre Roman","doi":"10.5539/ep.v11n1p16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5539/ep.v11n1p16","url":null,"abstract":"The article is devoted to the understanding of the emergence of new traits of the global economy under the impact of climate change and the COVID pandemic. Economic research is nowadays primarily oriented towards the unpredictable and sometimes confusing situations related to the consequences of climate change. Global economy is a complex behavior with a new dynamic. If green energy is to be the main predictable feature we are confronted with three questions: is it robust, sustainable and resilient? The new global economy is not about a bright future; it is about selecting a positive norm that indicates today a positive behavior of it. Hydrogen fossil issue, electricity becoming a tradable commodity, the new role of nuclear energy as a crucial complement to renewables are among the main contributors in redesigning energy markets. We can safely say that by mid-century the world will need to remake its energy system. Indeed, while the science of climate change is today firmly established on powerful truths, the final outcome is not a simple extension of present-day trends. The environment, under the impact of climate change, is presently in a disordered phase of transition. Global disorder should not be inevitable even if critical thresholds seem to be inevitable. The obvious solution is cooperation out of what we believe to be true. We have to act in the presence of uncertainty and often that means that a better situation could be simply an unattainable one.","PeriodicalId":11724,"journal":{"name":"Environment and Pollution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76757732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Louda, Bobby G. Duersch, Jeffrey T. Osetek, Charmaine Cintron, Lorraine Chaljub, Vittoria Queiroz
South Florida and much of the rest of the World suffers from harmful algal blooms (HABs) and controls of both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pollution are required to curtail the onset, spread and/or expansion of these blooms. This report covers our studies on several aspects of equestrian waste (viz. horse manure) aimed at yielding an overview of phosphorus and its pollution stemming from non-point horse manure sources in portions of Palm Beach County Florida. Methods included a modified Hedley extraction sequence, emphasizing ‘easily extractable phosphorus’ (EEP), and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic identification of organic phosphorus (Po) species. Samples included fresh and aged horse manure, pasture soils, horse feed and pasture grasses, and canal waters adjacent to equestrian or agricultural fields. Easily extractable Phosphorus (EEP) averaged about 54-77% of the total horse manure phosphorus. Total phosphorus ranged from 13,020 – 22,300 mg per kilogram dry weight. (≈60-100 lbs. P2O5 / ton and on a wet weight basis, this equates to 4,000 to 14,818 grams-P/ U.S. ton or 8.8 to 32.6 pounds of phosphorus (≈ 20-75 lb. P2O5) per wet weight ton of horse manure. Considering the values of EEP in fresh samples from a single horse, we found a range of 8,000 – 17,000 mg-P/kg (8-17 g-P/kg) dry weight horse manure. Soil samples yielded the highest P in the NaOH extract of the Hedley sequence. This equates to the Al, Fe and ester forms. Phosphorus (viz. EEP) runoff is viewed here as a non-point P pollution source.
{"title":"Phosphorus Non-Point Pollution from Equestrian Wastes and the Need for Recycling","authors":"J. Louda, Bobby G. Duersch, Jeffrey T. Osetek, Charmaine Cintron, Lorraine Chaljub, Vittoria Queiroz","doi":"10.5539/EP.V10N2P61","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5539/EP.V10N2P61","url":null,"abstract":"South Florida and much of the rest of the World suffers from harmful algal blooms (HABs) and controls of both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pollution are required to curtail the onset, spread and/or expansion of these blooms. \u0000 \u0000This report covers our studies on several aspects of equestrian waste (viz. horse manure) aimed at yielding an overview of phosphorus and its pollution stemming from non-point horse manure sources in portions of Palm Beach County Florida. Methods included a modified Hedley extraction sequence, emphasizing ‘easily extractable phosphorus’ (EEP), and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic identification of organic phosphorus (Po) species. \u0000 \u0000Samples included fresh and aged horse manure, pasture soils, horse feed and pasture grasses, and canal waters adjacent to equestrian or agricultural fields. \u0000 \u0000Easily extractable Phosphorus (EEP) averaged about 54-77% of the total horse manure phosphorus. Total phosphorus ranged from 13,020 – 22,300 mg per kilogram dry weight. (≈60-100 lbs. P2O5 / ton and on a wet weight basis, this equates to 4,000 to 14,818 grams-P/ U.S. ton or 8.8 to 32.6 pounds of phosphorus (≈ 20-75 lb. P2O5) per wet weight ton of horse manure. Considering the values of EEP in fresh samples from a single horse, we found a range of 8,000 – 17,000 mg-P/kg (8-17 g-P/kg) dry weight horse manure. \u0000 \u0000Soil samples yielded the highest P in the NaOH extract of the Hedley sequence. This equates to the Al, Fe and ester forms. \u0000 \u0000Phosphorus (viz. EEP) runoff is viewed here as a non-point P pollution source.","PeriodicalId":11724,"journal":{"name":"Environment and Pollution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77692470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Waste scavenging is an emerging challenge faced by many Municipalities and Local Authorities in Namibia. However, it has been neglected by authorities due to insufficient knowledge about its contribution to resource recovery and recycling. This study investigated how waste scavenging as a problem can be transformed into an opportunity for Integrated Waste Management in Namibia. The main objective of the study was to determine the socio-economic drivers as well as health implications of waste scavenging at Keetmanshoop municipal dumping site, Namibia. Using the purposive sampling method, a total of 45 waste pickers were interviewed through semi-structured questionnaires. The data collected included waste pickers demographic (age, gender, marital status, and level of education), socio-economic impacts (income and diseases) from waste scavenging. The study revealed that the main drivers of waste scavenging are poverty (71.1%) and unemployment (64.4%). Furthermore, waste scavenging contributes significantly to waste pickers’ livelihood through income generation from the sale of waste materials (93.3%). The majority of the waste pickers (80%), scavenge mainly for metals whereas the least target food. The study concluded that waste scavenging, although neglected, contributes significantly to the livelihoods of waste pickers and waste management in Keetmanshoop. The study recommends that waste scavenging should be regulated and integrated into the formal waste management system of the Municipality through avenues such as the formation of the waste picker’s cooperatives that will be registered with the municipality and recognised through formal structures.
{"title":"Waste Scavenging a Problem or an Opportunity for Integrated Waste Management in Namibia: A Case of Keetmanshoop Municipality, Namibia","authors":"Filippus Nambuli, C. Togarepi, Albert Shikongo","doi":"10.5539/EP.V10N2P47","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5539/EP.V10N2P47","url":null,"abstract":"Waste scavenging is an emerging challenge faced by many Municipalities and Local Authorities in Namibia. However, it has been neglected by authorities due to insufficient knowledge about its contribution to resource recovery and recycling. This study investigated how waste scavenging as a problem can be transformed into an opportunity for Integrated Waste Management in Namibia. The main objective of the study was to determine the socio-economic drivers as well as health implications of waste scavenging at Keetmanshoop municipal dumping site, Namibia. Using the purposive sampling method, a total of 45 waste pickers were interviewed through semi-structured questionnaires. The data collected included waste pickers demographic (age, gender, marital status, and level of education), socio-economic impacts (income and diseases) from waste scavenging. The study revealed that the main drivers of waste scavenging are poverty (71.1%) and unemployment (64.4%). Furthermore, waste scavenging contributes significantly to waste pickers’ livelihood through income generation from the sale of waste materials (93.3%). The majority of the waste pickers (80%), scavenge mainly for metals whereas the least target food. The study concluded that waste scavenging, although neglected, contributes significantly to the livelihoods of waste pickers and waste management in Keetmanshoop. The study recommends that waste scavenging should be regulated and integrated into the formal waste management system of the Municipality through avenues such as the formation of the waste picker’s cooperatives that will be registered with the municipality and recognised through formal structures.","PeriodicalId":11724,"journal":{"name":"Environment and Pollution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85643969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Jajere, Joshua, Jonah Kunda, U. M. Bibi, Yusuf Maina-Bukar
Over the years, West African Sahel’s people developed some strategies for predicting the seasonal weather using meteorological indicators to plan for extreme weather events. This study used information on local indicators of seasonal weather prediction and mean monthly rainfall and temperature record (1981-2017) from Nguru weather station located at Latitude 14°N in achieving the aim of the study. Both qualitative and quantitate (descriptive and inferential) statistical tools were employed in analysing the collected data. The study found that the local population of the study area used meteorological indicators in predicting the seasonal weather. The results of the analysis revealed that the variability of the annual rainfall during the study period was large. An increasing trend of 3.1mm annually was observed. While decreasing trend in the cold, dry and hot dry season temperature and an increasing trend in warm moist temperature by 0.025°C, 0.05°C and 0.0004°C respectively, was observed. Annual rainfall amount accounts for 31% and 2% variability in cold dry and warm moist season temperature, respectively. Cold, dry season and warm moist season temperature respond to any 1mm increase in annual rainfall by decreasing by 0.012°C and 0.002°C, respectively. The Hot, dry season temperature also accounts for 4% of the variability in annual rainfall. The model’s result revealed anyone 1°C increase in hot dry season temperature lowers the annual rainfall by 10mm. This study confirmed that the observed relationship between seasons weather conditions by local population exist. Therefore annual rainfall is the major determinant of cold dry seasonal temperature in the study area.
{"title":"Accuracy of Local Knowledge in Prediction Seasonal Weather: Empirical Evidence from North eastern Nigeria","authors":"A. Jajere, Joshua, Jonah Kunda, U. M. Bibi, Yusuf Maina-Bukar","doi":"10.5539/EP.V10N2P33","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5539/EP.V10N2P33","url":null,"abstract":"Over the years, West African Sahel’s people developed some strategies for predicting the seasonal weather using meteorological indicators to plan for extreme weather events. This study used information on local indicators of seasonal weather prediction and mean monthly rainfall and temperature record (1981-2017) from Nguru weather station located at Latitude 14°N in achieving the aim of the study. Both qualitative and quantitate (descriptive and inferential) statistical tools were employed in analysing the collected data. The study found that the local population of the study area used meteorological indicators in predicting the seasonal weather. The results of the analysis revealed that the variability of the annual rainfall during the study period was large. An increasing trend of 3.1mm annually was observed. While decreasing trend in the cold, dry and hot dry season temperature and an increasing trend in warm moist temperature by 0.025°C, 0.05°C and 0.0004°C respectively, was observed. Annual rainfall amount accounts for 31% and 2% variability in cold dry and warm moist season temperature, respectively. Cold, dry season and warm moist season temperature respond to any 1mm increase in annual rainfall by decreasing by 0.012°C and 0.002°C, respectively. The Hot, dry season temperature also accounts for 4% of the variability in annual rainfall. The model’s result revealed anyone 1°C increase in hot dry season temperature lowers the annual rainfall by 10mm. This study confirmed that the observed relationship between seasons weather conditions by local population exist. Therefore annual rainfall is the major determinant of cold dry seasonal temperature in the study area.","PeriodicalId":11724,"journal":{"name":"Environment and Pollution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84326756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. J. Kunda, A. Jajere, E. A. Otabe, Chindo Musa Muhammed, U. M. Bibi, Yusuf Maina-Bukar
For this study, geospatial technology was used to assess agricultural lands vulnerable to flooding in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Six thematic layers of factors influencing flood occurrences in the study area were generated from monthly rainfall, land use/cover, drainage density, soil, digital elevation model and slope. Pairwise comparison of the Analytical Hierarchy Process was used to derive the weights for each factor using expert’s judgements and literature. Weighted overlay model from the spatial analysis tool in the ArcGIS 10.4 environment was used to perform the vulnerability modelling. Expert’s judgement on the relative factors influencing flood in the study area was: rainfall (25%), elevation (22%), slope (20%), drainage density (13%), soil type (8%) and land use/cover (12%). The consistency ratio of the analysis was reasonable: (CR= 0.078). Results from the model demonstrated land vulnerability to urban agricultural flooding in the study area ranging from areas of very highly vulnerable to very low vulnerable areas, with farmlands along the floodplains of River Benue falls within the very highly vulnerable areas. The elements at Risk are; Farmland 537.6 (66.1%), Irrigation Land 40.5 (5.0%) and Built-up Land 125.8 (15.5%).
{"title":"Empirical Model Valuation of Urban Agriculture Vulnerability to Flooding in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria","authors":"J. J. Kunda, A. Jajere, E. A. Otabe, Chindo Musa Muhammed, U. M. Bibi, Yusuf Maina-Bukar","doi":"10.5539/EP.V10N2P20","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5539/EP.V10N2P20","url":null,"abstract":"For this study, geospatial technology was used to assess agricultural lands vulnerable to flooding in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Six thematic layers of factors influencing flood occurrences in the study area were generated from monthly rainfall, land use/cover, drainage density, soil, digital elevation model and slope. Pairwise comparison of the Analytical Hierarchy Process was used to derive the weights for each factor using expert’s judgements and literature. Weighted overlay model from the spatial analysis tool in the ArcGIS 10.4 environment was used to perform the vulnerability modelling. Expert’s judgement on the relative factors influencing flood in the study area was: rainfall (25%), elevation (22%), slope (20%), drainage density (13%), soil type (8%) and land use/cover (12%). The consistency ratio of the analysis was reasonable: (CR= 0.078). Results from the model demonstrated land vulnerability to urban agricultural flooding in the study area ranging from areas of very highly vulnerable to very low vulnerable areas, with farmlands along the floodplains of River Benue falls within the very highly vulnerable areas. The elements at Risk are; Farmland 537.6 (66.1%), Irrigation Land 40.5 (5.0%) and Built-up Land 125.8 (15.5%).","PeriodicalId":11724,"journal":{"name":"Environment and Pollution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88624211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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