Assessment of Water Provision and Associated Risks Among Children in Abeokuta Peri-Urban, Ogun State, Southwestern Nigeria: The Gender Implications

An assessment of water supply challenges and risks facing children in selected peri-urban areas of Abeokuta (Akole-Oke Ata, Obatonko, Adigbe) in Ogun, southwestern Nigeria, was carried out during the dry season, in the months of November 2013 to February 2014. Recognizing that the yield of drinking water sources and water supply from the government were drastically reduced during the dry season, in this study, project leaders aimed to determine children’s involvement in household water provision during the dry season in the peri-urban of Abeokuta Ogun State Southwestern Nigeria, and to further determine the gender distribution, risks and risk indicators, and occurrence of problems among the children during water provision. In the course of the study, a total of 100 water sources (piped water taps, boreholes, dug wells, burst pipes, streams) were visited, and focus group discussion/informal interview methodologies were adopted to gather data from the people at water points. Approximately 827 of the people met at the water points were children, with 800 of those children being girls between the ages of 5-15. The results from these interactions indicated that the girls from each household were responsible for scouting water sources, as well as transportation and storage of the water for household consumption. Out of 800 girls interviewed, 722 reported being late to school, 712 recorded poor school attendance, 456 reported being sexually harassed and/or assaulted, 166 had experienced injury experienced neck and back pain from carrying an excessive load of water, 99 were physically punished by parents or guardians at home when containers got lost, misplaced, or exchanged at the water points, and 184 were punished by the parents or guardians who believed that the girls wasted the water. Some of the respondents (12) preferred going out to provide the water for the family to avoid other domestic work. The majority said they wanted the government and/or parents/guardians to be responsible for adequate water provision for household consumption

The Perception of Dental Practitioners on Laboratory Management for Effective Dental Health Care Delivery: A Case Study of Some Selected Dental Laboratories in Lagos State, Nigeria

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the management of dental laboratory as it significantly affects effective handling of dental problems among dental patients visiting Dental Hospitals/Centres and consequently for effective dental healthcare delivery system in Lagos State as a case study. Methodology: One hundred (100) dental professionals working in the selected twenty (20) dental hospital/centres across the study area were selected surveyed through a purposive sampling technique. The research instruments used for study were self-opinionated questionnaires and Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat SWOT analysis. Finding: The results showed that state of the laboratories need to be improved in order to meet current global standards of digital state of equipments, then management of the laboratory with the perception of the staff influence the quality of dental care services given to the patients. The SWOT analysis indicated that opportunities within the profession is the adequacy of training and professionalism, while danger of quack workers, obsolete equipment, erratic power supply to run the equipment and lack of government enabling environment are threat and weakness that affect the dental laboratory activities. The study concluded that state of dental laboratory still need more improvement with the use of modern and digital equipments, and the workers re-training are the strengths and opportunities .Therefore, there is need for workshop, conferences and to educate the professional on the latest equipment in the markets on a global level. Then, the Government should embark on infrastructural development of the existing governmental dental facilities and encourage the private ones. &nbsp

Determination and Delineation of Groundwater pollution from leachate generated from dumpsite, Ijagun community Odogbolu southwestern Nigeria

The research examined the extent of pollution by leachate generated from Ijagun dumpsite, Odogbolu Area, Southwestern Nigeria, on the groundwater using electrical resistivity method. Four vertical electrical sounding measurements were taken around the dumpsite, Two on the dumpsite (VES 1/ VES 2), and the other two (VES 3 /VES 4) around the dumpsite (serving as control) using schlumberger array technique. The result obtained interpreted both quantitatively and qualitatively, iterated with WINRESIST software. From the computer output, three curve types were obtained from the field survey (A, H, KHA). There is indication of the presence of the contamination in the VES 1 (layer 2) and VES 2 (layer 2) due to their low resistivity values while there are yet no pollution in VES 3/ VES 4 due to their high resistivity values compare to that of VES 1 and VES 2. The stratigraphy at the dumpsite consisting of Sand, Dry sand and Sandstone which shows that the dumpsite is situated on aquiferous materials that is highly porous and permeable and may aid the free flow of leachate into the groundwater. Therefore, there is need for drinking water quality assessment to determine the suitability of the groundwater for human and industrial consumption

Antimicrobial activity of Plumbago zeylanica plant extracts and its application in water and laboratory disinfection

This study was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial activities/ potentials of Plumbago zeylanica components (leaf, stem and root) on four bacterial species, Baccilus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia with the aim of using the active part of the plant to be used in water and laboratory disinfection. The plant parts crude extract was concentrated using a rotary evaporator and dried in a freeze drier. Different concentrations of the plant parts were then prepared from the dried plant extract and tested on the four pathogens using agar diffusion methods. The results indicated that active antimicrobial properties are concentrated more in the roots been very effective against Escherichia coli even at low concentration. However, at higher concentration all the plant extracts became effective against the bacteria. The study concludes that the roots of Plumbago zeylanica possess the highest antimicrobial potentials for disinfection. Then, the root extract was tested on effluent water and the results showed significance reduction level of Escherichia coli

Assessment of Perceived Health and Environmental Problems of Household Energy Consumption among Ilese Ijebu Residents Southwestern Nigeria

The study was carried out among Ilese-Ijebu residents southwestern Nigeria, to assess their perceived health and environmental problems associated with different sources of household energy use for cooking, then their perception and acceptability of adopting other alternative source of energy (biogas). A focused group discussion and self-structured questionnaire administration methodologies were adopted to elicit information on their current energy sources and adoption for alternative energy source (biogas). The researchers randomly selected twenty five (25) households to include the total sample size of one hundred (100) and organized an interactive session on the subject matter, during which three prepared forms were given out to the participants to filled their demographics characteristics, sources of energy for household cooking with associated health and environmental problems and perception and acceptability of biogas, descriptive statistics and likert scale technique were used to analyze the results obtained. The results of the analysis showed that, the respondents do make use of more than one source of energy for cooking, kerosene stoves (95), firewood (63), charcoal stove(32), while lesser people made use of liquefied gas (12) and electricity (5). Average numbers of respondents 50-60 are aware of associated health and environmental problems with firewood and charcoal, but not ready to use electricity and liquefied gas because of bills and fire hazards when the energy sources is  not properly handled. However, the likert scale results of the positive score of 227 and the negative score of 598 on the acceptability of use of biogas for domestic cooking indicating that, presently, the residents are not ready to adopt the biogas as the alternative energy. Therefore, there is need to organize massive awareness campaign, health education talks among the residents on the effect of air pollution associated with household energy sources and consumption, health and financial benefits of adopting other alternative clean energy source