The Relevance Of Policy And Practice On Sanitation Effort In Developing Nations: The Experience Of A Semi-Urban City In South-West Nigeria

Inappropriate waste management and poor sanitation practices have become major concerns in many developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The objectives of this study are to appraise the relevance of institutional policy and practice on sanitation effort with the case study of a semi-urban city in Southwest Nigeria. The study involved the assessment of procedures and techniques available in waste collection, treatment, disposal practices and compliances with institutional rules and regulations. The survey involved the use of structured questionnaires, in-depth interviews, on-site observations and focus group discussions in the various local communities and villages drawn across the 16 wards of the municipality. The data assessed captured social demographic-, housing-, socio culturalcharacteristics, sanitation and hygiene behaviour and problems with poor water and sanitation. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques in data collection and analysis were utilized as main instruments. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software application was employed for the purpose of analysis. Responses collected were coded using a linkert scaling procedure. The procedure combines descriptive analysis and bivariate regression estimation in arriving at the results obtained. Results of the study showed that there is no connection between institutional policies and the people's sanitation practices in the communities and more so, the management practices in most communities expose the inhabitants to unnecessary health risks. This has put a challenge on sanitation effort at reaching the Millelium Development Goal (MDG) target. It is therefore recommended, that a sustained cooperation be developed among all key actors (government, waste managers, public health workers and inhabitants) so as to implement an economic, sustainable, safe and reliable sanitation strategy and practices. This should not only be limited to legislation and policy formulation but also in its monitoring and enforcement. In addition, there is need for sensitizing the general public and raising their awareness level on environmental risks associated with poor sanitation practices

Ecological risk estimation of heavy metal pollution in roadside dust of Ado-Odo Ota, Southwestern Nigeria

Increased industrial, commercial and transport activities have constantly introduced air pollutants such as heavy metals in the atmosphere. Roadside dust samples were collected from 10 locations along Ota-Benin road, analysed for Cr, Cd, Co, Ni, Pb, Fe, Mn, Cu, As and Zn, and the ecological risk was evaluated for the heavy metals’ concentration in the roadside dust particles using the Hakanson method. The results revealed that Cd (3.103 mg/kg) and Cu (mg/kg) surpassed the threshold effect level. Pollutant source identification analysis revealed possible origin from motor oil, plastics, metalliferous extraction, dyes, and paints industries. The contamination factor for Ni was found to be at a moderate level in location SM8, SM9 and SM10 and a similar category was observed for Pb in location SM7, SM8, SM9 and SM10. Zn concentration in location SM5, SM6, SM7, SM8, SM9 and SM10 fell within the moderate contamination factor zone as well. Furthermore, the mean i r E of the individual metals in the sample region followed the order of Cd > Ni > Pb > As > Cu > Zn > Cr indicating a high risk associated with cadmium within the sample region

Assessment of Gravel Properties Sourced within Oyo North Senatorial District: Case Study of Ogbomoso

The study evaluated the properties of gravel aggregate sourced within Oyo north senatorial district for concrete production in place of crushed granite crushed at exorbitant cost since characteristic properties show significant reflections on the qualities of gravel aggregate used and also play major role in determining the properties of hardened concrete. Samples of gravel from four commonly used borrow pits: Aroje, Bolanta, Sunsun and Olomi sites were obtained and tested for Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV), Aggregate Impact Value (AIV), Specific Gravity, Water absorption Capacity, Bulk Density, Moisture Content and Particle Size Distribution. On the average the results of the observation for the selected four locations were 22.56 g, 28.17 g, 33.37 g and 40.19 g for Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV), 2.44 g/ml, 2.53 g/ml, 2.57 g/ml and 2.62 g/ml for Bulk density, 0.17 %, 1.43 %, 2.42 %, and 2.48 % for moisture content, 2.02 %, 2.92 %, 2.00 % and 3.15 for water absorption, 2.52, 2.63, 2.60 and 2.55 for specific gravity, 41. 55 %, 45.25 %, 45.59 % and 47.08 % for aggregate Impact respectively. The study revealed that, gravel aggregates from Aroje has superior properties over those of Sunsun, Bolanta and Olomi as compared with coarse aggregate properties in BS 812: 1995 and BS 882: 1992. It is hereby recommended for coarse aggregate in concrete production

LIFE AVERAGE DAILY DOSE OF RADIUM-226 ON SOME WATER SAMPLES COLLECTED AT GIRI AND KUJE AREA OF ABUJA, NORTH-CENTRAL NIGERIA

226Ra concentrations were studied to represent the radiological risk of groundwater of the Giri and Kuje areas of Abuja, North-Central Nigeria. Two borehole water samples were collected from the Giri and Kuje areas of Abuja with a hand-dug well and Abuja Water Board as control. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to measure the concentrations of radionuclide of 226Ra exposed to the dwellers. The activity concentrations of 226R in groundwater supplies for drinking and domestic purposes ranges from 44

ASSESSMENT OF DOSE INTAKE OF TOXIC ELEMENTS IN GROUNDWATER SAMPLES FROM ABUJA, NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA

This study measured the concentrations of toxic carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic elements present in groundwater using Inductively Coupled-Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The concentration values obtained were used to calculate the life average daily dose (LADD) exposure of the people whom rely on groundwater for consumption in Abuja, Nigeria. The highest LADD for the carcinogenic toxic element chromium (Cr) was 2.7 x 10-5 μg kg‒1 day‒1, whereas it was 3.3 x 10-4 μg kg‒1 day‒1 for the non-carcinogenic toxic element lead (Pb), identified in water samples collected by the Water Board. These LADD magnitudes of 10-5 and 10-4 for both carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic toxic elements in groundwater are far below the International Reference Dose according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in 2008, which has a value of 10-1. The low magnitudes found in water samples may not pose significant health risks to the local population. The relevant authorities should, therefore, continue to monitor the impact of human activities on metal pollution in this area and take effective measures to control contamination of the public water suppl

Validating Chemistry Faculty Members’ Self-Reported Familiarity with Assessment Terminology

With the increasing emphasis placed upon chemistry instructors and departments to assess and evaluate their courses and curricula, understanding the structure of chemistry faculty members’ knowledge and use of assessment terms and concepts can shed light on potential areas for targeted professional development. Survey research that might accomplish this objective often relies on self-reported responses from the target audience, and such information is sometimes difficult to assess in terms of validity. As an example of an internal mechanism to help establish validity, it is possible to include an “internal standard” item early in the survey. For the sake of understanding faculty members’ familiarity with assessment terminology, an item that asked participants to identify analogous pairs of terms comparing assessment measures (assessment validity and assessment reliability) to laboratory measures (accuracy and precision) served this purpose. Using ordered logistic regression, participants who answered the analogy question completely correctly were more likely to report higher levels of familiarity with the assessment terms. Because the self-reported data appears to be valid, these data can be further used in subsequent analyses in order to determine the general familiarity trends among chemistry faculty regarding assessment terminology

Assessing the state of rainwater for consumption in a community in dire need of clean water: Human and health risk using HERisk

This study examines the case of Ekpoma community, Edo State, Nigeria, where roof-harvested rainwater is the primary source of water for drinking and domestic purposes. Eight potentially toxic elements (PTEs), namely aluminum, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, and zinc, were detected in rainwater samples, collected and analyzed from 54 sampling locations across the community. The elemental concentrations were quantified using atomic absorption spectrophotometry and compared using the regulatory standards of the World Health Organization, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and Nigerian Drinking Water Quality Standards. The PTEs detected in the rainwater samples can be attributed to the nature of the materials used in the roof catchment systems, storage tank conditions, anthropogenic effects from industrial and agricultural processes, and fossil fuel emissions. However, only 20% of the evaluated samples contained PTE concentrations below the allowable regulatory limits. Spatio-temporal health risk analysis conducted using HERisk software showed that children in the development phase (1–18 years) are most vulnerable to health risks in the community. After age 18, the risk increased by approximately 10% and remained constant until old age. In addition, the evaluation of the studied sites showed that 33% of the evaluated sites had negligible carcinogenic risks, while the other 61% were sites with low carcinogenic risks to residents

Integration of Magnetic Data and Geo-Spatial Analysis for Characterising Aquiferious Yields in New Estate, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State

This study was conducted to understand the possible causes of abortive boreholes along the New Estate in Covenant University. The conceptual model predicted the two groundwater characteristics of weathered and the unweathered zones. The V-shape curve revealed two groundwater anomalies with high and low curves. The peak anomaly indicates the higher resistivity, presumed to be the geological structures of unsaturated features in the area. The sink V-shape curve indicate an anomaly with groundwater features, presenting low resistivity values attributed to be water bearing formation that will be viable for groundwater potential. The Iso-resistivity contour map identified possible groundwater features. The first Iso-resistivity column is a region of aquitard with a semipervious in nature that could transmit water in a slower rate. The second groundwater feature in column 2 is a perch aquifer that could enhance the main aquifer due to interconnectivity and pore pressure of downward-upward migration in confined hydrogeological aquifer setting. Column 3 depicts a complete impermeable feature of aquifuge or aquiclude of subsurface structure with rich in clay sediments or stratum of sediments found at the depth range of 30 m to 270 m. The forth groundwater column indicates a promising water bearing formation, probably sandy in nature with a depth range of 210 to 300 m and thickness of about 90 m. The spatial analysis identified the two locations along the survey areas to be suitable for productive boreholes as well as the trending of the groundwater in the area to be Northwestern Southeast direction. Consequently, the model could be a guide to organize site data, understand site processes and screen for applicability of drilling. These multiple methods of geophysical, spatial analysis and conceptual model could be used a tool for mapping hydrocarbon bearing formation