STATISTICAL EVALUATION OF HYDRO-METEOROLOGICAL DATA: A CASE STUDY OF ISHIAGU IN SOUTH-EAST ZONE NIGERIA

For any Engineering project to be efficient, it must be based on consistent and reliable data with good analysis. Reliability, especially for hydro-meteorological data depends on the method of collection, analysis and storage. Ishiagu weather data has been collected since the inception of the school of agriculture in the town in 1997 to date. Statistical analysis of the randomly varying data to check for their consistency and reliability is necessary before use. In this regard, the monthly data set is analysed for annual mean, trends and seasonal distribution pattern. A significant finding of this analysis is that the monthly rainfall has bimodal distribution with peaks in July and September. For the temperature of the area, it showed a sinusoidal pattern due to the seasons and this also reflects on the relative humidity of the area. A regression analysis of the three data of rainfall, temperature and relative humidity indicates a coefficient of correlation of r = 0.3, t = -0.40 and rh = -0.67. Because of the low state of the coefficient of correlation of the three parameters it may be necessary to recheck with either power, exponential or polynomial functions. From the determination of frequency of extreme events using Gumbel distribution, the highest annual rainfall value is determined to have a return period of less than 20years and the 17years records also was adjudged adequate

Analysis of Groundwater Quality in a Nigerian Community

Groundwater is the most accessed freshwater source in Nigeria. However, the groundwater resource sector of Nigeria is confronted with pollution problems arising from both natural causes and human activities. The current study examines the case of a faith-based campus whose water needs are 100 % serviced via groundwater. The campus accommodates about 15,000 full residents and 400, 000 weekly visitors. The campus water supply is sourced from 15 functional boreholes which are pumped directly into elevated tanks. Four replicate water samples were obtained from four tap points which are supplied by four different elevated water tanks within the campus. The water samples were analyzed for physicochemical contaminants using standard methods. This was done to confirm the potability of the water which is being consumed by residents. Results of the analysis of the groundwater in the study area showed that all the water samples met the minimum requirements of the National Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ) for pH, sulphate, nitrate, chloride and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). However, all the water samples exceeded the NSDWQ limit of 400 mg/L for hardness. Cadmium was also found to exceed the NSDWQ limit of 0.003 mg/L in all water samples while 50 % of the water samples slightly exceeded the 0.5 mg/L limit for Iron. The presence of cadmium in most of the water sample suggests that there is high risk in consuming water from these boreholes. Due to the life-threatening effect of cadmium on humans, it was concluded that water from the study area should not be consumed without treatment

Computation of human health risk in surface water in Ado-Odo Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

Heavy metals find their way into surface and groundwater due to degrading environmental conditions, and as such consistent monitoring to avoid the adverse health implications associated with the consumption of polluted water is required. This study examined the concentrations for Lead (Pb), Nickel (Ni), Zinc (Zn), Chromium (Cr), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu) and Arsenic (As) in the Surface water of River Balogun in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria during the wet season and estimated the human health risk resulting from prolonged consumption by children and adult of dissimilar age groups without treatment. Although there were persistent occurrence of Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn) and Arsenic (As) in all stations sampled, the health risk assessment conducted revealed that both population groups are more likely to be affected by high concentration levels of Arsenic than any other Heavy metal present

TUTORING: THE PLACE OF PERSONALITY AND GENDER

The issue of tutoring in places of learning is becoming significant to study as students tend to prefer a particular personality irrespective of the gender (male or female) among teachers. This choice appears to have effect on the academic performance of students. However, it is perceived that interest in a subject could be a function of attraction to the subject tutor. Therefore, this study captures the role of personality and gender in the selection of tutor and its effect on student’s performance in engineering. Additionally, other factors that could lead to these issues, such as: method of teaching, mentoring ability, communication skills were looked into. This was achieved through the use of a well-structured questionnaire and personal interviews for proper conclusion on the subject matter. The data collected was statistically analyzed with SPSS 21 and results shows that there is dire need for places of higher learning to increase or encourage good personality in tutoring as it will improve academic performance in return. Also, there should be continuity and proper monitoring of mentoring as well as teaching pedagogy. Inclusive learning should be encouraged to harvest good performance of students

TUTORING AND PARENTING INFLUENCE ENGINEERING: IMPACT ON FEMALE TEENAGERS

Tutoring and parenting to great extent assist in harmonizing the capabilities of students, both play key roles in influencing the career choice of teenagers especially the female. This research assessed the influence of parenting and tutoring on the career path (CP) of female teenagers with special focus on the selection of engineering as a course. This was achieved with the distribution of 1000 questionnaires to girls in the senior form (SS1 – SS2) of some selected secondary school in Southwestern Nigeria, using face to face approach. Besides, focus group discussion approach was also employed in the data collection. Data on tutoring, parenting, subject mastery, counselling and individual factors were collected, sorted and analyzed. Statistical software SPSS Version 21 was employed in the analysis of the data. The result showed that parenting and tutoring had a pronounced impact on the academic performance of the girl child and to a large extent influenced the selection of Engineering as a course. The most effective mode of tutorship are the appointment based and drop-in tutoring with 30% and 35%. The analysis of the result revealed that 30% of the tutored students picked interest in engineering as a course while only 16% of the non-tutored showed interest engineering. The result of this research will be of tremendous help to school owners both private and government on the strategies to adopt in encouraging tutorship in secondary schools in an attempt to encourage girl child into the engineering profession

Accessing safe drinking water in sub-Saharan Africa: Issues and challenges in South–West Nigeria

Termination of the Millennium Development Goals gave birth to the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) with which Target 6 is to provide unhindered access to safe and economical drinking water and sanitation for all. The survey in this research adopted stratified sampling technique that captured 400 households, in which 700 well-structured questionnaire consisting of open and closed-ended questions were distributed. The questions were in line with Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WaSH) recommendations on drinking water and sanitation for household surveys. It examined the access to safe water regarding accessibility, availability, affordability and acceptability in Ado-Odo Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.Personal interviews were conducted to capture the emotional discretion of respondents towards the subject matter. Cross-tabulation and Multinomial logit model were used to analyze the relationship of the variables on water access. The results obtained showed that the water access within the study area is mostly limited to the private sources because of the level of quality and accessibility. The study reveals that the fate placed on government water facilities has dwindled drastically. Furthermore, the study high-lighted the need to revisit government policies, with the inclusion of subsidy, cost recovery and rainwater harvesting as effective tools in improving and encouraging equity in water access

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

Stabilization Effect of Aluminum Dross on Tropical Lateritic Soil

This experimental research assessed the engineering and geotechnical properties of Aluminum dross (ALDR). Glumly, this solid waste is usually open dumped with detrimental effect on the environment. In a bid to reduce solid waste in the environment and also improve pavement interlayer properties, this research utilized ALDR as a stabilizer for tropical lateritic soil. The lateritic soil was stabilized with the addition of this solid waste at 2% intervals from 2% to 16%. Response surface analysis was used in optimizing the strength and consistency of the stabilized soil sample. The addition of this non-conventional stabilizer helped in modifying the engineering properties of the soil sample, this had indications on the atterberg limit as the liquid limit, and the plasticity index increased from 43% to 54.61% and 28.02%- 40.8% respectively, while the plasticity index reduced from 15.1% - 13.8% signifying soil improvement. The load-bearing capacity of the sample increased from 51.22% to 62.41%. Additionally, the unconfined test showed that addition of ALDR residue improved the consistency of the stabilized soil sample. From the model equation, a positive relationship exists between CBR and UCS. R2 value of 0.81 showed the robustness of the model developed. The research showed that aluminum dross is a suitable material for improving the engineering properties of the tropical lateritic soil towards a sustainable road construction

Spectral Responses and Classification of Earth’s Features on Satellite Imagery

This Remote sensing is fast becoming one of the most successful techniques in studying and classifying land-cover classes. Satellite remote sensing technology has provided environmental managers with a relatively cheap and accessible technique to accurately classify earth’s features into common groups based on the similarities in behavior of their component structures. As the sun’s electromagnetic light energy reaches earth surface, they are either absorbed and/or re-radiated into the atmosphere, depending on the component and structure of the receiving surface. The extent of absorption or radiation also depends on these components. Space satellite sensors are able to determine the wavelengths of light energy absorbed and reflected by the earth’s surface. This paper assesses how three dominant land cover types (vegetation, water bodies and built-up areas which include buildings, pavements and tarmacs) usurp electromagnetic radiation, how satellite sensors are able to measure the radiation wavelengths and how RS technology uses data obtained by remote sensors which measure wavelengths of absorbed and reflected energy. The paper also presents the spectral response of these land cover types and their corresponding mathematical indices; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Water Index and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDVI, NDWI and NDBI). The paper shows that vegetation absorbs most of the visible light in the electromagnetic spectrum (red and blue) but has a high reflectance in the near-infrared (NIR) band of the electromagnetic spectrum. This is because infrared light inhibits photosynthesis causes desiccation. Deep water bodies, on the other hand, quickly absorb NIR and red wavelengths, and reflects blue wavelength back into the atmosphere. These indices can be used to compute and determine specific land cover types from a constellation of several land cover categories on satellite imageries. LandSat-8 imagery of Nantucket Island, state of Massachusetts, USA was used for the computation