Estimation of methane generation based on anaerobic digestion and mass balance at Kiteezi Landfill, Kampala, Uganda

Kiteezi landfill site is the main solid waste dumping site in Kampala City (Uganda). In this study, the generation of methane from waste at Kiteezi landfill was measured using laboratory-scale anaerobic digestion experiment and estimated using the Mass balance model. The samples were collected in the wet and dry seasons, with five replicates for each season which were processed for further experiments focused on moisture content analysis and anaerobic digestion. The moisture content analysis results showed a significant change (P < 0.05) between wet season and dry season. Also, the anaerobic digestion revealed that moisture content was a determining factor in gas generation. The average monthly methane production estimate from the mass balance model was 1.63 Gg methane/month and was comparable (within 14%) to the amount estimated by laboratory-scale anaerobic digestion experiment (1.43 Gg methane/month). It is a worthwhile undertaking to further investigate the potential of commercially producing methane from Kiteezi landfill as an alternative source of green and clean energy for urban masses.Keywords: Solid waste management, methane generation, anaerobic digestion and mass balance model

Uganda's experience in Ebola virus disease outbreak preparedness, 2018-2019.

BACKGROUND: Since the declaration of the 10th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in DRC on 1st Aug 2018, several neighboring countries have been developing and implementing preparedness efforts to prevent EVD cross-border transmission to enable timely detection, investigation, and response in the event of a confirmed EVD outbreak in the country. We describe Uganda's experience in EVD preparedness. RESULTS: On 4 August 2018, the Uganda Ministry of Health (MoH) activated the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) and the National Task Force (NTF) for public health emergencies to plan, guide, and coordinate EVD preparedness in the country. The NTF selected an Incident Management Team (IMT), constituting a National Rapid Response Team (NRRT) that supported activation of the District Task Forces (DTFs) and District Rapid Response Teams (DRRTs) that jointly assessed levels of preparedness in 30 designated high-risk districts representing category 1 (20 districts) and category 2 (10 districts). The MoH, with technical guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO), led EVD preparedness activities and worked together with other ministries and partner organisations to enhance community-based surveillance systems, develop and disseminate risk communication messages, engage communities, reinforce EVD screening and infection prevention measures at Points of Entry (PoEs) and in high-risk health facilities, construct and equip EVD isolation and treatment units, and establish coordination and procurement mechanisms. CONCLUSION: As of 31 May 2019, there was no confirmed case of EVD as Uganda has continued to make significant and verifiable progress in EVD preparedness. There is a need to sustain these efforts, not only in EVD preparedness but also across the entire spectrum of a multi-hazard framework. These efforts strengthen country capacity and compel the country to avail resources for preparedness and management of incidents at the source while effectively cutting costs of using a "fire-fighting" approach during public health emergencies

Transformations to groundwater sustainability: from individuals and pumps to communities and aquifers

If the success of agricultural intensification continues to rely on the depletion of aquifers and exploitation of (female) labour, transformations to groundwater sustainability will be impossible to achieve. Hence, the development of new groundwater imaginaries, based on alternative ways of organizing society-water relations is highly important. This paper argues that a comparative documentation of grass-roots initiatives to care for, share or recharge aquifers in places with acute resource pressures provides an important source of inspiration. Using a grounded anti-colonial and feminist approach, we combine an ethnographic documentation of groundwater practices with hydrogeological and engineering insights to enunciate, normatively assess and jointly learn from the knowledges, technologies and institutions that characterize such initiatives. Doing this usefully shifts the focus of planned efforts to regulate and govern groundwater away from government efforts to control individual pumping behaviours, to the identification of possibilities to anchor transformations to sustainability in collective action

Marburg virus disease outbreak in Kween District Uganda, 2017: Epidemiological and laboratory findings.

INTRODUCTION: In October 2017, a blood sample from a resident of Kween District, Eastern Uganda, tested positive for Marburg virus. Within 24 hour of confirmation, a rapid outbreak response was initiated. Here, we present results of epidemiological and laboratory investigations. METHODS: A district task force was activated consisting of specialised teams to conduct case finding, case management and isolation, contact listing and follow up, sample collection and testing, and community engagement. An ecological investigation was also carried out to identify the potential source of infection. Virus isolation and Next Generation sequencing were performed to identify the strain of Marburg virus. RESULTS: Seventy individuals (34 MVD suspected cases and 36 close contacts of confirmed cases) were epidemiologically investigated, with blood samples tested for MVD. Only four cases met the MVD case definition; one was categorized as a probable case while the other three were confirmed cases. A total of 299 contacts were identified; during follow- up, two were confirmed as MVD. Of the four confirmed and probable MVD cases, three died, yielding a case fatality rate of 75%. All four cases belonged to a single family and 50% (2/4) of the MVD cases were female. All confirmed cases had clinical symptoms of fever, vomiting, abdominal pain and bleeding from body orifices. Viral sequences indicated that the Marburg virus strain responsible for this outbreak was closely related to virus strains previously shown to be circulating in Uganda. CONCLUSION: This outbreak of MVD occurred as a family cluster with no additional transmission outside of the four related cases. Rapid case detection, prompt laboratory testing at the Uganda National VHF Reference Laboratory and presence of pre-trained, well-prepared national and district rapid response teams facilitated the containment and control of this outbreak within one month, preventing nationwide and global transmission of the disease

Received 27/07/2005 Accepted 27/09/2005

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Impacts of Emerging Agricultural Practices on Groundwater Quality in Kahe Catchment, Tanzania

This paper assesses the impacts of farmers’ intensive use of agrochemicals (fertilizers and pesticides) on groundwater quality in the Kahe catchment. Samples were collected during the wet and dry seasons of the year 2018 and analyzed for the presence of agrochemicals in the water. Groundwater chemistry was dominated by magnesium-sodium-bicarbonate (Mg-Na-HCO3−). The cations levels were in the trend of Mg2+ >Na+ > Ca2+ > K+, whereas anions were HCO3− > Cl− > SO42− for both seasons. The NO3− had an average value of about 18.40 ± 4.04 and 7.6 ± 1.7 mg/L in the wet and dry season, respectively. Elevated levels of nitrate, sulfate, phosphate, and ammonium were found in water samples collected near the large-scale sugarcane plantation in the catchment. For both seasons, Pb, Cd, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu concentrations averaged approximately 0.08 ± 0.03, 0.11 ± 0.03, 0.16 ± 0.02, 0.11 ± 0.01, 0.46 ± 0.05, and 0.55 ± 0.02 mg/L, respectively. On the other hand, the concentrations were higher in shallow wells than in the deep boreholes. Pesticides’ residues were below the detection limit in all sampled groundwater. The findings from this study provide important information for intervention in groundwater quality management in Kahe Catchment, Tanzania

Estimating groundwater recharge on the southern slope of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

This research article published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG., 2019This paper used three methods namely: water-table fluctuation (WTF), soil moisture balance (SMB), and chloride mass balance (CMB) to estimate groundwater recharge in a degraded Kahe catchment located on the southern slope of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Three methods yielded different groundwater recharge rates. Results of the WTF method showed that recharge in the catchment was about 248.4 million m3/year, whereas those of CMB and SMB methods were 156.0 and 132.1 million m3/year, respectively. The estimated recharge rates ranged between 132.1 and 248.4 million m3/year with an average of 191.34 ± 27.80 million m3/year. Differences in the estimated rates can be attributed to the scales of measurements, assumptions in each method, and the quality of the data used. Satellite images taken in between 2000 and 2017 were used to estimate the land-use changes and their impacts on groundwater recharge in the study catchment. Analyzed satellite images showed that over the 17-year period, natural forests and bushes and shrubs decreased by 3.6 and 4.1%, while agricultural land and built-up area increased by 12.8 and 0.8%, respectively. Using SMB method, we found that these land-use changes have contributed to a decrease in groundwater recharge of about 42% between 2000 and 2017 (i.e., from 227.8 to 132.1 million m3/year). The findings from this study are useful for assessing the potential impacts of land-use change on water resources in the catchment

Domestic violence in Gulu, Northern Uganda.

Background: When guns fell silent in the post conflict northern Uganda, another form of physical injuries has come in place, Domestic Violence also commonly referred to as Gender based violence. This injury from violence leading to physical trauma is one of the leading public health problems in this region. We describe the occurrence and reasons for admission due to domestic violence to surgical ward of Gulu Hospital. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in Gulu Hospital over a period of two years (January 2008 to December 2009) using a prepared proforma designed to capture physical injuries admitted. Only patients that met the inclusion criteria for domestic injuries were registered. Informed consent and ethical approval was obtained from the committee of the Hospital. Results: Of 1880 patients registered with trauma, 454 were due to domestic violence (24.1%) and was the commonest form of physical trauma and mainly occurred in December and June and were lowest in February and March. Its frequency of occurrence was followed by bodaboda injuries (21.4%). The majority of victims were females (73.6%) with a female to male ratio of 2.84:1.0 Conclusion: Domestic violence was commonest cause of trauma in Gulu Hospital. More females were affected than males. December and June had the highest incidence. It is a public health problem in the region which drains hospital resources

Qualitative soil moisture assessment in semi-arid Africa – the role of experience and training on inter-rater reliability

Soil and water management is particularly relevant in semi-arid regions to enhance agricultural productivity. During periods of water scarcity, soil moisture differences are important indicators of the soil water deficit and are traditionally used for allocating water resources among farmers of a village community. Here we present a simple, inexpensive soil wetness classification scheme based on qualitative indicators which one can see or touch on the soil surface. It incorporates the local farmers' knowledge on the best soil moisture conditions for seeding and brick making in the semi-arid environment of the study site near Arusha, Tanzania. The scheme was tested twice in 2014 with farmers, students and experts (April: 40 persons, June: 25 persons) for inter-rater reliability, bias of individuals and functional relation between qualitative and quantitative soil moisture values. During the test in April farmers assigned the same wetness class in 46 % of all cases, while students and experts agreed on about 60 % of all cases. Students who had been trained in how to apply the method gained higher inter-rater reliability than their colleagues with only a basic introduction. When repeating the test in June, participants were given improved instructions, organized in small subgroups, which resulted in a higher inter-rater reliability among farmers. In 66 % of all classifications, farmers assigned the same wetness class and the spread of class assignments was smaller. This study demonstrates that a wetness classification scheme based on qualitative indicators is a robust tool and can be applied successfully regardless of experience in crop growing and education level when an in-depth introduction and training is provided. The use of a simple and clear layout of the assessment form is important for reliable wetness class assignments

The hard work of reparative futures: Exploring the potential of creative and convivial encounters in post-conflict Uganda

This is the author accepted manuscript.In this paper we empirically explore the ways in which young people were enroled in a multimodal exhibition to creatively produce narratives of their past, presents and futures. We look at the different ways this work was framed, and how all memory work and, we argue, future work is relational, interactionally produced and situated in dynamic and unfolding social and political frameworks. We look at the ways young people described the work of producing accounts of their futures within that setting, and the different forms of labour involved in that process. We explore the encounters that fostered local, more humble, acts of care and repair, and how those everyday practices might help build towards reparative futures.British Academ