Studies on mosquito density in urban Kano: a study to calculate larval indices in municipal area of Gwale, Kano, Nigeria

The study is carried out to standardize larval indices namely House Index, Container Index and Breteau Index and also to identify the major breeding sources of mosquitoes in the residential environment in and around the Gwale Local government area of  Kano, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study by selecting 50 houses randomly from the 6 wards of Municipality was employed. Every water holding container indoors and outdoors were counted and searched for larval presence and noted on a pretested format. In this study, 300 houses were surveyed in 21 days out of which 94.33% (283 houses) were found to have potential sources for mosquito breeding. All the entomological indices were found to be above the critical level. House Index = 28.67%; Container Index = 12.14%; Breteau Index = 64.00% showing high chances for outbreaks of mosquito borne diseases. The area is prone to mosquito borne disease like malaria and therefore warrants interventions from the competent

Impact of Aisami Solid Waste dumping site, Kano Metropolis, Nigeria on the quality of ground water of the neighbouring environment

Open dumping and uncontrolled landfilling of solid wastes are the most widely practiced waste disposal methods in many cities of the less-developed regions, especially those in sub Saharan Africa. These practices are unsustainable and pose a major threat to the environment and public health. Of particular concern is the leachate produced at the disposal sites, which is concentrated with biological and chemical substances that could contaminate the soil, surface and groundwater sources in the environment. The effects of leachate percolation on the quality of groundwater sources is of great concern especially in sub Saharan Africa, where untreated self-supply groundwater options represent a major source of water supply for many inhabitants. Given this perspective, the physicochemical characteristics of some groundwater samples from wells around a major waste disposal site; Aisami in Kano metropolis, Nigeria, were examined. The samples were collected from the north, east, south and west directions around the disposal site and analysed for parameters that include: pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, total alkalinity, total hardness, Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+, K+, NO3-, SO4(2-), Cl-, Cu+2, Fe+2 ,Mn+2, Pb, Zn, and Cr. Significant concentrations of most parameters were revealed, often above the WHO recommended thresholds. Accordingly, some measures were highlighted towards protecting, preserving and sustaining groundwater quality as a strategic source of water supply in the area and beyond

Pathogenic Protozoans of Grasshopper from Imphal, Manipur, India

Septate gregarines or Cephaline gregarines are a group of parasitic protozoans of Grasshopper. Eugregarines are the most common; these species inhabit the midgut though rarely pathogenic in the mid-gut, they have been reported to block the gut of the host. Those inhabiting the gastric caeca cause serious pathologies than the midgut-inhabiting species. Some of the best known genera found in Manipur are Gregarina, Phleobum, Didymophyes, Amphiplatyspora, Lepismatophila, Quadruspinospora and Quadruknobspora. The study reports the morphological details of 16species of the above genera collected from Imphal. Illustrative diagrams and photomicrographs are provided for better species identification

First Report of Amphiplatyspora striata Kundu and Haldar, 1984 from Chondracisrosea (Order: Orthoptera) of Manipur, India.

The present communication deals with the complete life history of a Septate Gregarine (Protozoa:Sporozoa) found in Grasshoppers. Gregarines found in the mid-gut region of Grasshoppers were collected and examined for parasites. A species belonging to the genus Amphiplatysporawas obtained from Chondracisrosea. The morphology of the gregarine and its affinities with the other genera of the family Amphiplatysporidae [3] are discussed. The morphological details of the different stages supported with photomicrographs are also provided

A review on biogas production as the alternative source of fuel

Challenges related to energy shortages are increasingly frequent both at the local and global scale due to population growth and the desire for a greater standard of living. The growing demand for oil and natural gas caused by high consumption levels is one of the current major problems faced by the world population. Therefore, new forms of energy generation must be investigated that would eventually allow the diversification of the present energy matrix, which has an almost 90% dependence on fossil fuels the world over. This coupled with long-term economic and environmental concerns have resulted in a great amount of research in the past decades on renewable sources of liquid fuels to replace fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil releases carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a major cause of global warming. It is anticipated that not a single source of alternative energy but a mix of various energy sources and carriers will contribute to the energy system of the future. Among the various sources been explored, biogas offer one of the best alternative options as they present a viable option for improving sustainable development through energy security and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. This paper elaborates on Biogas production as the alternative source of fuel. The paper also studies the importance of Biogas production as a means of reducing problem of power energy, environmental vandalism, loss of resources, climate change and also reduce environmental pollution caused by burning of woods, cars, motorcycle and industrial activities