Global public water education: the World Water Monitoring Day experience

Public awareness of the impending world water crisis is an important prerequisite to create a responsible citizenship capable of participating to improve world water management. In this context, the case of a unique global water education outreach exercise, World Water Monitoring Day of October 18, is presented. Started in 2002 in the United States, currently World Water Monitoring Day is celebrated in 50 countries by more than 75,000 particpants per year. Review of this exercise in terms of public environmental education and possible transferrability to to other global issues of importance is discussed

Predictors of unintended pregnancy in Kersa, Eastern Ethiopia, 2010

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Ethiopia, little is known about pregnancy among rural women. Proper maternal health care depends on clear understanding of the reproductive health situation. The objective of this study was to identify predictors of unintended pregnancy in rural eastern Ethiopia.</p> <p>Methodology</p> <p>This study was part of pregnancy surveillance at Kersa Demographic Surveillance and Health Research Center, East Ethiopia. Pregnant women were assessed whether their current pregnancy was intended or not. Data were collected by lay interviewers using uniform questionnaire. Odds Ratio, with 95% confidence interval using multiple and multinomial logistic regression were calculated to detect level of significance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Unintended pregnancy was reported by 27.9% (578/2072) of the study subjects. Out of which, 440 were mistimed and 138 were not wanted. Unintended pregnancy was associated with family wealth status (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.14, 1.90), high parity (7 +) (OR 5.18; 95% CI 3.31, 8.12), and a longer estimated time to walk to the nearest health care facility (OR 2.24; 95% CI: 1.49, 3.39).</p> <p>In the multinomial regression, women from poor family reported that their pregnancy was mistimed (OR 1.69; 95% CI 1.27, 2.25). The longer estimated time (80 + minutes) to walk to the nearest health care facility influenced the occurrence of mistimed pregnancy (OR 2.58; 95% CI: 1.65, 4.02). High parity (7+) showed a strong association to mistimed and unwanted pregnancies (OR 3.11; 95% CI 1.87, 5.12) and (OR 14.34; 95% CI 5.72, 35.98), respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The economy of the family, parity, and walking distance to the nearest health care institution are strong predictors of unintended pregnancy. In order to reduce the high rate of unintended pregnancy Efforts to reach rural women with family planning services should be strengthened.</p

Identification of Phytotoxic Levels of Copper and Nickel in Commercial Organic Soil Amendments Recycled from Poultry Farms and Municipal Wastes

Commercial-scale recycling of agricultural and municipal wastes into organic soil amendments facilitates safe disposal of waste and reduces environmental contamination. However, phytotoxicity of commercial organic amendments to crops is a major concern to farmers. Consistent with this, commercial chicken manure and Milorganite (recycled from municipal waste) were found to be phytotoxic. Chicken manure aqueous extract contains 10.8 ppm Cu and 0.7 ppm Ni. The level of Cu and Ni in Milorganite is lower. The current study identified an aqueous solution containing 5 ppm Cu, lower than in chicken manure aqueous extract, was highly phytotoxic to mustard seeds germination. Therefore, phytotoxicity of chicken manure is in part due to Cu. An aqueous solution containing 1 ppm Ni was not phytotoxic; whereas 0.125 ppm Ni was phytotoxic when 62.5 ppm Na, which is nontoxic, was added to the solution. Therefore, synergistic effects of chemicals in the organic amendments may induce phytotoxicity