Modeling water demand in a growing public university in Nigeria

Nigerian university campuses are facing the twin problems of providing portable water of adequate quantity and quality and the  sustainability of such supply. This paper examines the water demand status of a public University in Nigeria. Domestic, Public and Industrial water uses were considered while population forecasting was done using regression analysis for a 30 years design period (2018 – 2048). Results reveals possible population increase of 53.8 % by 2048 when the institution will clock 60 years. Water demand is also expected to rise sharply from 5,206 m3 day -1 (2018) to 10,959 m3 day -1 (2048); existing storage capacity cannot satisfy the current needs not to talk of the projected demand hence, a reservoir of about 11,000 m3 will be needed to service the university for the next 30 years; attracting more investments into the water supply system becomes imperative as the existing supplies from groundwater is unsustainable. Keywords: Water Demand; Population; University; Sustainability; Growt

Promoting Integrated Water Resources Management in South West Nigeria: The Need for Collaboration and Partnership

This paper elucidates the need to implement Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in South West Nigeria. At present, water related programmes in existing capacity building institutions (CBIs) do not have IWRM and climate change adaptation in their synopsis; this suggests the need for curriculum review. Another observation was that many of the professionals in the water sector organizations (WSOs) are aging with none of these organizations having succession plans. Developing and implementing succession plans require collaboration and partnership with CBIs in the region; the recent establishment of the National Water Resources Capacity Building Network (NWRCBNet) in the country is timely; itwill provide a platform for IWRM implementation and capacity building in the water sector. The south west regional center at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta has been spear heading this vision and the results achieved so far in the south west region has been encouraging.http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v34i2.2

Optimization of sub-merged culture conditions for biomass production in Pleurotus florida (mont.) Singer, a Nigerian edible fungus

Submerged culture conditions such as physical factors, chemical compounds and inoculum sizes were optimized for biomass production in Pleurotus florida, a Nigerian edible mushroom. This fungus produced the greatest biomass at pH of 6.5 and 30°C. Among the monosaccharides, glucose stimulated the best biomass production (186.7 mg/30 cm3) followed in order by fructose mannose, and sorbose (P 0.05). In the series of complex sugars and sugar alcohols, mannitol supported the highest biomass yield with mycelial dry weight of 130.0 mg/30 cm3, followed closely by dextrin with 123.3 mg/30cm3 while the least value was obtained with arabitol. Tryptophan and alanine enhanced moderate vegetative growth with values, which are not statistically different from each other (P 0.05). Leucine was found to be the least amino acid for biomass production in this fungus while yeast extract was the best complex nitrogen sources. The maximum biomass yield (330.0 mg/100 cm3) was obtained when 7.0 cm3 of P. florida inoculum was inoculated into a submerged medium while the least biomass wasobtained with 0.5 cm3 of the inoculu

Modelling Water Productivity of Selected Grain Crops in Rain-fed and Surface Irrigated Fields in Northern Nigeria

Field trials of selected grain crops (rice, wheat and maize) were conducted for three years under rain-fed and surface irrigated systems to evaluate their water productivity and model same. A completely randomized design (CRD) experiment was used at the Irrigation Research Station, Kadawa, Kano State. Rice yield was 11.6, 9.9 and 5.3 tons/ha; wheat yield was 1.46, 1.92 and 2.0 tons/ha, while Maize yield was 0.8, 0.4 and 0.91 tons/ha in the 2009/2010, 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 cropping season, respectively. ANOVA revealed a highly significant difference in the yield of paddy rice, wheat and maize at both 1 % and 5% significant levels (Fcalc>Ftab), with p-value of 0.0002, 0.004 and 0.001 for rice, wheat and maize respectively. Crop – water productivity models developed revealed that optimum crop yield of 12.8 tons/ha of paddy rice, 2.7 tons/ha of wheat and 0.94 tons/ha of maize is achievable with 58.3 cm of rainfall, 34 cm and of 29.8 cm of irrigation water respectively

Evaluation of chloride mass balance and recharge in agricultural lands in Nigeria

Groundwater salinization studies and recharge estimation was carried out at the Irrigation Research Station, Kadawa, Nigeria. Groundwater samples from fifteen randomly selected piezometer locations were analyzed monthly for chloride using Mohr’s method for three years while recharge was estimated using the chloride mass balance (CMB) method. Groundwater chloride range from 22 - 91.4 mg/l, seasonal trend was identified with the hot dry season (April – June) having higher values than the wet season (July – October). Correlation analysis revealed chloride status that is not associated with one another in all soil types while salt build up was observed at the south western tip of the farmland indicating potential reduction of agricultural productivity. CMB revealed a mean annual recharge of 869 mm; the method was found to underestimate recharge because it does not account for lateral flow contribution, hence should be discouraged as a stand-alone methodology for recharge studies. Salt build-up was exacerbated by the collapse of the drainage system. Reconstruction of the drainage systems using tile drains should be executed to control the rising water level in the area; conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water is recommended to maximally utilise available water in order to ensure ecological sustainability and free some water for other uses

Water resources potentials of Hadejia River Sub-catchment of Komadugu Yobe River Basin in Nigeria

A. Sobowale1, J. K. Adewumi1, J. A. Otun2, D. B. Adie2(1. Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Nigeria;2. Department of Water Resources Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Nigeria) Abstract: A water audit of the Hadejia river sub-catchment of Komadugu Yobe River basin of Nigeria (KYB) has been carried out.  The available water in this sub-catchment was compared with existing and potential water demands; results show that about 2,619 million cubic meters (MCM) of surface water is available annually upstream of Wudil (HS 1), 658 MCM is available between Wudil and Hadejia (HS 2), while 905 MCM is available between Hadejia and Gashua (HS 3).  Analysis of direct ground water recharge revealed that 86 mm, 94 mm and 8 mm of water is recharged to groundwater annually in the three hydrological sections HS 1, HS 2 and HS 3 respectively.  It is obvious that the least ground water recharge takes place in the Hadejia - Nguru Wetlands.  Presently, no water stress was observed in the sub catchment, the potential water balance of the area shows that about 75% of the available water between Wudil and Hadejia section (HS 2) would be used up by 2010 going by the current development rate.  Projections show that the water use rate will reach 100% by 2018.  At this time, water scarcity will be experienced in this sub-catchment if urgent steps are not taken to address the situation.  Integrated water resources management (IWRM) strategies were advanced for the sub-catchment in order to avert the crisis.Keywords: water resources potentials, water budget, river catchment system, soil moisture deficit, runoff, recharge, Nigeria Citation: Sobowale A, J K Adewumi, J A Otun, and D B Adie.  Water resources potentials of Hadejia River Sub - catchment of Komadugu Yobe River Basin in Nigeria.  Agric Eng Int: CIGR Journal, 2010, 12(2): 1-6.  &nbsp

In-vitro antifungal activity of leaf, stem bark and root extracts of Irvingia gabonensis against fungi associated with its seed deterioration

Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O'Rorke) Baill seeds are often contaminated in storage by postharvest spoilage fungi. This study investigated the nutritional contents of the seeds, phytochemical contents and antioxidant activity of different parts of the plant as well as their antifungal effects against fungi isolated from the deteriorated seeds. Proximate, mineral and phytochemical analyses were carried out using standard laboratory techniques. The antioxidant activity was against DPPH radicals. Ethanol extracts (100 and 200 mg/ml) of the various parts were screened against the isolates using pour plate method in Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) plates. The plates were examined for growth daily for 10 days. Data were statistically analysed. The healthy seeds contained higher protein (13.73%), fat (58.73%) and fibre (2.50%), whereas, higher content of moisture (10.17%) and carbohydrate (15.47%) were observed in the spoilt seeds. The leaf had highest contents of alkaloids (1228.3 mg/100 g), flavonoids (1345.9 mg/100 g), tannins (1345.9 mg/100 g), saponins (578.3 mg/100 g) and carotenoids (2348.3 μg/100 g). The antioxidant activity of the leaf (50.30%) was the highest. Fungi isolated from the deteriorated seeds were Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Curvilaria lunata. The leaf was most effective against A. niger, A. flavus and C. lunata whereas the stem bark extract was most effective against A. fumigatus. The F-values were significant for model, treatment, concentration and number of days for the leaf and root. This study confirmed the antifungal activity of extracts of various parts of the plant against isolates implicated in the deterioration of its seeds. The extracts could be used as preservative to enhance the shelf-life and nutritional quality of the seeds. Keywords: Irvingia gabonensis, Spoilage of seeds, Antifungal activity, Free radical scavengers, Preservative

Performance evaluation of water supply boreholes at Nguru, Nigeria

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the performance of ten water supply boreholes drilled in the upper zone pressure aquifer of the Chad formation at Nguru and to determine some hydraulic characteristics of the tapped aquifers

THE INTERNET AS A TOOL FOR INFORMATION AND EDUCATION: THE CASE OF OTA COMMUNITY IN NIGERIA

One of the best known traditional functions of the mass media is to foster education. The mass media aid both formal and informal education: the ultimate instruments for national development. The Internet has revolutionized communication and consequently, the nature and the structure of education. This study examines the Internet access and usage among residents of Ado-Odo Ota local government area of Ogun State in Nigeria. It is commonly said that we live in an information age. Nothing has changed the nature as well as the process of sharing information and knowledge as the advent of the Internet. The potentials of the Internet have been so celebrated that several scholars have described it as the leveler of the differences between the information rich and information poor nations. Considering the seemingly limitless information and educational materials on the Internet; it is also assumed that every society would have equal right to development. However, the issue of access has limited the seeming advantages derivable from the Internet, particularly in the developing world, of which Nigeria is one. This study explores 16 communities’ access to the Internet, their means of accessing it and levels of benefits. The survey method was used for the study. For societies to benefit from the Internet, the barrier of availability must be surmounted