Environment and Forestry

Quality of life is an amorphous and broad construct concerned with overall well-being in societies. While the term “quality” implies the degree of excellence of a characteristic, different people may value different areas of life, and therefore quality of life means different things to different people .Quality of life’ as any other concept in social science has been defined in a number of ways. In order to know the level of living people in a given geographical area, one has to know the overall consumption types and levels, housing, health, education, social status, employment, affluence, leisure hour, social security and social stability etc. A phenomenal and rapid enhancement in increase of urban population, practically in all major cities has the consequent strain on the prevailing system has manifested in the form of an environmental chaos. The process of urbanization can be owed as main culprit, where in besides bringing higher standard of living, it has also brought severe problems, as growth of dense and unplanned residential areas, environmental pollution, non-availability of services and amenities, solid waste, garbage disposal problems, drinking water problems, traffic menace etc. The study area, Jammu city is passing through a transitional phase of urbanization as lot of changes have been witnessed in last 3 decades. Thus, the present paper tends to assess and evaluate the quality of life and environmental conditions in the study area i.e. Jammu City on the basis of people’s perception.

Our aim is to assess nutrient status and pigment content of Uzunçay?r Dam Lake during period from May of 2013 to April of 2014. We sampled at different depths (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 m) from nine stations selected and investigated chlorophyll concentrations and carotenoid content in samples. The concentrations of chlorophyll were high in the spring and autumn that the values ranged from surface 19.06 to deeper parts 97.15 µg L-1. The highest value was determined as 13.14 µg L-1.Based on our data, Uzunçay?r Dam Lake can be classified as oligotrophic.

The study considered the impact of auto- mechanic activity on underground well water in Ado- Ekiti. Physico-chemical and heavy metal status were determined in water samples from four auto-mechanic workshops and control site in Ado- Ekiti. Samples were collected for both dry and wet season. The results showed that pH for both season ranged from 5.92 - 7.89, temperature ( 21.0 - 28.00 C), conductivity (232 - 456 µms/cm), dissolved oxygen DO ( 3.98 - 5.19 mg/L), chemical oxygen demand COD (10.1 - 14.4 mg/L), Turbidity (12.8 - 30.4 NTU ), sulphate (5.17 - 9.05 mg/L), total hardness (160 - 360 mg/L), suspended solids (62.0 - 142 mg/L), total solids TS (100 - 480 mg/L), total dissolved solids (200 - 420 mg/L), chloride (78.1 - 208 mg/L), alkalinity (12.1 - 26.5 mg/L CaCO3) and acidity (0.16 - 0.28 mg/L CaCO3). The turbidity levels in all the samples were high when compared with maximum permissible level while most of the physio-chemical parameters fall within the WHO standard for drinking water. Zn, Cr, Pb , Cd, Cu and Fe concentration for both season ranged from 0.8095 - 1.3921, 0.0002 - 0.0009, 0.0014 - 0.0036, 0.0016 - 0.0136, 0.9099 - 1.8552 and 0.1862 - 09.4623 mg/L, respectively. Cadmium was slightly higher than maximum permissible level for drinking water when compared with WHO standard. On pair wise comparison using linear correlation rxy at P0.05 n-2=4, there were significant difference in the concentration of heavy metals and the control samples for both seasons. The result also showed that at P0.05 n-2=12, the physico- chemical parameters for both dry and wet seasons for the four wells were significantly different when compared with control samples.

Phytoplanktons are primary producer of the aquatic ecosystem and constitute the base of food chain in any aquatic ecosystem. The qualitative and quantitative fluctuation of phytoplankton has a great effect on the aquatic life. The present region of Hardwar lies between approximately between approximately latitude 29º58' North and longitude at 78º13’ East. There are six aquatic bodies have been selected for study because all of the study areas are situated along the Ganga river bank and due to anthropogenic activities they were heavily polluted .Phytoplankton were observed in the first and third week of each month for two years for six different study areas. It was recorded that phytoplankton found in River Ganga mainly consisted of Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae and Cyanophyceae. It was recorded that phytoplankton were maximum in winters and minimum in monsoon period almost in every study areas.

Little is known on effectiveness of community involvement in the management of Lake Victoria which supports over tens of millions of people. Co-management approach in fisheries management was adopted due to failure of the traditional fisheries management approaches. The continued decline in fish catch despite the implementation of the concept of co-management triggered the current study in beaches of Mbita District, Kenya. The objective of the study was to investigate the extent to which co-management has contributed to environmental management in beaches of Mbita District. The results of this study are useful in the formulation of policies on the management of fisheries resources at the beach and similar environments in the neighbourhood and beyond. They make important inputs to the body of existing knowledge on beach management. A cross-sectional survey design was used as a research design due to the expansive coverage of the study area. The research instruments were mainly questionnaires. The total population of the study comprised of 9,360 fisheries stakeholders who are members of 62 beaches in Mbita District, Kenya. A sample size of 384 was statistically derived from the target population to represent the entire population. Statistical sampling method was used to sample the beaches in the three divisions proportionately according to their percentage weight in terms of population size. Furthermore, a statistical theory sampling technique was used to sample beaches due to large numbers and expansive distribution along the shores of Lake Victoria. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and findings presented in tables. The study found that co-management approach had positively influenced fisheries resource’ conservation in Mbita District; and it established that co-management as strategy is effective in awareness creation in environmental management among the fisheries stakeholders and is key to a safe and healthy environment and active involvement of natural resource users such as the members of Beach Management Units (BMU) in environmental management. .Environmental management and participatory formulation of fisheries laws and regulations had been enhanced at the beaches in the district. The study recommended further study on co-management in other types of natural resource.

The problem of high fluoride concentration in groundwater resources has now become one of the most important toxicological and geo -environmental issues in India. During the last three decades, the high fluoride concentration in water resources and the resultant disease ‘Fluorosis’ is highlighted considerably throughout the world. The presence of excess of fluoride in groundwater leads to dental and skeletal fluorosis. The permissible level of fluoride in groundwater is 1.0 to 1.5mg/l (WHO). Dharmapuri finds itself in a bad position owing to depletion of ground water sources and increased risk of fluoride contamination, this study was initiated to identify the fluoride high and low risk areas using World Health Organisation (WHO) standard and high risk areas were mapped with the help of GIS software arcview 3.2a

This study performed to programs presentation for environmental management of Maharloo Lake by SWOT method. This lake with an area of 600 sq.km is located 27 km southeast of Shiraz. The lake water is used for extraction of normal salt. It is considered a suitable and valuable habitat for migratory birds and wild animals. Environmental management processes include 4 steps. In order to gather information about the area, some method employment included: the Department of the Environment of the province, indigenous publications, library, Internet and questionnaires. The main purpose of SWOT analysis is to identify those internal and external factors in achieving the goals and those are important. In this method, information divided in two categories, 1: Internal factors, including strengths and weaknesses, which can be identified by internal factors matrix. 2: external factors including Opportunities and threats for environment, those factors can be identified by the external factors matrix. According to SOWT strategies, we designed best strategies regional management of Maharloo Lake.

The impact of soil quality indicators under small farm holding management practices was assessed to ascertain the status of soils and their potentials for sustainable agricultural development in Kaita, Mashi and Mai-adua Local Government Areas of Northern Katsina State, Nigeria. A total of 240 soil samples were collected for physical and chemical analyses. Perception of soil quality was investigated through the administration of 600 questionnaires. The Results indicated that pH value was optimum for crop production; PBS was low, but adequate and Ec within acceptable limits across the study area. SAR, ESP and OC contents vary within the Local Governments. It was concluded that farm management practices have effects on soil quality, and ultimately, crop yield.

Studies on the physico-chemical properties and selected heavy metal profiles namely; Temperature, pH, Dissolved oxygen (DO), Total suspended solids (TSS), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Turbidity, hardness, Nitrate (NO-3), Chloride (Cl-), salinity and Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Manganese (Mn), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni) and Zinc (Zn) in the water of Woji Creek respectively were investigated. Samples of the water were collected from five sampling stations along the creek on a monthly basis, for twelve months (October, 2012-September, 2013). Water samples were collected at 4-5cm depth below the water surface using clean, well-labelled 50cl plastic bottles and taken to the laboratory for further analysis. The metals in the water were extracted and their concentrations determined by flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry, (AAS). The mean total values for the physico-chemistry were as follows: Temperature 28.1±0.140C, pH 6.95±0.01, DO 2.72±0.1, TSS 8.23±0.81,TDS 5432.027±401.23, Turbidity 6.042±0.0.20, hardness 4158.40±342.80, Nitrate 4.268±0.40, Chloride 8790.143±693.38 and Salinity 7.36±0.30. The mean total dissolved solids (TDS), hardness and chloride levels were very high and above the permissible limits recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The mean total values for TDS, hardness and chloride were 5432.027mg/l, 4158.400mg/l and 8790.143mg/l respectively. The mean total Dissolved Oxygen (DO) level (2.720mg/l) was low and well below the permissible limits according to WHO. The mean total concentrations of Cd (0.002mg/l), Mn(0.026mg/l), Ni(0.059mg/l) and Zn(0.009mg/l) in the water were within the permissible limits as recommended by Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA)(1991) and U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, (USEPA) (1986), while those of Cr(0.408mg/l) and Pb (0.163mg/l) were higher than the permissible limits. The presence of these pollutants in the water indicates that the water is polluted and under stress. Fish from this creek are therefore not very safe for human consumption. Bioremediation and regular monitoring of the water body in order to restore and maintain the water quality of the creek and ensure the safety of the organisms for human consumption is recommended.

This paper reported the socio economic importance and marketing of P. osun in Ibadan South West Local Government, Oyo State, Nigeria. Data were collected through the use of structured Questionnaire administered to 150 respondents. Descriptive statistics, Cost and return, and the cost-benefit ratio were determined while Gini coefficient was used to analyze the market structure. The result showed that 73.8% of the respondents were female while 46-55years were 34.7%. P. osun’s leaves were used in the treatment of skin diseases while its roots and bark were used in the treatment of asthma, traditional soaps/antibacterial, its timber is also used in furniture making and building construction. The study further revealed that Bode market has the highest Net profit (?96,319:98) while Beere market has the lowest Net profit (?33,303:18) and the sawmills amassed an average Net profit of (?5,389,625.00) per annum. The Gini coefficient (G=0.81) (G=0.71) for the P. osun herb sellers and P. osun timber sellers respectively indicates the market is highly monopolized and has minimal competition while the regression analysis revealed that age of the sellers and their religion are factors that influence the profit of P. osun sellers in the study area It can be concluded that P. osun trade is highly lucrative whereby an increase in capital will bring an increase in the quantity of P. osun and a sharp increase in profit made from this enterprise. There is the need to properly create awareness campaigns and educate the people about the economic values of P. osun which also require adequate management and conservation for sustainable utilization.