No abstract

Poor waste management has remained a nagging environmental issue for many developing countries. This paper examined the mode of solid waste storage and disposal in Nsukka, with the aim of providing and synthesizing data needed for waste management planning and policy making. A total of three hundred (300) well-structured questionnaires were administered to households cutting across ten communities to generate quantitative data on demographics as well as waste storage and disposal practices. The qualitative methods such as oral interviews, observation surveys, and secondary data were also employed. An initial environmental quality assessment of the selected households showed that 58.5% of houses surveyed were littered with waste and 71% had bushy surrounding. The study reveals that the distribution of waste storage container sizes are: 0 – 5 L (4%), 6 – 10 L (43%), 11 – 20 L (51%) and > 21 L (2%). It was also observed that the prevalent types of waste storage containers in Nsukka are: plastic bins (49%), polythene bags (15%) and cartons (10%) with volume ranging from 0.1 to 0.625m3. The remaining twenty-six (26%) was distributed among other unconventional waste storage types. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of the residents in the study area can access waste dumps within a radius of 1 km or five minutes walking distance. The waste storage containers in the study area were of varying types and capacities which makes waste management more tasking. Indiscriminate solid waste disposal is necessitated by perceived non proximity of waste dumps to residents. Door to door services should be provided to residents by integrating private sector into waste management. Material such as aluminum should be used in manufacturing of waste containers because of it lightweight and durability.

No abstract

Two major cities (Enugu and Abakaliki) in Southeastern Nigeria were investigated in order to ascertain rainwater harvesting practices and prospects for supplementing available supply. The methods employed include: distribution of questionnaires for the determination of water consumption and supply specifics, and rainwater harvesting practices; and use of optimisation to maximise water storage for dry season supply. The per capita water consumption for Enugu was 23.7 lpcd, 34.45 lpcd, and 67.05 lpcd for low income, middle income and high income groups respectively; while that for Abakaliki was 15.56 lpcd, 28.08 lpcd, and 50 lpcd respectively for the three income groups. In Enugu, 47%, 61.8% and 37.9% of the low income, middle income and high income groups respectively practice RWH. While in Abakaliki, the corresponding proportions are 67.2%, 48.8% and 46.9%. Rainwater can meet 100% of the water consumption of low income group of both cities for bungalows and up to five-storey buildings housing 72 residents.

No abstract