Metahara is the largest sugarcane farm in Ethiopia. It produces around 120,000 tons of sugar per year. The farm has been facing some problems such as salinity and sodicity, which has been studied by different experts ...Metahara is the largest sugarcane farm in Ethiopia. It produces around 120,000 tons of sugar per year. The farm has been facing some problems such as salinity and sodicity, which has been studied by different experts for several decades. However, the other universal problem of agricultural farms is nitrate leaching loss, which has never been studied in the site, owing to lack of resources and expertise. The amount of nitrate leaching from agricultural farms can be measured directly from drainage rates or estimated by using numerical models. Measurements of drainage flow can be done by using lysimeters, but normally it can be estimated from water balance calculations or from field measurements of hydraulic gradients and hydraulic conductivities. However, in reality, hydraulic conductivity is highly variable and measurements in the field can be very laborious. Moreover, predicting nitrate leaching losses by using numerical models from such data- poor study area is also another problem. Nevertheless, groundwater nitrate concentration of the farm is measured by using the UV screening and distillation methods. Using the experimental results as an input for the model calibration, the amount of nitrate leaching from the farm is predicted for a 47 years of simulation period using the LEACHN model. In this case, both the measured and predicted values of nitrate leaching losses show that there is no nitrate problem in the site. However, even though the likelihood of detecting nitrate contamination in the study area is low, potential anthropogenic nitrogen sources must be carefully managed, for it is better to be safe than regretful.展开更多
This study covers some physical, chemical, and bacteriological parameters needed to be tested for drinking water quality. The purpose of the research is to assess and compare the quality of five different brands of sa...This study covers some physical, chemical, and bacteriological parameters needed to be tested for drinking water quality. The purpose of the research is to assess and compare the quality of five different brands of sachet water marketed in Bo city and to give relevant recommendation(s) were possible. The results obtained were compared to the standard set for each parameter by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the maximum contaminant level set by the United State Environment Protection Agency (USEPA). Five brands of sachets water were selected in Bo city and their physical and chemical parameters were evaluated in the Njala University Quality Control Laboratory (NUQCL), and their bacteriological evaluation was done in the Sierra Rutile laboratory. The physical parameters tested for were in accordance with the standards set by the WHO with the exception of the temperatures for each brand which were above the WHO standard. The pH of all the sachets water was in the acidic range, below the standard range and the maximum contaminant level set by the WHO and USEPA respectively. This affected the alkalinity of all the sachets water to be zero (0). None of the sachets water completely met the WHO standard and the USEPA maximum contaminant level for all the parameters tested for in this research. In this regard, none of the sachets water is completely recommended for drinking.展开更多
文摘Metahara is the largest sugarcane farm in Ethiopia. It produces around 120,000 tons of sugar per year. The farm has been facing some problems such as salinity and sodicity, which has been studied by different experts for several decades. However, the other universal problem of agricultural farms is nitrate leaching loss, which has never been studied in the site, owing to lack of resources and expertise. The amount of nitrate leaching from agricultural farms can be measured directly from drainage rates or estimated by using numerical models. Measurements of drainage flow can be done by using lysimeters, but normally it can be estimated from water balance calculations or from field measurements of hydraulic gradients and hydraulic conductivities. However, in reality, hydraulic conductivity is highly variable and measurements in the field can be very laborious. Moreover, predicting nitrate leaching losses by using numerical models from such data- poor study area is also another problem. Nevertheless, groundwater nitrate concentration of the farm is measured by using the UV screening and distillation methods. Using the experimental results as an input for the model calibration, the amount of nitrate leaching from the farm is predicted for a 47 years of simulation period using the LEACHN model. In this case, both the measured and predicted values of nitrate leaching losses show that there is no nitrate problem in the site. However, even though the likelihood of detecting nitrate contamination in the study area is low, potential anthropogenic nitrogen sources must be carefully managed, for it is better to be safe than regretful.
文摘This study covers some physical, chemical, and bacteriological parameters needed to be tested for drinking water quality. The purpose of the research is to assess and compare the quality of five different brands of sachet water marketed in Bo city and to give relevant recommendation(s) were possible. The results obtained were compared to the standard set for each parameter by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the maximum contaminant level set by the United State Environment Protection Agency (USEPA). Five brands of sachets water were selected in Bo city and their physical and chemical parameters were evaluated in the Njala University Quality Control Laboratory (NUQCL), and their bacteriological evaluation was done in the Sierra Rutile laboratory. The physical parameters tested for were in accordance with the standards set by the WHO with the exception of the temperatures for each brand which were above the WHO standard. The pH of all the sachets water was in the acidic range, below the standard range and the maximum contaminant level set by the WHO and USEPA respectively. This affected the alkalinity of all the sachets water to be zero (0). None of the sachets water completely met the WHO standard and the USEPA maximum contaminant level for all the parameters tested for in this research. In this regard, none of the sachets water is completely recommended for drinking.
