Browsing by Author "Kapiyo, Raphael"

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    Beach Community-Designed System To Ameliorate Water Quality Deterioration in Catchments of Lake Victoria
    (The Open Environmental Engineering Journal, 2012) Muyodi, Fredrick Jones; Kapiyo, Raphael
    Water quality and socio-economic status of beach communities was studied in the Thruston Bay catchments of Lake Victoria. The major aim of the study was to establish the relation between water quality and socio-economic status of the communities in the study sites and come up with a sustainable community-designed system to control water quality degradation. Physico-chemical characteristics of water were determined on-site while total and fecal coliforms were determined in the laboratory using standard methods. The most probable number (MPN) technique was used to determine the total coliforms (TC) while the fecal coliform (FC) Test was used for testing the presence or absence of fecal coliforms. All sites tested positive for total and fecal coliforms. Borehole water had the highest MPN values followed by 10 m site. To compliment on the water quality data collected, a socio-economic status study of beach communities was conducted using questionnaires, structured interviews, focus group discussions and observations. Data and information on the demographic characteristics, asset ownership, livelihood activities, social facilities, health and sanitation, communication and outreach, solid waste and fisheries management and Beach Management Units (BMU) establishments, among others, was collected. A method in form of a model was designed using a participatory approach by the beach communities to be used to ameliorate lakeshore degradation by the communities in collaboration with other stakeholders.
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    Environmental Quality and Fish Communities in Selected Catchments of Lake Victoria
    (The Open Environmental Engineering Journal, 2011) Muyodi, Fredrick Jones; Mwanuzi, Fredrick L.; Kapiyo, Raphael
    Water quality and fish species are studied in selected catchments of Lake Victoria. The major aim of the study is to establish the relationship between the environmental quality and fish communities in the selected study sites of Lake Victoria. Physico-chemical characteristics of water in selected sites were determined on-site while nutrients and heavy metals were determined in the laboratory using standard methods. Fish samples were collected using experimental multifilament gillnets with varying mesh sizes. Fish identification was done using external morphological characteristics and identification keys. Physico-chemical results in Thruston bay revealed rise in water column temperature and turbidity as compared to those measured by earlier studies on the lake. Dissolved oxygen (DO) ranged from 0.9 mg L-1 in Yala catchment to 11.56 mg L-1 in Thruston bay. Phosphorus (P) ranged from 9.78 􀀁g L-1 to 120.67 􀀁g L-1 in Thruston bay and in Yala catchment, it ranged from 185.2 􀀁g L-1 to 1526.9 􀀁g L-1. The nitrate-nitrogen loading in the Geita catchment ranged from 130 to 7465 kg N between the years 2006 and 2008. The results in the inshore sites show a potential for higher photosynthetic rates than in the offshore sites implying that there is more food for the fish in the inshore sites than in the offshore sites. Results further reveal that in Thruston bay there are 13 fish species and Haplochromines dominate the fish catch in terms of numbers. Heavy metals including mercury resulting from artisanal and commercial gold mining in the Geita study site were also detected in the discharges into the lake. This paper also presents measures for the sustainable management of the lake environment, its quality and fisheries.