Browsing by Author "Mulabbi, Andrew"

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    Ecological Responses of Macroinvertebrates to an In-Stream Ecosystem Restoration Technique in a Tropical Stream in Eastern Uganda.
    (East African Journal of Environment and Natural Resources, 2021) Turyahabwe, Remigio; Mulabbi, Andrew; Asaba, Joyfred; Olowo, Moses
    Afield experiment was conducted to examine the ecological responses of macroinvertebrates to an in-stream ecosystem restoration technique called woody debris introduced in a stream in different arrangements to show how they (woody debris) affected the macroinvertebrate ecology, specifically assemblage composition and biometrics in River Nabongo. The experiment was carried out in two heterogeneous stream environments i.e., i) in a riffle found in the middle reaches of the river at a higher altitude and ii) a pool in the lower altitude and reaches of the river. Each of these two treatments had a control plot for comparison purposes. Four macroinvertebrate sampling campaigns were launched in experimental sites from September 2019 to April 2021. All restoration structures had more macroinvertebrates than control and pre-treatment sites. The introduction of simple structures at the riffle site led to an increase in collector-filterers from 9-128 individuals, while at the pool site all the structures increased macroinvertebrates by 1151 individuals. Taxon richness was highest in the complex plot with 14±0.41 which significantly differed from the rest of the sampling plots at P<0.05. The relative abundance of taxa at the pool site varied significantly from one sampling plot to another at P<0.05 with the highest mean abundance registered in complex and simple structures having 61.3±0.10 and 23.5±0.11 respectively. It was concluded that complex woody debris structures increase the diversity, abundance and richness of aquatic macroinvertebrates by providing hard substrates for colonization by algae and microorganisms on which macroinvertebrates feed. We recommended that other researchers should study the impact of other in-stream ecosystem restoration techniques such as floating islands, constructed wetlands, D-deflectors, a comparison of which with restored woody debris will enable ecologists to choose the most suitable technique to apply at different stream points.
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    The Energy Potential of Harvested Wood Fuel by Refugees in Northern Uganda
    (The Scientific World Journal, 2022) Barasa, Bernard; Turyabanawe, Loy; Akello, Gertrude; Gudoyi, Paul Makoba; Nabatta, Claire; Mulabbi, Andrew
    For the last three decades, Uganda has lost considerable natural vegetation cover in the refugee settlements and buffer zones due to the high demand for wood fuel and timber. It is worthy to note that the supplies of wood fuel are more likely to dwindle in the near future. 'is study explored the determinants of harvested wood-fuel choices and their energy potential. It also examined the implemented energy conservation measures and constraints faced by the refugees both in Palorinya and Imvepi refugee settlements in Northern Uganda. 'edata were collected by conducting household interviews and collection of wood species samples for energy potential laboratory analysis. Findings indicate that the major sources of wood fuel were firewood, charcoal, briquettes, and biomass fuels. 'e major refugee choices that determined wood-fuel collection included the family size of the house hold, culture, method of cooking, type of food cooked, high poverty levels, and availability of family labour (P ≤ 0.05). 'e sampled wood tree species had the highest energy potential were Celtis durandii (5,837 kcal/kg), Parkinsonia aculeata (5,771 kcal/kg), Delonix regia (5,153 kcal/kg), and Bligihia unijugata (5,034 kcal/kg). Access to wood fuel by the households was mainly constrained by limited household income levels, long distances trekked, and inadequate awareness about wood fuel sources and availability. To conserve wood fuel, the refugees deploy several measures including the use of mobile solar gadgets for cooking and lighting, taking up agroforestry, use of briquettes, adoption of energy-saving cooking stoves, and establishment of new woodlots. 'erefore, to reverse this trend, the Ugandan government and development partners should prioritise energy investments by supporting cheaper energy alternatives such as mobile solar gadgets and energy-saving cooking technologies, and establishment of woodlots.
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    Environmental and Socio-economic Impact Assessment of Stone Quarrying in Tororo District, Eastern Uganda
    (East African Journal of Environment and Natural Resources, 2021) Turyahabwe, Remigio; Asaba, Joyfred; Mulabbi, Andrew; Osuna, Christopher
    The study aimed at assessing the environmental and socio-economic impact of stone quarrying in Tororo district. To achieve this, we used questionnaires, interviews and focused group discussions, where the information obtained was confirmed by field observations. The data was analysed using simple descriptive statistics like percentages, tables and graphs. Results indicated that, stone quarrying did more harm than good on the biophysical environment as it came with terrestrial ecosystem degradation as reported by 65%, water quality deterioration as reported by 34% as well as deafening noise and air pollution as indicated by 100% of the total respondents. Socio-economic analysis indicated that benefits of stone quarrying outweighed costs. For example, 100% of respondents indicated that employment arose from stone quarrying and 79% stated that, standards of living have been elevated by the activity. The district local government realizes local revenue from the activity. The activity is however associated with accidents and subsequent loss of lives and physical body damages due to collapsing caves of quarries. It was therefore concluded that, Tororo district environment office should monitor the quarrying activities to avoid leaving open pits and caves that are dangerous to lives of people at quarry sites.
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    Factors and Constraints Hindering Effective Municipal Solid Waste Management Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: Case Study of Northern Uganda.
    (International Journal of Advanced Research, 2021) Ongia, Joel-Owiny; Turyabanawe, Loy; Barasa, Bernard; Mulabbi, Andrew; Akello, Gertrude
    In developing countries, little information is available about solid-waste characteristics, determinants for adoption and performance-evaluation of municipal-waste management systems in Municipals. This study aimed: to characterize the municipal solid-wastes, collection, dumping and evaluate the efficiency and reliability of Municipal solid-waste management system. A total of 200 households were randomly sampled and interviewed. Data was analysed using Binary-Logistic Regression model to determine factors influencing collection and dumping of solid wastes. Results showed that biodegradable/organic wastes comprise a major fraction of solid-wastes produced. Factors that influenced solid-waste collection and dumping included: household-age, unavailability of solid-waste containers, inadequate collection/dumping space and weak legal-enforcement against poor-dumping. The waste system is constrained by inadequate transport facilities, inadequate space for temporal dumping; and lack of legal enforcement in matters of solid-waste poor handling. These have made the systems ineffective and unreliable. This study recommends involvement of all stakeholders in innovative approaches to uphold sustainable municipal sanity.