Browsing by Author "Getenga, Zachary M."

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    Assessing the Challenge of Settlement in Budalangi and Yala Swamp Area in Western Kenya Using Landsat Satellite Imagery
    (2011) Onywere, Simon M.; Getenga, Zachary M.; Mwakalila, Shadrack S.; Twesigye, Charles K.; Nakiranda, Josephine K.
    The Budalangi area of Kenya exhibits high levels of rural poverty despite its natural resources potential and favourable climate. The area was mapped using multi-temporal remote sensing image data from 1973 to 2009 and participatory data collection. Floods are a recurrent environmental hazard and impede access to environmental resources and agricultural production. The physical setting of Budalangi at the floodplain of Nzoia River and increased runoff from degraded catchments are contributory factors to the flooding. Floods lead to disruption of human settlements and destruction of crops, shelter, dykes and infrastructural facilities. Disease outbreaks also increase due to destruction of sanitation facilities and relocation of settlements in makeshift camps. This implies that the policy measures that have been instituted by the government to mitigate the problem have had dismal impact in the Budalangi and Yala Swamp area. The degradation of the catchment is reflected in its sediment loading and deposition into Lake Victoria which has seen the morphology of the coastline at the mouth of Nzoia River and the aerial coverage by water in the lake change over the years. The overall loss in the area under Yala Swamp is 54 Km from 186 Km in 1973 to 132 Km in 2009. The encroachment has significant implication on the wellbeing of the Yala Swamp and the Nzoia Floodplain ecosystem. The study therefore underscores the need to evolve an integrated watershed management plan for effective management of Budalangi and Yala Swamp area and the region in general.
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    The Impact of Land Use Activities on Vegetation Cover and Water Quality in the Lake Victoria Watershed
    (2011) Twesigye, Charles K.; Onywere, Simon M.; Getenga, Zachary M.; Mwakalila, Shadrach S.; Nakiranda, Josephine K.
    The impact of land use activities on loss of vegetation cover and water quality was assessed in three selected sites within the Lake Victoria Basin using remote sensing technologies and standard water quality analysis techniques. The three study sites were: (i) Nzoia River Basin (Kenya), (ii) Nakivubo Wetland (Uganda) and (iii) Simiyu drainage basin (Tanzania). Lake Victoria is the second largest fresh water lake in the world and is served by a drainage basin area of over 193,000 km2 , traversing five East African Community States; Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. This paper examines the impact of land use activities on vegetation cover and water quality based on remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems analysis combined with chemical and physical water analysis. The quality of the effluent generated by the industries found within the study sites and their effects on downstream discharge was also determined. Pesticide residues in soil and water samples were determined using analytical standard methods. Soils from some selected fields in Nzoia River basin showed high levels of compounds such as aldrin, dieldrin, endosulfan, DDT, and endrin which are together referred to as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The physical and chemical analysis of water quality revealed high levels of phosphates and nitrates along the agricultural zones of River Nzoia Basin. The satellite images revealed that in all the three study sites land vegetation cover has continuously reduced in size. The extent of environmental degradation caused by agricultural, domestic and industrial wastes and how this affects loss of vegetation cover and water quality is discussed.