Speakers

Biography

Yahaya Kudush Kawa, currently Acting Head of Chemistry, School of Basic Sciences, Njala University.  Ph.D. Environmental Sciences and Engineering China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), MSc. Analytical Chemistry Northeast Normal University, Changchun Jilin China, and BSc. (Edu) Chemistry/Biology Njala University, Sierra Leone. I am a lifetime member of the International Society for Development and Sustainability, also I have over fifteen (15) publications and five abstracts in reputable journals, I was awarded 2016/2017 and 2018/ 2019 academic years, excellence award respectively at the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), a member on the investigation of pollution in Koidu City Eastern Sierra Leone.

Abstract

 Open waste dumping is the oldest method of waste management in the world and has been in practice for very long periods. The practice involves throwing away waste in exposed places without much attention to proper management. The practice is simple but poses severe threats to humans, animals, and the general environment. Inland Valley Swamps (IVS) cover approximately 700,000 ha in Sierra Leone. They form the backbone of vegetable gardening, especially in the dry season, and serve as a major source for most residents in urban and peri-urban communities. As most swamps in cities, those in Koidu are also often used for dumping waste materials but the consequences and/or benefits associated with this practice have never been fully researched thus this study gears towards establishing the basic impacts that the practice of open dumping has on the selected IVs in the study area. The study was therefore undertaken to ascertain the physical and chemical properties of IVS soils in the study area. Laboratory analysis was carried out of soils collected at the first 20 cm depth in soil collected from three swamps (Kanesay, Libanor, and Paul Square) in Koidu Town, Eastern Sierra Leone. The results obtained showed high acidity, low levels of nutrients, and low levels of non-essential nutrients. The study concludes that the swamps hold a huge potential for crop production if well managed. Further studies to assess more heavy metals are recommended.