MSUIR Collection:

Evaluating the water quality within the reticulation system of Kwekwe municipality during the dry and wet seasons

Chinomona, Silence — 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Evaluating the water quality within the reticulation system of Kwekwe municipality during the dry and wet seasons Authors: Chinomona, Silence Abstract: The research sought to evaluate the water quality within the reticulation system of Kwekwe municipality during the dry and wet seasons and to measure the water quality parameters such as pH, turbidity, total coliforms, free and combined chlorine from the source, final stage of treatment and throughout the distribution system. It also had to consider how distance from one sampling point to another affect the quality of water. It had to consider measurement, the water treatment process, causes for poor water quality as well as desired international standards of World and Health Organisation, (WHO). Data was collected from nine different sampling points including schools, clinics, residential areas of Mbizo and Amaveni, Dutchman Pool Waterworks formerly known as Sebakwe Treatment Works as well as dam water. The data was collected in January and February 2016 representing wet season as well as in May and June 2016 representing dry season. Laboratory tests were conducted in order to analyse the quality of water at the different sampling sites. For statistical analysis both one way and two way ANOVA were used. Regression analysis was done to establish a relationship between water quality parameters and distance.

Analysis of land use and land cover changes and their effects on the water balance of Insiza dam catchment

Siziba, Leonel — 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Analysis of land use and land cover changes and their effects on the water balance of Insiza dam catchment Authors: Siziba, Leonel Abstract: Land-use and land-cover changes have an effect on the water balance as well as water yield of catchments in Zimbabwe. Most of these changes can be attributed to economic activities undertaken by communities within the catchments in an effort to improve their standards of living. The research was carried out in Insiza dam-catchment to investigate the effects of temporal land-use and land-cover changes on Insiza dam-catchment water balance. GIS and Remote sensing techniques were used in ENVI 4.2 and ArcGIS 10 to compute and analyse LULC changes in the study area. Three Landsat images for 1989, 1998 and 2008 (path and row of 170 and 74) were downloaded from the USGS website and classified through maximum likelihood to create thematic maps. Change detection techniques were used to compute class statistics as well as accuracy assessment. The LULC changes were then related to the water balance by computing water use and runoff for each land-cover class. The results showed that there were notable changes in LULC in the Insiza dam-catchment from 1989 to 2008 where cropland and grassland had the greatest increase and decrease respectively. Cropland increased by 81.30% following the FTLRP whilst grassland decreased by 154.48%. Although the annual runoff generated increased from 1989 to 2008 by 48.30%, the increase was not significant because of a suspected increase in sediment load due to the increase in bare soil by 56.56%. There is therefore a need for regulation of LULC activities in dam catchments as changes in land-use have an effect on the water balance.

Effects of deficit irrigation on growth parameters and yield of organic and inorganic fertilized dry beans (phaseolus vulgaris l).

Khumalo, Mthabisi — 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Effects of deficit irrigation on growth parameters and yield of organic and inorganic fertilized dry beans (phaseolus vulgaris l). Authors: Khumalo, Mthabisi Abstract: Organic manure supply to soil with inorganic or on its own is good soil management practice improving crop quality and overall soil fertility. Increasing water demand on many sectors and evident reduction of water allocated to agriculture is of importance prompting exploration of the more efficient water use techniques to maximise production. Local small holder communal farmers are faced by challenges of lack of access to inorganic fertilizers due to economic constrain and lack of capital hence they usually utilise the farm yard manure as a nutrient source for their crops. The study intends to evaluate the effects of organic and inorganic fertilizer with water deficit of 20%, 30% and a control with full irrigation on the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) crop production (germination, growth parameters and yield component). Six treatments replicated four times were used on the trial. The field experiment was carried out at Midlands State University experimental field from August to November 20l6. Cattle manure was used as organic manure at rate of 24 tonnes/ha on planting and inorganic fertilizer was supplied in split application of compound D at 300kg/ha rate on planting and top dressing ammonium nitrate (34.5% N) at rate of l50kg/ha. The parameters measured in the investigation are germination rate, plant height, and leaf area, number of days taken to flower, pod development and yield. The results shows that 30% water deficit retarded crop development, caused poor flowering and pod development for both organic and inorganic fertilized treatments. Using the yield coefficient (ky) method proposed by Darenbos and Kassim (l979), it was observed that at peak water stress (30% water deficit) high value of ky (l.l4) and very low yields were attained. At the same growth stage low value of ky (0.07) were obtained with relatively high yield for full irrigation and 20% water deficit treatments, thus farmers can use water deficit of 20% under water shortages and shun the 30% water deficit as it produced very low yields on both organic and inorganic treatments. Full water irrigation and 20% deficit had no significant different yield outcome, which brings us to the conclusion that any of the two nutrients supplicants can be utilized with 20% water deficit where water is limiting and full irrigation where there are no shortages.

Effects of urbanisation in Upper Manyame on the flow of Manyame River at Gauging Station C21

Kudenga, Nyasha — 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Effects of urbanisation in Upper Manyame on the flow of Manyame River at Gauging Station C21 Authors: Kudenga, Nyasha Abstract: Regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between urbanisation in Harare and river yield of Manyame River at gauging station C21. To detect the effects of urbanisation, Landsat images were downloaded from USGS website (http://landsatlook.usgs.gov/viewer) and they were processed in Quantum GIS and System for Automated Geoscientific Analysis. Image classification was carried out in SAGA were the images were classified into five main classes which were Forest, Scrub, Ground, Water and Built up. Change detection was then carried out in SAGA and also the changes that occurred were calculated as a percentage in SAGA. The results showed that in Upper Manyame, forests were totally deforested by 18.04 percent. The area that was covered by scrub was reduced by 10.2 percent. Built up area increased sharply by 11.2 percent and the area that was covered by bare ground drastically expanded by 17.8 percent. The average NDVI for C21which showed the reduction in vegetation was calculated in Arc GIS. The median NDVI values were then calculated in Excel and it showed that there was a general decrease in the NDVI values in C21 catchment with the highest 0.47 in 1998 showing a healthier forest and lowest was 0.36 in 2011 showing a degraded forest. The river yield for Manyame river at gauging station C21 was calculated in excel and showed that there was a general increase in the river yield as a percentage from 104 percent to 129 percentage although there was a sharp decrease in 2008 to 109 percent where there was a draught in Zimbabwe. Linear least square regression analysis was run to establish the relationship between river yield and NDVI and the relationship was statistically significant with p<0.05 tested by Gen stat 2014 edition . The NDVI and river yield had a strong inverse relationship of -0.72. The r2 value for NDVI and river yield was 0.5199.