Natural Sciences
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- ItemQuality of public transport service in the city of Lusaka: a case study of the minibus service on the great east road.(The University of Zambia, 2020) Choongo, BensonPublic transport is important for the well-being of any country in the world. Having a well planned and efficiently managed transportation system brings many benefits to the people. Public transport is adversely affected by rising incomes, urban sprawl, and undeveloped road systems, spatial-development mismatches which worsens traffic conditions in the developing countries. Traffic congestion can contribute to poor quality of public transport service in the City of Lusaka. Service quality needs to be assessed to establish whether it meets the needs of the service users. Customers’ assessments of quality of service include perceptions of multiple dimensions of the service. The research was done to assess the quality of public transport service on the Great East Road which had the second highest traffic volume of 31,000 vehicles per day in the City of Lusaka in the year 2009. The Independence Avenue had the highest at 47,000 vehicles per day. Primary and secondary data collection methods were used. The primary data was collected from key informants using interview guides and questionnaires while secondary data was collected through review of documents such as books, journals and others related to the topic. Two methods of sampling namely Purposive Sampling and Convenience Sampling were used to determine the samples. A total of 20 minibuses, 20 minibus drivers and 20 commuters were therefore used in assessing quality of the public transport service on the study route. Five (5) institutions namely Departments of Physical Planning and Housing (DPPH) and Housing and Infrastructure Development (DHID), Lusaka City Council, (LCC), Road Traffic and Safety Agency (RTSA) and the Ministry of Transport, Works Supply and Communications (MTWSC) were used to provide information regarding the quality of public transport service on the study route and the City of Lusaka as a whole. Direct observations by the researcher was another method used for data collection to capture the actual prevailing situation regarding the subject matter. Observations were also made to achieve material truth and inductive reasoning. To assess the quality of service, The Reliability, Extent of Service, Comfort, Safety and Affordability (RECSA) approach which has five dimensions of quality of service was used. Findings showed that public transport service quality was unreliable, inadequate, uncomfortable, unsafe and unaffordable to service users. Recommendations such as the introduction of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) were made towards improvement of quality of public transport service according to the five dimensions of service quality assessment of RECSA.
- ItemImplementation of fisheries co-management in Mweru- Luapula fishery, Northern Zambia.(The University of Zambia, 2021) Kaluma, KetiweThe introduction of Co- management in Mweru- Luapula fishery in the early 1990’s by the Department of Fisheries (DOF) aimed at replacing exclusionary state control. However, lack of supporting legislation and funding in most fisheries led to its collapse. Currently, co-management legislation exists through the Fisheries Act No. 22 of 2011. The study aimed to examine co- management implementation in Mweru- Luapula fishery by evaluating the performance of Village Fisheries Management Committees (VFMCs), analyzing participation of fishers in management activities and assessing fisher compliance to fisheries regulations. Data were collected through structured interviews with 64 respondents, five focus group discussions and two key informant interviews with a traditional leader and an official from the Department of Fisheries in Nchelenge district. Ostrom’s eight design principles and Pretty’s typology of participation were used to analyze the performance of the VFMC and fisher participation respectively. Thematic and content analysis was employed to analyze the data. Results show that despite the existence of a VFMC structure, failure to host elections since co- management inception suggests the possibility of ‘elite capture’ by the local leadership. A passive type of participation exists with only 11 percent of respondents attributing the by- law formulation process to the Department of Fisheries and fishers. Despite majority (92 percent) of respondents indicating awareness of the prescribed gear, fishers are undeterred from using illegal fishing gear owing to low penalty charges imposed on offenders and failure to integrate fishers in monitoring fellow fishers’ activities. Weak enforcement of fishery regulations and a lack of clearly defined property rights by the fishing community therefore indicate poor implementation of the co- management system in Mweru- Luapula fishery. Therefore by sensitizing artisan fishers and the fishing community on their rights and duties in the co- management system and engaging them through dialogue in planning and decision- making, co- management can be revived. Future studies can therefore explore the role of Fishing Associations and how they can be integrated in co- management plans.
- ItemSite selection analysis for fish pond farming in Kafue district, Zambia: a multi-criteria evaluation approach.(The University of Zambia, 2021) Siachinga, Muzamba MarthaAquaculture site selection involves the identification of areas that are economically, socially, and environmentally suitable and available for fish farming. Site selection using conventional method is rather inefficient because it is slow, financially costly and it covers a very small area. Due to inaccurate site selection, fish farmers face challenges such as water seepage, fish mortalities, poor aeration, and poor water quality. To overcome these challenges, a multi-criteria evaluation method is used to allocate aquaculture fish ponds to suitable locations. The advantage is not only in time and cost effectiveness but also in achieving an integrated treatment of aquaculture development criteria, which is difficult through conventional techniques alone. This study determined suitable sites for on-land aquaculture in Kafue district using multi-criteria evaluation approach. It specifically determined the criteria for selecting suitable fish pond sites and develops a suitability map showing fishpond sites. Data were collected through remote sensing, key informant interviews, and focus group discussion. The data sets used were Kafue DEM, soils, roads, slope, rivers and 2019 Landsat images. Key factors identified were land use/cover type, soil type, distance to roads and rivers, slope and elevation. Data were analysed using content analysis, Microsoft excel and ArcGIS 10.1. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used for ranking and developing relative weights called priorities to differentiate the importance of the criteria using pairwise comparison. Consistency ratio of 0.027 was obtained which is less than 0.10 hence the results were reliable. After this procedure was done, findings show that the most important factor was land use/cover type (43%) and the least was slope (3%). Results show that of the total area (459,890 Ha) of the study area, highly suitable sites cover (10.99%), suitable sites (33%), moderately suitable sites (49%), constraint (7%) and not suitable sites (0.01%). The most suitable land use/cover type was cropland and grassland near the Kafue River. Sites close to roads and wetland were suitable because it is easy to access water and sell fish in good time since fish is a perishable good. The findings imply that aquaculture would greatly improve if sites are selected using MCE. Four points of each class from the final suitability model were compared with field data and found to be consistent. The study concludes that Site selection for aquaculture using Geographic Information System is accurate, quicker, cheaper and easier compared to conventional methods. The model can be used by fish farmers and stakeholders to make progressing decisions for their suitable site plan.
- ItemMolecular characterization of thermophilic prokaryotes from Chinyunyu hot spring in Zambia.(The University of Zambia, 2019) Kalumbilo, Pascal MubondaHot springs are among some of the naturally-occurring extreme environments that have generated considerable interest in microbial ecologists worldwide even though there is very little information on hotspring ecosystems in Zambia. Thermophilic prokaryotes present in such extreme habitats are considered valuable sources of biotechnological products including thermally-stable enzymes applied in many research and manufacturing processes. Fifteen water samples were aseptically collected from three different sampling points at three different temperatures of 50C, 55C and 60C at Chinyunyu hot spring in Zambia. The recorded pH of the water at the sampling time was 9.0. One hundred microlitres of each sample was inoculated on nutrient agar medium and incubated at 50C, 55C and 60C. A total of 13 phenotypically distinct isolates were identified from all the three incubation temperatures. The isolated colonies were subsequently cultured at 55°C and pH of 7.0. Their genomic DNA was PCR-amplified using 16S rRNA primers and sequenced by the Sanger dideoxy chain termination method. Amplicon sequences were analyzed using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) algorithm. All the thirteen isolates were Gram-positive, catalase positive, rod-shaped cells. All isolates belonged to the bacterial phylum Firmicutes and seven were affiliated to the genus Anoxybacillus while six were affiliated to the genus Bacillus. The study revealed that Chinyunyu hot spring harbors genetically diverse thermophilic prokaryotes which could be amenable to further studies to exploit the hot spring microbiome for its biotechnological potential.
- ItemForest cover changes and forest management approaches in Kalulu forest reserve no. 32, Kabwe district.(The University of Zambia, 2021) Mundende, MwenyaZambia's forest resources have been disappearing at an alarming rate. This study reports on forest cover changes and forest management approaches in state-owned forests; a case of Kalulu Forest Reserve No. 32 in Kabwe District, in Central Province. Data was collected through questionnaire survey (83) respondents, key informant interviews, Landsat satellite images for 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015, and field observations. The questionnaire survey were analysed using some measures of central tendencies that is the mean and mode and content analysis for the qualitative data. The interview data were analysed using content and thematic analysis, while the satellite imagery was analysed using the supervised classification and post-classification (thematic) change detection. The results show that, 85 percent of the respondents believe that there has been forest cover loss between 2000 and 2015 attributed to an influx in the population of the squatters. Almost all (98 percent) of the respondents had adopted agricultural based livelihoods which entailed forest clearance. More than half (58 percent) of the respondents believed that land was accessible in the forest through allocations by the chief or village headmen. Time lapse satellite imagery showed that there was a reduction in the closed, open vegetation and wetlands by 79 percent, 49 percent and 65 percent, respectively, between 2000 and 2015. There was an increase in cropfield, bareland/settlement and grassland by 78 percent, 55 percent and 17 percent, respectively, during the same period. The study results suggest that the loss of forest cover could be attributed to a weak institutional framework in that, only 14 percent of the respondents acknowledged that the Forest Department managed the forest reserve while 97 percent of them considered the forest and all its resources being accessible through traditional leaders and political office bearers. Conversely, Forestry Department officials reported being stopped from enforcing their mandate to remove squatters from the forest by political leaders. This suggests conflicts in management of the forest reserve among stakeholders. The study also revealed that 87 percent of the respondents admitted were not aware of any sensitization programmes on forest by the Forestry Department despite the latter’s claim of running such programmes. This study concludes there had been forest cover loss between 2000 and 2005 in Kalulu Forest Reserve No. 32. This was coupled with ineffective forest management approaches used in Kalulu Forest Reserve No. 32 as was the perception of stakeholders in Kalulu Forest Reserve No. 32. The study further concludes that there was no existing link between the Forestry Department and the squatters of Kalulu Forest Reserve No. 32. The study concludes that there that in order protect forest reserves like Kalulu Forest Reserve No. 32, as well as meet the needs of the local people, there is need to establish a robust institutional framework with a strong political will that will ensure sustainable management of state owned forest reserves. The study recommends that there should be more coherence and collaborations created among Forestry Department, political and traditional leaders as well as any other stakeholders in the forest. Additionally, the central government needs to increase budgetary allocations to enhance sensitization campaigns of good forest management in Kalulu Forest Reserve No. 32.