Gombe Town Research Articles

Soil assessment and mitigation of flash flood erosion using Ipomoe Carnea in Gombe town, Gombe state, Nigeria

In many parts of the world floods occur more often and increase in size. In the tropics, it is partly or wholly caused by climatological factors, in-situ soil types (as soils with low infiltration rate are vulnerable to flooding); inadequate drainage network, topography and human factors. Gombe town is situated within an elevation of 628 m and 361 m above sea level (a.s.l). Topography is mainly mountainous, undulating and hilly with open plains and mean slope gradient of 5°, considered to be a high gradient for unprotected soils. This causes high surface runoff leading to excessive flooding and formation of gullies, cutting deep trenches that result in the destruction of residential houses and environmental disasters throughout Gombe town. The research work assessed gully erosion from high vulnerable sections in Gombe town affected by high fluvial floods. Field measurement was done using 50 m tape, GPS, satellite images and laboratory analysis. Laboratory analysis of soil particles sizes showed that mean particle sizes were 74.9 %, 14.1 % and 11.0 % for sand, silt and clay respectivly; the textural class for the entire study site was sandy clay. Porosity from the entire study area contains low volume of voids relative to the volume of solids. Bulk density was slightly high compared to the standards values. The soil chemical properties of the soil pH for the entire site mean (ESM) was 6.42. This indicates that the soils are slightly acidic which affect microbial activities on organic matter that enhance the binding of soils to resists erosivity of fluvial floods. People resorts to using vegetative cover of Ipomoe Carnea plant as mitigation measures to protect their vulnerable houses and farms from gully erosions because the stems interweaves and forms a thick cover that diffuses the high velocity water flow into laminar flow. The weaved stems traps, blocks and prevents the flood transported materials(soil, humus, gravels) in between the stems thereby prevents and slows soil erosion to the nearest minimum.

Malaria Prevalence among Pregnant Women in Relation to Parity, Gestation Period and Age in Gombe, North Eastern Nigeria

This study was conducted in order to determine malaria prevalence in relation to parity, gestational period and age of the pregnant women in Gombe, Nigeria. Three hundred and eighty four (384) pregnant women who registered for antenatal care in five randomly selected health care facilities (Tudun Wada Primary Health Care, Idi Health Clinic, Madaki Health Clinic, Pantami Primary Health Care And Gombe Town Maternity) residing within Gombe Local Government Area, Gombe State, Nigeria, constituted the study population. Five (5) ml of the maternal peripheral blood was obtained from each participant by the use of a sterile syringe and placed in a sterile Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid (EDTA) container for laboratory analysis. The malaria parasite was detected by microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained thick blood films. A high prevalence of 78.4% was observed among the studied population, with the primigravidae having higher prevalence (87.8%) than the multigravidae (73.6%). Women in second trimester recorded the highest prevalence (81.6%) followed by those in third trimester (76.4%), then the first trimester (68.4%). In relation to age, younger women (17 – 20 years) had the highest prevalence (88.4%) of malaria parasitaemia followed by 21-25 years category (79.1%), while those above 25years had the lowest prevalence (67.7%).significant association between age and malaria infection was established. The vulnerable age group need to be cautious of their exposure to mosquitoes’ bites so as to reduce the pressure on the already overstretched health facilities.

Oxidative stress in Primigravida attending an antenatal clinic in Northern Nigeria

The demand for oxygen increases during pregnancy, and this may lead to oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to determine the oxidative stress level in Primigravida attending antenatal clinic at Gombe town Gidan Magani Maternity, Gombe State, North-eastern Nigeria. The concentration of plasma Malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured as biomarker of oxidative stress. The concentrations of Copper, Zinc, Manganese, Lead, Nickel and Cadmium in relation to oxidative stress were measured. Thirty primigravida and ten aged-matched non-pregnant women who served as control were involved in the study. The result of this research shows that the level of Malondialdehyde significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters, with the increase being higher in the 2nd trimester. The levels of Cu and Zn increased significantly (P < 0.05) in all the three trimesters, while the level of Mn significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in all the three trimesters. There was no reading detected for Ni, Cd and Pb in both primigravida and control subjects under this study, indicating that neither the primigravida nor the control were exposed to them. All these are proves that oxidative stress occurs in Primigravida These findings emphasized the need for increased awareness among Primigravida on the existence of oxidative stress during pregnancy and also points to the need for measures to be taken against oxidative stress in Primigravida, so as to reduce the complications that arise during pregnancy, and ensure the safety of both mother and fetus during pregnancy and after delivery.

Performance Evaluation of an Inflatable Solar Dryer for Maize and the Effect on Product Quality Compared with Direct Sun Drying

Maize is an important staple in Africa, which necessitates immediate drying to preserve the postharvest quality. The traditional drying of maize in the open sun is prone to adverse weather and extraneous contamination. In this study, the drying performance of an inflatable solar dryer (ISD) was compared to direct sun drying (DSD) in Gombe Town, Wakiso District (Uganda) by analysing the moisture content, yeasts, moulds, aflatoxin, and colour. The maximum temperature inside the ISD reached 63.7 °C and averaged 7 °C higher than the ambient temperature. Maize was dried using both methods to a moisture content below 14% after two days. In one of the received maize lots that was already heavily contaminated after harvest, drying with DSD and ISD reduced the aflatoxin content from 569.6 µg kg−1 to 345.5 µg kg−1 and 299.2 µg kg−1, respectively. Although the drying performance in terms of drying time and product quality regarding colour, yeast, and mould was similar for both drying methods, the advantage of ISD in reducing the risk of spoilage due to sudden rain is obvious. A strategy for the early detection of aflatoxins in maize is recommended to avoid contaminated maize in the food chain.

GIS-based gully erosion susceptibility modeling, adapting bivariate statistical method and AHP approach in Gombe town and environs Northeast Nigeria

Gully erosion is a major environmental problem in Gombe town, a large area of land is becoming unsuitable for human settlement, hence the need for a gully erosion susceptibility map of the study area. To generate a gully inventory map, a detailed field exercise was carried out, during this investigation one hundred gullies were identified and studied extensively within the study area of about 550 km2. In addition to the mapped gullies, Google EarthPro with high-resolution imagery was used to locate the spatial extents of fifty (50) more gullies. Ten gully erosion predisposing factors were carefully selected considering the information obtained from literature, and multiple field survey of the study area, the factors include elevation, slope angle, curvature, aspect, topographic wetness index (TWI), soil texture, geology, drainage buffer, road buffer and landuse. In this study, a GIS-based Frequency Ratio (FR) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) models were employed to predict areas prone to gully erosion in Gombe town and environs. The result obtained from FR shows that drainage, soil texture, and slope have the highest correlation with gully occurrence, while the AHP model revealed that drainage buffer, soil texture, geology have a high correlation with the formation of a gully. Gully erosion susceptibility maps (GESM) were produced and reclassified into very high, high, moderate, and low zones. The overall accuracies of both models were tested utilizing area under the curve (AUC) values and gully density distribution.FR and AHP model have AUC values of 0.73 and 0.72 respectively, the outcome indicates that both models have high prediction accuracy. The gully erosion density distribution values revealed that gullies are concentrated in the very high susceptibility class and it decreases towards the low class, therefore the GESM produced using these models in this study area is reliable and can be used for land management and future planning.

LOGISTIC REGRESSION ON THE PRIMIPARAL AGE OF WOMEN IN GOMBE, GOMBE STATE

Failure of women to undergo a successful first child delivery is becoming one of the most challenging problem and a major concern to most of our healthcare providers. In this paper, we apply the binary logistic regression analysis to investigate whether age of women at first birth have a relationship with the outcome of their delivery (Success or failure). The data was collected from Gombe Town Maternity and was subjected to analysis. From the result of the analysis, we observed that most of the women at tender age (12-17) are classified to fail (69%) during their first child delivery while most of the women at higher age (19 and above) have a better chance of succeeding during their first parturition. Also, the result shows that the average age at which women ought to conceive successfully is 19 years. The Wald statistics result also shows that the logistic regression model fits the data very well.

Evaluation of Some Heavy Metals in Soils around Major Parks in Gombe Town, Nigeria

The levels of heavy metals (Mn, Ni, Pb, Cr, Zn and Fe in mg/kg) in roadside soils from two main motor parks (Gombe Terminus and Tashan Dukku) in Gombe, Nigeria were assessed with respect to distance from the motor parks. The metals concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results show that iron had the highest concentration in all the soils and can be represented in the following order: Fe > Zn > Pb > Ni > Mn > Cr. The heavy metals concentrations were found to be higher in the roadside soils as compared with the control samples. Thus, the metals concentrations decrease with increase in distance away from the parks.

Assessment of Ground Water Abstraction in Kwadon, Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area, Gombe State

Groundwater is the major freshwater store acting in the hydrological cycle. It provides water for human consumption, agriculture, industry and many groundwater-dependent ecosystems, especially during dry season and drought periods. This study “Assessment of Ground Water Abstraction in Kwadon, Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area” aimed at examine the quantity of water abstracted for various uses in the study area and its implications for future development. Field Measurement, Questionnaire and GPS device was used to collect information about water sources and uses in the study area and data collected were analyzed using T-test and descriptive statistics. The result shows that there is a significant difference in the depth of boreholes and wells between periods with minimum and maximum depth of 26m and 53.5 for boreholes and 12m and 21m for wells respectively. The study also revealed that Table water industries, Block industries, Fishpond, Water Vendors and Irrigation agriculture are the dominant activities that are using underground water with annual abstraction rate of 1785000m3, 1905600m3, 1818150m3, 3168000m3 and 1827100m3 respectively. A general decline in rainfall and geological nature of Gombe town has led to the over exploitation of groundwater in the study area. Sustainable groundwater management in the future requires groundwater to be used in a manner that can be maintained for an indefinite time without having unacceptable environmental, economic or social consequences.

Hydrogeomorphic Characteristics of Urban Flood Triggers in Gombe Town, Nigeria as Monitored in 2014

Urban flooding has become a monumental yearly disaster in many of the world’s cities and Gombe town in particular. This paper focused on some hydro-geomorphological characteristics that influence flooding in Gombe town. Statistical methods and geographic information techniques were used for the assessment. The result revealed that the highest API of 166.62 mm occurred on the 5/9/2014. The rainfall amount was 92.5mm for a duration 48 minutes, average rainfall intensity was 115.63, stage height (1.42m), average flow velocity (0.98m/s), and instantaneous discharge of 9.47m3 /s. This corresponds with the flood disaster that occurred in Gombe town on the same date (5/9/2014). On the other hand, the least API of 18.12 mm occurred on the 18/6/2014. The rainfall amount was 1.2mm for 62 minutes, average rainfall intensity was 1.16, stage height (0.30m), average flow velocity (0.24m/s), and instantaneous discharge of 0.49m3 /s. findings also showed that very steep slope covered 2.4537km2 (1.78%), steep slope covered 3.60235km2 (2.61%), moderate slope (0.735574km2 or 0.53%), gentle slope (131.106km2 or 94.89%) and flat areas (0.259854km2 or 0.19%). The study recommended flood resilience technology, provision of adequate urban drainages and proper storm water management.Keywords: Drainage density, flow accumulation, rainfall, urban flooding

Diagnosis efficiency of urine malaria test kit for the diagnosis of malaria for febrile patients in Gombe, Nigeria

The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic efficiencies of urine malaria test kit with microscopy as the gold standard in detecting Plasmodium falciparum HRP-2, a poly-histidine antigen in urine of febrile patients. The study was conducted in a primary and secondary health institution in Gombe Town, Gombe State, north-east Nigeria. Participants were enrolled based on presentation with fever (≥ 37.5oC), blood samples were collected by phlebotomy. Thick and thin blood films were prepared, stained and examined for malaria parasite following standard procedures. These were then examined under the microscope using the oil immersion objective while urine samples were collected in urine sample bottles, labeled and immediately tested using specially designed urine RDTs (urine malaria test kits). With the blood smear microscopy as standard, the disease prevalence was 67.3% and sensitivity for the UMT was 65.0% respectively. The UMT had a specificity of 90.7% as well as positive and negative predictive values were 93.5% and 55.6% respectively.The rapid diagnostic kits showed moderate level of sensitivity compared with blood smear microscopy as they showed considerable acceptable levels in the diagnosis of malaria.Keywords: Diagnostic kit; Plasmodium falciparum; prevalence; microscopy; urine

Spatial Analysis of Gully Erosion Control Measures in Gombe Town, Gombe State Nigeria

The performance of gully erosion control measures in Gombe metropolis is presented. This paper aimed at assesses the spatial distribution of gully erosion control measures in Gombe town since 2004 to 2015. The objectives of the research are to identify the spatial distribution of gullies in Gombe town and to analyze the length of gullies so far checked or controlled. High resolution images of the study area (Quick bird 2004 and 2015) were acquired for GIS analysis and ground truth measurement. Information gathered from field and image digitization was used Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. to determine increase in the size and length of gully erosion from 2004 to 2015. In order to identify recently developed gullies, ArcGIS software was used to perform spatial analysis. Result of the study revealed that most of the previous uncontrolled or partially checked gullies have increased in length to 131.02 km as against the 121.50 km in 2003. This represents an increase of 9.72 km (7.42 %) over the 13 years period or about 75 metres annual increase in gully length. The analysis further revealed that there were 615 first order gullies representing 62% second order has 173 gullies or 18%, third order gullies has 89 in number and represent 12%, the fourth order has a total of 51gullies in number representing 5%, the fifth order consist of 30 gullies or 2% and the sixth order number which is the main gully has 11 in number representing 1.0% respectively. Out of the 131.02 km length of gully erosion inventory in Gombe town in 2015 only 41.32 km length has been controlled and 35.92 km under engineering method representing 87%; 5.1 km (12.3%) length of vegetation and only 0.3km under stone wall control measures out of the total 41.32 km length of the three methods of control measures under study. It is therefore suggested that apart from government efforts other stakeholders should be encourage and participate in gully erosion control especially adoption of vegetation method which is affordable, accessible and acceptable.

Isolation and Characterization of MRSA from Locally Processed Meat Hawked in Gombe, Nigeria

Three types of locally processed meat products were collected from vendors across hawking points in Gombe town. Stick meat (tsire) 30 samples, Roasted meat (balangu) 30 samples and dried meat (kilishi) 15 samples making 75 samples. Samples were taken to the Microbiology Laboratory of Gombe State University and analyzed for the presence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) through culturing, biochemical tests and DNA analysis. The isolated Staphylococcus aureus were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility test using standard antibiotics. The result showed 13.33% of the total isolates to be Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus as confirmed by the presence of mecA1, mecA 2 and pvl genes by polymerase chain reaction. This is of grat health importance to the public.

An Assessment of Gully Erosion in Gombe Town, Gombe State, Nigeria

The development of gullies is one of the severe environmental problems in Gombe town. It has threatens urban infrastructure, properties, lives and the physical growth of the town. Knowing the rates of gully development in the last decade helped explain the reasons for current land degradation. This research work therefore assessed gully erosion in Gombe town. Data used in this study were derived from field measurements, satellite imageries, and laboratory analysis and questionnaire survey. Results from the interpretation of Spot 5(1999) and Quick Birds (2009) imageries and field measurements showed that gully variables (length, depth and widths) have significantly increased in the last 10 years. Laboratory analysis of soil particle size revealed that sand proportion was 52%, silt 9.5% and clay 38.5%. The values of Atterberg limits (liquid limits; plasticity limit and the plasticity index (PI), shear strength (cohesion and angle of internal friction) and bulk density values were low, soil chemical properties also showed that the soils are moderately acidic, contained low organic matter, and low exchangeable cations, with serious implication on biological methods of erosion control.

Hydro Geo-Electrical Investigation in Gombe Town and Environs, Northeastern Nigeria

Thirty three vertical electrical soundings (VES) were conducted around Gombe and environs, employing Schlumberger array with a maximum electrode separation of AB/2 = 200m to determine locationsfavorable for sitting boreholes. The data obtained were interpreted using the partial curve matching technique and software (offix) for resistivity data interpretation. From the result, it was found that twenty one of the VES points are three layers while twelve are four layers. The first layers have thicknesses ranging from 0.8m to 16.1m, the secondand third layer have thicknesses ranging from 0.994m to 149m and 11.7m to 108.2m, respectively while the fourth layer had thickness that extended beyond the probing depth. A correlation of the curves with existing lithologic log from boreholes in the study area suggests that the major lithologic units penetrated by the sounding curves werelaterite, clay, shale, sandstone and sandy clays. The sandy clay and sandstone constitute the aquifer zones with resistivity range of 28 ohm-m to 84 ohm-m for clay, 240 ohm-m to 501 ohm-m for sandstone, 967 ohm-m to 1008 ohm-m for sandy clay. Others are 2069 ohm-m to 9607 ohm-m for the calcareous and the laterite units and 174560hm-m for the compacted sands. The direction of groundwater flow in the area was found to be northwest-southeast, average fitting error, pH and conductivity are 6.138 percent, 7.02 and 72.16ohm cmP-1Prespectively.

English

  The study area lies within the Upper Benue Trough South of Gombe town. Field study was carried out by methods of compass traversing and traversing along stream courses. Gombe formation, exposing 3 sandstone lithofacies comprising the upper, middle and lower members, in this part of the Trough, has a thickness of about 63 m. 2 aquiferous zones occur in the formation. The upper aquifer is found towards the bottom of the upper member of the formation and sometimes at the top of the middle member where sandstone beds interbed with impervious layers of ironstone. The middle member of the formation is essentially an aquitard and overlies the lower member which is an aquifer. Both aquifers are low water yielding. Analysis of grain size of the lower aquifer shows that the sandstones are very fine-grained to fine- to medium-grained, poorly sorted to moderately sorted, and they are river or beach sediments. The intrinsic permeability of the sediments (aquifers) determined from the grain size varies from 1.215 × 10-4 to 3.840 × 10-4cm/s. The aquifers can be developed for rural water supplies.   Key words: Groundwater, aquifer, Upper Benue trough, Gombe formation, Nigeria.

A study of the gully phenomenon in Gombe Town, Bauchi State: Bedrock geology and environmental implications

In Gombe, Bauchi State, Nigeria, gullies are sculptured in the Upper Cretaceous Pindiga Formation and Gombe Sandstones. The former is a sequence of marine shales with limestone interbeds, the later is a sequence of sandstone, siltstone, and shales. Both formations have ironstone cappings. The degree of gully development, the gravity of attendant soil wastage, and environmental hazards are all related to the rock types in which the gully have formed. Hence, the most grievous situations are posed by gullies in the shale/clay member of the Gombe Sandstone and in the shale/clay/limestone units of the Pindiga Formation. An ‘undercut and collapse’ model is put forward to explain gully initiation and propagation in Gombe.