Institute of Environmental Management and Quality Control
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dspace.njala.edu.sl/handle/20.500.144402/148
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Item The impact of advanced technologies on healthcare supply chain performance in Sierra Leone: a structural equation modelling approach(Taylor & Francis, 2025-10-18) Kargbo, SallieuThis study systematically examines the role of advanced technologies in enhancing healthcare logistics within Sierra Leone's dynamic landscape, focusing on operational efficiency, supply chain resilience, product integrity, and timely delivery of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. Analyzing data from 16 district hospitals, including 625 validated responses from healthcare professionals (a 78% response rate), we employed a mixed-methods approach (surveys and interviews) to triangulate findings, paired with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) for quantitative analysis. Key findings reveal distinct technology-performance relationships: specifically, AI-driven inventory management systems reduced stockouts by 42% (β = 0.38, p < 0.01) in high-adoption facilities such as Connaught Hospital. These results highlight how targeted technological integration addresses critical logistics challenges in resource-constrained settings, while offering actionable insights to optimize healthcare delivery through enhanced operational efficiency and service reliability.Item MICROPLASTICS AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA(World Scientific, 2025-04-26) KAMANDA, JOHN KOWAThis review examines the dual threats of microplastic pollution and climate change on African marine ecosystems, synthesizing current knowledge to assess their sources, impacts, and synergistic effects. Microplastics, pervasive due to inadequate waste management and rapid urbanization, infiltrate marine environments, adsorbing toxins and disrupting biodiversity, while climate change exacerbates their distribution and toxicity through rising temperatures and extreme weather. The study revealed that despite Africa contributing 7.8% of the global riverine plastics, research remains fragmented, with only 22.9% of African countries studied, and inconsistent methodologies and policy frameworks often lack the integration of climate adaptation and pollution mitigation. Case studies from Rwanda, Ghana, and South Africa highlight successful mitigation strategies, including regulatory frameworks, recycling initiatives, and bioremediation. Key recommendations include advancing research on microplastics–climate interactions, hybrid policies, AI-enhanced monitoring, strengthening waste management infrastructure, fostering regional collaboration, and prioritizing innovative circular economy approaches to safeguard marine biodiversity and ecosystem services. Addressing these challenges requires urgent, coordinated action to mitigate compounding risks and ensure sustainable marine conservation in Africa.Item Investigating disater risk management and climate change adaptation effectiveness in freetown, Sierra Leone(AOSIS, 2025-08-26) Sam-Mbomah, EdwinFreetown, Sierra Leone, faces increasing risks from hazards such as floods, landslides, mudslides, fires and coastal erosion, threats that are increasingly intensified by climate change. Although disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA) policies are in place, concerns persist regarding their effectiveness. This study investigates the extent to which these policies have transitioned from good intentions to effective interventions in Freetown. Employing a case study approach, the research critically examines the disaster context, reviews relevant policy frameworks and implementation processes, and identifies both enablers and barriers to effective policy execution across five informal settlements, Kroo Bay, Susans Bay, Kulvert, Kolleh Town and Dwarzack. The findings reveal systemic deficiencies in DRM and CCA, including weak legal and institutional structures, poor inter-agency coordination, inadequate enforcement, limited access to data, and ineffective risk communication. Further obstacles include insufficient community engagement, the absence of legal mechanisms for resolving DRM and CCA related disputes, corruption, political instability, underinvestment in research and technology, and inadequate urban planning. The study recommends strengthening policy and institutional frameworks, promoting integrated collaborative planning processes, and supporting community-led resilience initiatives. Key priorities include enhancing risk assessments, developing robust early warning systems (EWS), improving urban planning, and fostering innovation through research and technology. Contribution: The study identifies key measures for effective DRM and CCA in Freetown, including community inclusion, capacity building, financial mechanisms, data management, risk communication, and resilient infrastructure development, especially for "at-risk" communities.Item Insider-outsider reflections: researching disaster risk management and climate change adaptation in Freetown, Sierra Leone(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2025-10-10) Sam-Mbomah, EdwinPurpose In this paper, I critically reflect on my research positionality in conducting disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA) research in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Positioned both as an insider, due to my cultural and contextual familiarity, and as an outsider, due to my academic and professional affiliations, I explore the complexities of navigating this dual identity. This reflection examines how my positionality influences the research process: access to data, interactions with stakeholders, trust-building and the interpretation of findings. Design/methodology/approach The design is rooted on a critical reflexive examination of how my positionality influences the research processes, stakeholder engagement, data interpretation and overall knowledge production. Findings My dual insider-outsider status brought both advantages and challenges. As an insider, cultural familiarity, local knowledge and shared identity facilitated trust, access to key stakeholders and deeper contextual understanding, while my outsider positionality, influenced by academic affiliations ensured research rigor but sometimes led to power imbalances and scepticism among local participants. Navigating this required reflexivity to balance engagement, minimise bias and uphold ethical knowledge production. The findings underscore that researcher positionality is dynamic and context-dependent, shaping data collection, stakeholder interactions and research interpretation. Originality/value This paper acknowledges power dynamics, ethics and biases in research, promoting methodological transparency. It contributes to discussions on positionality and reflexivity in disaster risk and climate change adaptation studies, with a focus on urban African contexts.Item Environmental and Socio-economic Impacts of Sand Mining in Selected Coastal Communities along the Western Rural-Freetown Peninsular in Sierra Leone(Science Publishing Group, 2025-06-17) Mabey, Prince TongorThis study examines the environmental and socio-economic impacts of sand mining in three selected coastal communities (Hamilton, John Obey and Laka) along the Western Area Rural-Freetown peninsula in Sierra Leone. Coastal sand mining poses significant environmental and social problems. It damages ecosystems, increases coastal erosion and vulnerability to storms, threatens biodiversity, and can lead to social issues like corruption and violence. The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional perception survey-based research design. A simple random sampling technique was used to representatively select 666 community respondents including heads of households, community leaders, sand miners, sellers, and transporters. A combination of Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) and Excel Software Package were employed. A multinomial logistic regression (MNL) model was used to analyse the data. Findings reveal that the determinants of respondents’ perceived knowledge on the negative impacts of sand mining were mainly demographic attributes including age (p<0.001), marital status (p<0.001), family size (p<0.001), and monthly household income (p<0.001). The findings further revealed that accident (p<0.001), community conflicts (p<0.001), drug abuse (p<0.001), and knowledge of negative effects of sand mining (p<0.001), exhibited a negative significant impact of sand mining. The determinants of respondents’ perceived knowledge on the positive impacts of sand mining indicated that occupation has a positive and significant impact on sand mining. The benefits of utilizing sand in the communities (p<0.001) and benefits of sand mining (p<0.001) had a negative significant impact on sand mining. It is recommended that increased awareness on the negative impacts of coastal sand mining coupled with the implementation of environmental policies could help to mitigate some of the negative environmental impacts.Item Hydrochemical and stable isotopic analysis of surface water and groundwater in the Guanzhong Basin, China: Implication to understanding their interactions(Elsevier BV, 2025-10-04) Kallon, Hadji DsItem Assessment of Public Drinking Water Quality and Hygienic Conditions in Selected Communities in Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone(2025-06-10) Mabey, Prince TongorThis study investigated the public drinking water quality parameters from different sources, streams, springs, wells, and reservoirs and the hygienic conditions of people living in six communities in Yoni Chiefdom, Tonkolili District. The study involved both laboratory analysis and a survey on the perceptions of respondents on the hygienic conditions of drinking water. A total of 75 questionnaires were administered to respondents that fetch water for household consumption. The results revealed that different levels of turbidity, pH, temperature, oxygen demand (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), magnesium, nitrate, and chloride from streams, springs, wells, and reservoir water obtained based on well-established procedures were within the world health organization (WHO) standard for drinking water. The findings also revealed that four communities (Mamancha, Dogbokarama, Mile 91, and Malenpeh) recorded the highest mean turbidity values of 7.34 NTU, DO of 6.5 mg/l, NO3- of 11.00 mg/l and NO3- of 12.00 mg/l respectively, which exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) standard level for drinking water. Most (89.3%) of the respondents opined that they had easy access to drinking water throughout the year, and most of the respondents affirmed that the drinking water was odourless (81.3%) and tasteless (72.0%). However, the drinking water turns cloudy or milky during the dry season, as opined by 53.3% of the respondents. The majority (66.7%) of the respondents experience water-borne diseases in their communities, such as skin disease, typhoid, and cholera. Most (86.7%) of the drinking water sources are not treated and are 20 m away from the toilet and dustbin, as opined by 65.3% of the respondents. Findings indicate that the short distance and poor sanitary precautions are the probable causes of the contamination of the drinking water in these communities. The government should create an enabling policy environment regarding quality drinking water and hygienic conditions for adaptation as well as to implement routine monitoring to improve the health and sanitary conditions of the people.Item Estimating Baseflow Dynamics and Influencing Factors Using WHAT in the Wei River Basin, China(Wiley, 2026-09-01) Kallon, Hadji Dauda SmailaBaseflow is critical for sustaining streamflow and managing groundwater resources. The Wei River Basin (WRB) is a semi‐humid region with high water demand that requires robust baseflow analysis, which is essential for stream restoration. Annual baseflow in the WRB was estimated using the Web‐based Hydrograph Analysis Tool (WHAT) in this study, which utilised streamflow data from five gauged watershed stations. Groundwater‐level monitoring data from 2010 to 2015 were also utilised to understand the interaction between baseflow and groundwater levels. The two‐parameter recursive digital filter method within the WHAT programme was employed to estimate baseflow from daily streamflow records. By leveraging this standardised, peer‐validated tool, our analysis maintained consistency in baseflow and direct runoff calculations across all monitoring stations, reducing subjectivity in manual separation methods and enhancing comparability of results. Based on the results, the total annual baseflow measured between 2010 and 2019 ranged from 29574.74 to 910078.73 m 3 /s, while the baseflow index (BFI) varied from 0.56 to 0.67. During the study period, the average BFI was calculated to be 0.63, indicating that baseflow contributed approximately 64% of the long‐term runoff in the examined watersheds. The results also revealed a progressive rise in the BFI along the Wei River, increasing from 0.56 in the upstream sections to 0.67 downstream. Baseflow and BFI spatial patterns indicate groundwater abundance, driven by climate and human factors, with climate more influencing baseflow variability from west to east. Between 2010 and 2019, the basin experienced significant LULC changes. These changes serve as a critical contributing factor modulating decadal baseflow variation, while climate variability remains a dominant driver. Cropland declined, forest and water‐type areas increased, grassland and unused land decreased, and the impervious area expanded. These LULC changes led to a significant increase in annual baseflow despite the climate zone remaining the same.Item Urban Water Management and Sustainability in Freetown, Sierra Leone: Challenges, Opportunities, and Innovations in Reuse and Harvesting(Springer Nature, 2026) Kallon, Hadji DsItem Effects of Land-Use Patterns and Land Cover Change on Freshwater Quality in the Guma Dam Catchment in Freetown, Sierra Leone(Scientific Research Publishing, 2026) Mabey, Prince TongorRapid land-use and land-cover (LULC) change poses significant threats to freshwater resources, particularly in rapidly urbanizing catchments in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the effects of LULC dynamics on freshwater quality in the Guma (Mile-13) Dam catchment, Freetown, Sierra Leone, between 2004 and 2023. Landsat 7 ETM+ and Landsat 8 OLI imagery from 2004, 2013, and 2023 were analyzed using post-classification change detection to quantify transitions among vegetation, agriculture, settlements, bare land, and water bodies. Water quality was evaluated through monthly sampling at upstream, midstream, and downstream locations from January to June 2023, covering key physicochemical and microbial parameters. To quantitatively link land-use change and water quality, normalized land-use pressure indices were developed, and Pearson correlation analysis was applied. Results indicate substantial urban expansion within the catchment, with vegetation-to-settlement conversion increasing by 39.40 km2 and total settlement gain reaching 55.47 km2 between 2013 and 2023. Water quality parameters were generally within World Health Organization (WHO) guideline limits for physicochemical variables; however, elevated turbidity (up to 5.0 NTU), episodic increases in nitrate and phosphate concentrations, and persistent detection of Escherichia coli indicate pollution risks. Pearson correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships between settlement expansion and turbidity (r = 0.91), phosphate (r = 0.75), and nitrate (r = 0.59), while vegetation cover showed an inverse relationship with water quality degradation. These findings demonstrate that rapid urban expansion and vegetation loss are key drivers of declining water quality in the Guma Dam catchment. The study underscores the need for integrated land-use planning, protection of vegetated buffers, sustainable urban development, and continuous water-quality monitoring to safeguard Freetown’s primary water supply.