Elijah M.M. Wanda

Understanding the nature and scale of risks in Karonga, Malawi:

The urban centre of Karonga in Malawi experiences many large and small disasters, including earthquakes, strong winds and floods. Inhabitants also face such everyday risks as unsafe water, poor-quality sanitation and widespread use of dirty fuels within households. However, the nature and scale of the risks are poorly understood. Based on data from 380 systematically selected households in Karonga, this paper explores the frequency and impacts of small and large disasters and everyday risks, finding informal settlements in flood zones to be most affected. Impacts vary according to differences in levels of income, planning and housing status, access to water, sanitation and the type of energy used by households. Attempts to reduce and respond to disaster risk are affected by weak governance structures. The knowledge can create the basis for capacity building at both the community and local government levels.

Occurrence of Emerging Micropollutants in Water Systems in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and North West Provinces, South Africa

The ubiquitous occurrence of emerging micropollutants (EMPs) in water is an issue of growing environmental-health concern worldwide. However, there remains a paucity of data regarding their levels and occurrence in water. This study determined the occurrence of EMPs namely: carbamazepine (CBZ), galaxolide (HHCB), caffeine (CAF), tonalide (AHTN), 4-nonylphenol (NP), and bisphenol A (BPA) in water from Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and North West provinces, South Africa using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-HRTOFMS). Kruskal-Wallis test and ANOVA were performed to determine temporal variations in occurrence of the EMPs. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Surfer Golden Graphics software for surface mapping were used to determine spatial variations in levels and occurrence of the EMPs. The mean levels ranged from 11.22 ± 18.8 ng/L for CAF to 158.49 ± 662 ng/L for HHCB. There was no evidence of statistically significant temporal variations in occurrence of EMPs in water. Nevertheless, their levels and occurrence vary spatially and are a function of two principal components (PCs, PC1 and PC2) which controlled 89.99% of the variance. BPA was the most widely distributed EMP, which was present in 62% of the water samples. The detected EMPs pose ecotoxicological risks in water samples, especially those from Mpumalanga province.

Green Analytical Techniques: Novel and Aboriginal Perspectives on Sustainable Development

Green analytical techniques refer to approaches that decrease or completely remove preservatives, reagents, solvents, and other substances that are dangerous to man and the environment or and that also have the capacity to enhance speed and produce energy-efficient chemical analyses without affecting the quality and the required level of performance of products. This chapter discusses basic principles of green environmental techniques which aim at reducing the impact of chemical activities on man and the environment. These basic principles include energy and water usage reduction, reagent and solvent usage reduction, minimal production of gaseous, liquid and solid, substances during analytical processes, instantaneous analysis for prevention of pollution and intrinsically safer chemistry for prevention of accidents, synthesis of less harmful chemicals, atom economy, prevention, catalysis, design of benign chemicals, use of solvents and auxiliaries that are safer, designing processes that are energy efficient, usage of renewable resources, derivative reduction, and planning for degradation. Emphasis on green separation techniques, green spectrophotometric techniques, basics of green analytical techniques, the problems associated with the formulation of ideologies of green analytical chemistry to existing analytical laboratories, as well as the evaluation of the impact on man and the environment have also been discussed in this chapter.