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Review Article
Systematic Review of Air Quality Management in Urban Environments: Planning for Healthy Cities Using the One Health Approach
Zinabu Dawit*
,
Samuel Dessu Sifer,
Tsegay Gebrezgher,
Melkamu Melese Megalo,
Asmelash Dagne,
Hayal Desta
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
138-151
Received:
13 September 2025
Accepted:
16 October 2025
Published:
22 November 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijepp.20251306.11
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Abstract: Background: Air Quality Management in urban environments is a planned and interdisplinary practice expected at follow up, regulatory, and decreasing air contamination to keep community well-being and the atmosphere. Through fast development, people growing, and urban motor traffic growth, numerous municipalities particularly in Global south countries expression thoughtful air quality encounters. The aim review evaluates air quality management in urban environments with emphasis on planning for healthy cities. Methodology: The systematic review observes global compositions evaluating air quality administration methods, through an emphasis happening controlling contexts, wellbeing influences, checking systems, and city development policies. Databases containing PubMed, Web of science, and Google Scholar remained used to identify peer-reviewed articles, official reports, and case studies. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 55 documents were selected for thematic analysis. Important themes included pollution sources, health and environmental impacts, urban planning strategies, technological innovations, and policy frameworks. Results: Results show that though industrialized countries require applied organized air quality administration methods reinforced through law for instance the U.S. Clean Air Act and EU Air Quality Directives, where unindustrialized nations fight through split strategies, inadequate statistical records, and inadequate official capability. Progressive tackles for example low-cost sensors, digital urban twins, and real-time pollution forecasting are existence progressively accepted to increase policymaking. Municipalities that combined air quality administration with city forecasting established better wellbeing results, counting compact respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Though, important obstacles persist, for instance inadequate finance, administrative resolve, and community commitment. Conclusions: Operative city air quality managing is vital to design for healthy metropolises. The evaluation highlights that effective air quality controlling needs robust authority, consistent facts, innovative skills, and lively investment participation. Metropolises obligation implant air quality deliberations into wider ecological and growth rules to accomplish permanent developments. City air pollution finished complete and comprehensive policies should be serious intended for protection community wellbeing, attaining weather objectives, and making strong city surroundings.
Abstract: Background: Air Quality Management in urban environments is a planned and interdisplinary practice expected at follow up, regulatory, and decreasing air contamination to keep community well-being and the atmosphere. Through fast development, people growing, and urban motor traffic growth, numerous municipalities particularly in Global south countri...
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Review Article
Effects of Exclosures on Vegetative and Soil Fertility Improvement in the Highlands of Ethiopia: Review
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
152-160
Received:
7 October 2025
Accepted:
21 October 2025
Published:
3 December 2025
Abstract: Land degradation, which includes all elements that reduce the land's ability to function and generate ecosystem products and services, is the ongoing deterioration of the land's loss of productive capacity. 50% of the Ethiopian highlands had experienced major erosion, posing serious ecological and socioeconomic problems for both the rural populations' way of life and the environment. To reduce these problems locals’ experienced different mechanisms from the Exclosures is the one. Exclosures are places that are off-limits to domestic animals and humans in order to encourage plant regeneration naturally and lessen the degradation of formerly deteriorated communal grazing fields. Exclosures have been used extensively and have demonstrated encouraging outcomes in restoring damaged areas through natural regeneration with little financial or input needed. The review paper's overall goal is to examine the effects of exclosures on increases in soil fertility and vegetative growth in Ethiopia's highlands. Exacerbates the degradation of Ethiopia's soil, vegetation cover, and nutrient depletion, land degradation poses a serious challenge to sustainable land use and impacts the livelihood of the country's rural population. In contrast to open land, which had low species richness and evenly dispersed species, exclosures had higher diversity, richer biodiversity, and a less even distribution of species. Scholars found that after 22 years of establishment, exclosures in the Ethiopian highlands had double the plant species richness and diversity value compared to communal grazing pastures. Exclosures are often the best way to improve soil fertility and vegetation diversity and richness in Ethiopia's highlands when compared to open ground, grazing land, crop land, and communal land.
Abstract: Land degradation, which includes all elements that reduce the land's ability to function and generate ecosystem products and services, is the ongoing deterioration of the land's loss of productive capacity. 50% of the Ethiopian highlands had experienced major erosion, posing serious ecological and socioeconomic problems for both the rural populatio...
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Research Article
Assessment of Determinants of Climate Change Resilience Among Agro-pastoral Communities in Kongwa District, Dodoma-Tanzania
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
161-173
Received:
29 September 2025
Accepted:
10 October 2025
Published:
29 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijepp.20251306.13
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Abstract: Climate change is affecting climate-sensitive sectors including agriculture in developing countries. Tanzania as one of the developing countries is hit by the climate change impacts, especially in semi-arid areas. This study aimed to analyze the agro-pastoralists’ perceptions on climate change, adaptation strategies and determinants of adaptation to climate change of agro-pastoralists. The study was conducted in Kongwa district, Dodoma region in central zone Tanzania. A cross-sectional design was used to collect quantitative data by using structured questionnaires. Two wards, Ugogoni and Mtanana were used in this study where 240 respondents were interviewed under consent using the structured questionnaire. Focused group discussion (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII) were also used. The results showed that most of the agro-pastoralists perceive decrease in rainfalls’ distribution (95.4%), decline in rainfalls’ intensity (88.8%), delay of rainfall (88.8%), early cessation of rains (97.9%), increase in temperatures (91.3%), re-occurrence of floods (74.9%), and droughts (91.3%) over the past 20 years. The mostly used climate change adaptation strategies in crop production were changes of planting dates (98.8%), planting density (96.3%), crop diversification (92.1%), use of improved crop varieties (34.2%), crop rotation (16.3%), and tree planting (10.0%), whereas in livestock production, were livestock diversification (30.8%), storage of feed and crop residues (21.3%), and feeding strategies (10.0%). The binary logistic regression model results showed that the determinants of climate change that significantly influence resilience in Kongwa district were geo-location, with 4.288 odds; age (0.953 odds/ 95.3%), number of livestock owned (1.056 odds), and land size (6.097 odds). The study revealed that livestock sector’s adaptive capacity is lower as compared to crop production sector. The study suggested that government should improve the accessibility to inputs and subsidies, such as improved crop, pasture and animal seeds to foster resilience of agro-pastoralists.
Abstract: Climate change is affecting climate-sensitive sectors including agriculture in developing countries. Tanzania as one of the developing countries is hit by the climate change impacts, especially in semi-arid areas. This study aimed to analyze the agro-pastoralists’ perceptions on climate change, adaptation strategies and determinants of adaptation t...
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Research Article
An Assessment of Physicochemical Characteristics and Heavy Metals Concentrations of Effluent Water Discharge in Plastic – Sand Brick Production
Brown-Ubak Etimbuk Michael*,
Ideriah Tubonimi Joseph Kio
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
174-181
Received:
27 November 2025
Accepted:
11 December 2025
Published:
29 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijepp.20251306.14
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Abstract: The physicochemical parameters and heavy metals concentrations of effluent water discharge during production of plastic – sand bricks were examined. The samples were collected in sterile containers from the recycled wastewater collector system and was bench marked with a controlled water sample collected from the Institute of Pollution Studies laboratory, Rivers State University campus. The containers were first rinsed with the sample water before the final collection. The samples collected were taken in an iced - packed cooler to the Institute of Pollution Studies laboratory, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, where the analysis was performed. The physicochemical parameters analysis results show that temperature (28.90°C), Turbidity (114 NTU), Conductivity level (48.4 µS/cm), Salinity (0.05 mg/l), Total Dissolved Solids, TDS, (81mg/l), Total Hardness level (15.3 mg/l) and alkalinity level (2 mg/l) are within the regulatory authority allowed limits although pH level of 5.04 for the plastic brick effluent was too acidic. Metallic ions such as Chloride (4.5 mg/l), Sulphate (3.21 mg/l), Nitrate (1.35 mg/l), Phosphate (0.08 mg/l), Manganese (<0.038 mg/l,) calcium (5.172 mg/l), Magnesium (0.578 mg/l) and iron (<0.005 mg/l) were also examined and were found to be within the regulatory limits. This study supports the production of plastic – sand bricks as an environmental management tool since the effluent parameters except pH fall within the regulatory limits and the plastic wastes recycled to bricks in sound environmental method. It is recommended that before any discharge of the effluent to the environment, all discharges should be monitored and analysed to avoid discharging toxic effluent to the environment since waste sludges used as additives may contain elevated levels of certain pollutants.
Abstract: The physicochemical parameters and heavy metals concentrations of effluent water discharge during production of plastic – sand bricks were examined. The samples were collected in sterile containers from the recycled wastewater collector system and was bench marked with a controlled water sample collected from the Institute of Pollution Studies labo...
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