EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF ANTHROPOENIC ACTIVITIES AND DOMESTIC WASTE ON SURFACE WATER QUALITY (A CASE STUDY OF EKULU RIVER, ENUGU). A RESEARCH PROJECT MATERIAL ON AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
Abstract
The microbiological and organic pollutants characteristics of umuosoko stream in ikwuano local government area, Enugu state, Nigeria were carried out. Twenty water samples were collected from four different parts of the river. The pour plate technique was employed for the isolation of micro-organisms. Colonial morphology, Gram staining and biochemical tests were used for identification and characterization. The statistical analyses used were analysis of variance and standard deviation. The mean total aerobic plate count ranged from 5.30 ± 0.01log10cfu/ml to 5.90 ± 3.0
Log10cfu/ml while the mean coliform count was 5.0 ± 0.50 mpn/100ml to 20.0 ± 4.0 mpn/100ml. The salmonella and shigella and vibrio cholerae mean counts were 0 ± 0.00 log10cfu/ml respectively. The mean fungal count ranged from 2.45 ± 0.02 log10cfu/ml to 2.77 ± 0.20 log10cfu/ml. The microorganisms isolated were escherichia coli, enterobacter species, staphylococcus aureus, proteus species, streptococcus species, bacillus species, pseudomonas aeruginosa, lactobacillus species, saccharomyces species; kluyveromyces ranges species and aspergillus species.
The values of the organic pollutants tested were as follows: ph, 6 to 9, temperature, 29oc to 31oc, colour, and 6tcu to 7tcu, conductivity, 200μs/cm to 330μs/cm, turbidity, 0.01ntu to 0.1ntu, total hardness, 0.2mg/l to 0.4mg/l, total dissolved solid, 360 mg/l to 620mg/l, total suspended solid, 40mg/l to 120mg/l, dissolved oxygen, 4.0mg/l to 5.5mg/l, biochemical oxygen demand, 2.8mg/l – 3.8mg/l, salinity, 0.1ppt to 0.3ppt, nitrate, 21 mg/l to 103mg/l, phosphate, 0.67mg/l to 1.52mg/l, sulphate, 200mg/l to 260mg/l, was unobjectionable. The microbiological and nitrate results showed that the river water is contaminated and must be treated before consumption.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Water is essential for life. Man needs water for various other purposes apart from drinking and body functions.
The other purposes includes it’s use in transportation, waste disposal and hydro electric system. About 80% of the earth’s surface is covered by water. This may be grouped into natural and artificial water. Natural water includes atmospheric water (rainfall, hail and snow), surface water includes (stream, lakes, rivers, ocean) and ground water (spring well, under ground stream). Artificial water on the other hand includes ponds. Surface water can be contaminated by some impurities like dust, smoke or gases etc from the atmosphere.
Anthropogenic activities ad dumping of waste on the river bank also results to the contamination of surface water quality, water may of these micro-organisms when present in large quantities and for prolonged period of time can cause health problem (Onyeagba and Isu, 2003, Shelton, 2003: WHO, 2004). There is a strong relationship existing between water, health and diseases causation (Ajewole, 2005). Water is a very essential element of human nature, yet a very dangerous element in the spread of diseases.