ABSTRACT
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content of Imo River was studied as a means of determining the level of pollution in the river. Water samples were collected aseptically from three points in the river; upstream, midstream and downstream on daily basis for five days. Parameters of analysis covered the physico-chemical properties of the water in addition to the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC). Obtained results showed strong variations in the physic-chemical composition of the water between the samples of the sampling points on one hand and between the sampling days on the other. On the average (of five day sampling), the pH was 6.5 in the upstream water, 6.49 in the midstream and 6.6 in the downstream water; and the acidity of the sample from the three points were 10.38mg/l, 10.32mg/l and 10.04mg/l respectively. Hardness in the water samples was 10.75mg/l, 8.76mg/l and 9.06mg/l while the Total Solids was 226.86mg/l, 246.33mg/l and 245.40mg/l. When compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, the water was found to be of poor quality. Results of the analysis show an average Dissolved Oxygen (DO) level of 11.09mg/l, 10.69mg/l and 9.83mg/l while the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content was 0.04mg/l, 0.04mg/l, 0.06mg/l in the upstream, midstream and downstream respectively. The water was judged to be polluted and unfit for use especially in homes for domestic works. The establishment of a treatment plant was recommended for the Imo River water.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Table of Contents v-vii
List of Tables viii
Abstract ix
CHAPTER
ONE
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Aims and objectives 2
CHAPTER TWO
2.1 Dissolved Oxygen (DO) 3
2.1.1 Sources of Dissolved Oxygen 4
2.1.2 Temperature Impact 4
2.1.3 Environmental Impact 5
2.1.4 Factors that Influence
Dissolved Oxygen 5
2.1.5 Natural Factors 5
2.1.6 Human Factors 6
2.1.7 How Dissolved Oxygen Affects
Water Supplies 6
2.1.8 Importance of Dissolved Oxygen
6
2.1.9 Applications of Dissolved Oxygen 7
2.2 Total Organic Carbon (TOC) 8
2.2.1 Sources of Organic Carbon 9
2.2.2 Natural Sources 9
2.2.3 Anthropogenic Sources 9
2.2.4 Effects of Total Organic
Carbon on Water Quality 9
2.2.5 Effects of Total Organic
Carbon on Wild Life 10
2.2.6 Productivity and Food Web
Effects 10
2.2.7 Applications of Total Organic
Carbon 12
2.3 Physico-chemical Parameters 12
2.3.1 pH 12
2.3.2 Temperature 13
2.3.3 Total Hardness 13
2.3.4 Total Solids 14
2.3.5 Nitrate 14
CHAPTER
THREE
3.1 Source of Water Sample 15
3.2 Water Sampling 15
3.3 Determination of Dissolved
Oxygen 15
3.4 Determination of Total Organic
Carbon 16
3.5 Determination of the
Physico-chemical Properties
17
3.5.1 Determination of pH 17
3.5.2 Determination of Temperature 17
3.5.3 Determination of Total
Hardness 17
3.5.4 Determination of Total Solids 18
3.5.5 Determination of Nitrate 18
3.6 Statistical Analysis of
Data 19
CHAPTER
FOUR
4.1 Results 20
CHAPTER
FIVE
5.1 Discussion 31
5.2 Conclusion 32
5.3 Recommendation 32
REFERENCES
APPENDIX
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE TITLE
PAGE
1
Upstream
Physico-Chemical Parameters of Imo River 21
2
Midstream
Physico-Chemical Parameters of Imo River 22
3
Downstream Physico-Chemical Parameters of Imo
River
23
4
Dissolved
Oxygen and Total Organic Carbon Content of Imo River at the 26 Upstream Point
5
Dissolved Oxygen and Total Organic Carbon
Content of Imo River at the Midstream
27 Point
6
Dissolved Oxygen and Total Organic Carbon
Content of Imo River at the Downstream
28 Point
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE TITLE
PAGE
1
Presentation of the Physico-Chemical
Parameters of Imo River in a Bar Chart
24
2
Presentation of Dissolved Oxygen Content of Imo River in a Graph
29
3 Presentation of Total Organic Carbon
Content of Imo River in a Graph
CHAPTER
ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The demand for fresh water is always
there with the ever increasing population in the world. The oceans and rivers hold
about 97% of the earth’s total resource of water while the remaining 3% is
buried underground to be economically exploited. However only 0.003% of the
total volume of the later fraction is exploitable, though, the hydrological
circle replenishes this. Many fresh water resources are contaminated through
human activities. Each day some 25,000 people are said to die from their everyday
use of wastewater. Many millions more suffer from frequent and debilitating
water borne illnesses. About half of the inhabitants of developing countries in
particular do not have access to safe drinking water and 73% have no
sanitation, some of their wastes eventually contaminate their drinking water
supply leading to high level of suffering (Mason, 1996). The provision of water
for domestic and other uses in rural and urban centres is one of the most
intractable problems in Nigeria today. Access to adequate water of good quality
is essential to health, food production and sustainable development. Every human
use of water, whether for drinking, irrigation, and industrial processes or for
recreation has some quality requirements in order to make it acceptable. This
quality criterion can be described in terms of physical, chemical and
biological properties of such water (Gore, 1985; Verma, 2003). In many places
both surface and ground water is fouled with industrial, agricultural, and
municipal wastes. According to the World Commission on water for the 21st
century, more than half of the world’s major rivers are so depleted and
polluted that they endanger human health and poison surrounding ecosystems
(Inter-press, 1999). The sources of water pollution vary and involve almost every
significant human activity. These include mostly the dumping of domestic
wastes, sewage, agricultural wastes and industrial effluents into water bodies
(Collocott and Dabson, 1974). The wastes dumped on land are also eventually
washed into water example animal dung, litters, wind deposited pollutants. Also
disturbances of the soil mantle by ploughing during cultivation, road making, stream
irrigation/channelization, and mining break the protective vegetation cover and
encourage soil washout by storm water during rainfall. In some areas, air pollutants
like oxides of nitrogen and sulphur become acidic contaminants during rainfall
(Ademoroti, 1996). Increase in industrialization as a result of modern and sophisticated
technology has introduced many synthetic materials into our environment. Some
may be toxic or carcinogenic. The wastes arising from them find their way into
water bodies, and hence they become contaminated. Aquatic biota is sensitive to
pH. They cannot live in a medium having a salinity to which they are not
adapted, also high temperatures encourages growth of bacteria and causes
depletion in oxygen content of water (Bhatia, 2006).
1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
1. To determine the Total Organic Carbon
(TOC) content of Imo River.
2. To determine the Dissolved Oxygen
(DO) content of Imo River.
3. To determine the Physico-chemical
parameters of Imo River.
4. To compare the obtained results
to World Health Organisation (WHO) standard.
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