ABSTRACT
The study identified the effect of abattoir waste on the abundance and distribution of plankton of the increasingly abattoir activities in Imo River, Oyigbo, a Delta area of Nigeria, as indicators of the health of the aquatic ecosystem. Plankton samples were collected once monthly for 10 months (January - October 2017). Result showed monthly variations of Physico-Chemical parameters. Means of monthly values of pH ranges between 6.00-7.12, temperature ranged between 18 – 240C, and electrical conductivity was between 273.33µs/cm – 540.00µs/cm . Dissolve oxygen (DO), Dissolved solid (DS) and Biological oxygen demand (BOD) Means of monthly values ranges between 3.53±0.03 mg/l – 6.00±0.31mg/l, 103.67±5.78mg/l - 131.00±12.01mg/l, and 5.10±0.10mg/l – 6.83±0.20mg/l respectively. Four Phytoplankton phyla were recorded, they were dominated by Chlorophyceae made up of Scenedesmus sp, Spirogyra sp, Ulothrix sp, Volvox sp, with Spirogyra sp in abundance in station 1 and a decrease of the specie through station three, followed by Cyanophyceae made up of Microcystis sp, Oscillatoria sp, Gomphosphaeria sp, Anabaena sp and dominated by Microcystis sp in station one (Upstream of the river) as it reduces significantly across other stations followed by Euglenophyceae with only Euglena sp recorded across all stations having its highest abundance in station one and Baccillariophyceae which comprises of Cyclotella sp, Cymbella sp, Diatomella sp with its dominance at station (3) three and Cyclotella sp having highest abundance. The Zooplankton of the River were made up of Protozoa: (Paramecium sp, Pelomyxa sp, Acanthometron sp) having its abundance in station three, Rotifers (Keratella sp, Branchionus sp, Monostyla sp, Euclanis sp) and Cladocera(Daphnia sp, Microcyclop sp, Bosmina sp). Correlation matrix showed that there were significant correlation between Phytoplankton, Zooplankton and Physico-Chemical parameters. Plankton abundance peaked in station 1(842 organisms/ml) and was least in station 3. The dominating presence of Chlorophyceae shows gradual deterioration of the water quality. This could be as a result of abattoir activities, such as the wastes washed into the river. The low abundance and distribution recorded could be attributed to growth-limiting perturbations created by ongoing abattoir activities in water columns.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables viii
List of Plates ix
List of Figures x
Abstract xi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of the study 1
1.2 Statement of the
Research Problem 4
1.3
Justification 4
1.4. Aim
and Objectives of Study 5
1.5 Significance of the
Study 5
1.6. Scope and Limitations 5
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATUREREVIEW
2.1 Studies
on Abattoir Waste 6
2.1.1
Abattoir waste on surface
water 6
2.2 Physico-Chemical
parameters 10
2.2.1 Temperature 10
2.2.2 Turbidity 11
2.2.3 Water Ph 12
2.2.4 Water
hardness 13
2.2.5 Dissolved oxygen
(DO) 13
2.2.6 Biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD) 14
2.2.7 Electrical
conductivity of water 14
2.2.8 Total
dissolved solids (TDS) 15
2.3 Biological Parameters 15
2.3.1 Studies on
phytoplankton 15
2.3.2 Studies
on zooplankton 17
CHAPTER
THREE: MATERIALS AND METHODS
3.1 Study Area 19
3.1.1 Sampling stations 21
3.1.2
Sampling Procedures 21
3.2 Physico-Chemical
Parameters 22
3.2.1 Determination of pH 22
3.2.2
Determination of water temperature 22
3.2.3
Determination of dissolved
oxygen (DO) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) 22
3.2.4
Determination of electrical
conductivity, dissolved
solids (DS) and suspended solid (SS) 23
3.3 Biological Parameters 23
3.3.1 Determination of phytoplankton 23
3.3.2 Determination of zooplanktons 24
3.4 Community Structure Analysis 24
3.4.1 Margalef index of species richness 24
3.4.2 Shannon index 25
3.4.3. Community
dominance index (CDI) 25
3.5 Statistical Analysis 25
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Physicochemical Parameters 26
4.1.1 Relationship
between phytoplankton, zooplankton and some physico
chemical parameters 29
4.1.2 Biological indices of plankton
(shannon-weiner,
dominance and margalef
index) 31
4.2 Phytoplankton 32
4.2.1 Cyanophyceae 32
4.2.2 Chlorophyceae 32
4.2.3 Euglenophyceae 37
4.2.4 Bacillariophyceae 37
4.3 Zooplankton 38
4.3.1 Euglenophyceae 38
4.3.2 Bacillariophyceae 39
4.3.3 Protozoa 39
4.3.4 Rotifers 39
4.3.5 Cladocera 39
4.4 Discussion 45
4.4.1 Plankton abundance and distribution 45
4.5
Physico-Chemical Parameters 46
4.6 Plankton
Composition 47
4.7 Health Implication of the Contaminated
Water 49
4.8 Surface Water
Contamination and Domestic Water Uses in Study Area 50
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Conclusion 51
5.2
Recommendations 51
References 52
Appendices 62
LIST OF TABLES
4.1 Mean values of Physico-chemical parameters
of Imo River during
the
months of January to October, 2017 28
4.2 Correlation
matrix showing relationship between zooplankton, phytoplankton and some physico-chemical parameters 30
4.3 Phytoplankton
Species Indices 31
4.4 Zooplankton
Species Indices 31
4.5 Mean
number of phytoplankton population in Imo River, Oyigbo recorded at different months 38
4.6 Mean number of Zooplankton population in
Imo River recorded at different
months 43
LIST OF FIGURES
3.1 Map showing sampling station 20
4.1 Mean monthly variation of Cyanophyceae
in Imo River,
Oyigbo
in relation to Months and Stations 33
4.2 Mean monthly variation of Chlorophyceae in Imo River,
Oyigbo
in relation to Months and Stations 34
4.3 Mean monthly variation of Euglenophyceae in Imo River,
Oyigbo
in relation to Months and Stations 35
4.4 Mean monthly variation of Bacillariophyceae in Imo River,
Oyigbo in relation to Months and Stations 36
4.5 Mean monthly variation of Protozoa in Imo
River in relation
to
Months and Station 41
4.6 Mean monthly variation of Rotifers in Imo
River,
Oyigbo
in relation to Months and Stations 42
4.7 Mean monthly variation of Cladocera in Imo
River,
Oyigbo
in relation to Months and Stations 43
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The phytoplankton
constitutes the most important component of the food chain in every water body.
All other living organisms in water depend directly or indirectly on them for
food. A knowledge of the plankton community of any water body is therefore not
only important in assessing its productivity but would permit a better
understanding of the population dynamics and life cycles of the fish community (Abohweyere1990; Ugwumba
1990).
Estuarine plankton
communities can respond to both climatic change and human activities at
different time scale. There are obvious relationships between changes in
plankton communities and water environmental factors. Hence, plankton may serve
as a bio-indicator to monitor estuarine environment for both pollution or as a
modeling for fish population dynamics (Nwankwo, 2004; Onyema, 2007). According to Akomeah et
al.( 2010), plankton are usually categorized according to their feeding
mode or life cycle thus, 1) feeding mode: Phytoplankton = autotrophs,
Zooplankton = heterotrophs, or 2) life cycle: holoplankton (entire life cycle
in water column as plankton), meroplankton (part of life cycle as plankton).
The amount of phytoplankton in water depends on light availability, the amount
of nutrients available, and the relative proportions of nutrients available
(with nitrogen and phosphorous usually as limiting nutrients) and the temperature
of the water. The amount of zooplankton in water depends generally on the
amount of phytoplankton and detritus available to feed on, detritus can be food
for primary consumers (Hassan et al.,
2010).
The abattoir industry is an
important component of the livestock industry providing domestic meat supply to
over 150 million people and employment opportunities for teaming population in
Nigeria (Nafarnda et al, 2012). However, majority of the activities
going on in most of the abattoir present in Nigeria are never monitored for
regulation purposes. Majority of the abattoir in Nigeria are not developed and
facilities for the treatment of abattoir effluents are lacking. Potential
health risks from waterborne pathogens can exist in water polluted by abattoir
effluents, runoff from feedlots, dairy farms, grazed pastures, fallow and sod
amended with poultry litter, grassland treated with dairy manure, and sewage
sludge treated land. Such contamination of water bodies from abattoir wastes
could constitute significant environmental and public health hazards
(Nafarnda et al, 2012). These species among others include Staphylococcus sp., Streptococcus sp., in harsh environmental condition depicting the
unfriendly nature of untreated abattoir effluent to the surrounding environment
and human health (Coker et al., 2001). The main wastes originate
from killing, hide removal or de-hairing, paunch handling, rendering, trimming,
processing and clean-up operations. The wastes generated from slaughter house
usually constitute blood, grease, inorganic and organic solids, salts and
chemical added during processing operations (Adelegan, 2002). On the average,
majority of the abattoir in Nigeria are sited near a stream, natural pond or
river, like the one present in Imo River, Oyigbo, Rivers State.
Environmental issues
resulting from improper management practices responsible for the pollution of
the aquatic environment with various forms of contaminant has increased in
geometric proportion over the last four decades with concomitant increase in
water borne diseases especially typhoid, diarrhea and dysentery. Abattoirs are
generally known all over the world to pollute the environment either directly
or indirectly from their various processes. It is observed that in Nigeria,
many abattoirs dispose their effluents directly into streams and rivers without
any form of pre-treatment and the slaughtered meat is washed by the same water
(Adelegan, 2002).
The Oyigbo abattoir on
daily basis produces several gallons of blood, and intestinal contents and
tissues introducing them into the environment including the Imo River. On a
visit to the Oyigbo abattoir, during a quick survey around the abattoir,
neither holding tank nor waste treatment system/facility was observed which is
obviously an indication that effluent and other solid wastes generated from the
abattoir are been dumped/discharged indiscriminately into the surrounding. The
abattoir was said to have been in existence for years now, which implies that
the water body has been receiving abattoir effluent for years. Many government
agencies are interested in the interaction between water use and water
pollution. Nevertheless, an increasing number of environmental protection
agencies are being assigned the task of safe guarding the quality of water for
multipurpose uses. It was
recommended that all immediate and potential interests in the water basins are
considered simultaneously in the management of water for all purposes. It has
been observed that only an ecologically healthy fresh water ecosystem fulfills
this global order and this can be measured by the ecology of the plankton in
the water body.
Water used by
man ranges from purely social needs such as recreation, religious worship and
regional/cultural uses such as drinking, cooking, laundry, bathing, waste
disposal, to economic needs such as irrigation, fisheries, animal production,
electric power generation and navigation. For most of these uses, man depends
mainly on fresh water available in inland lakes and rivers, which constitute
less than 50% of the total amount of water in the biosphere (Yakubu et al., 2000).
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
Abattoirs are generally
known all over the world to pollute the environment either directly or
indirectly from their various processes hence the knowledge of Plankton abundance and distribution is
essential to the Imo River so as to ascertain the level of impact of the
abattoir effluent periodically discharged to the river. Considering implicated
certain bacteria species in abattoir effluent pollution, not ignoring other
processes involved in meat and hide processing, the analysis deal with certain
physiochemical and biological parameter of the river water.
Cases of water borne
diseases especially typhoid, diarrhea and dysentery has resulted as a result of
contact with polluted water. It thus becomes necessary to carry out such
analysis on the river for awareness purpose, as the users of the river exploit
it for economic and recreational purpose without the full knowledge of the
danger it may pose to human health.
Until now in Nigeria, many
abattoirs (Oyigbo Slaughter house included) dispose their effluents
indiscriminately into streams and river body and without any form of treatment
and mismanage various waste into the river.
1.4 JUSTIFICATION
I think one of the justification the study
should be that despite the continuous discharge of abattoir waste from Oyigbo
into Imo river for many years, no research have been carried out to ascertain
the effect of such waste on the phytoplankton and aquatic health of the river,
and/or that there is an observed plankton decline in the river, hence the need
to ascertain the plankton decline and the cause of such decline in plankton
abundance in the river.
1.4.
AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
The study seeks to
ascertain the effect of abattoir waste on Imo River at Oyigbo with specific objectives
which were to:
1.
Check the effect of the
abattoir waste on the abundance and distribution of plankton.
2.
Check the physiochemical and
biological properties of the river (if it influences any change in the DO, pH,
Temperature).
3.
Check for the level of
impact if there is any, and
4.
Create awareness on various
adverse impacts that may result from the discharge of untreated abattoir
effluent.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
- The set of interest group that
will benefit from the findings of this research will be the community and
society where the abattoir is located, as the study stands to keep them
informed.
- The study will be of great
benefit to a number of groups in Nigeria. Government agencies especially
the Rivers State Environmental Protection Agency, rank amongst the top
beneficiary of this study
- The last set of beneficiary of
this study are the researchers, academia, scientists and ecologist
1.6. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
The area of this study
covers a section of the Imo River around the effluent discharge point. The
study is specifically focused on plankton abundance and distribution around the
discharge point as defined by some physiochemical and biological parameters.
The research is not without
limitation as there are bound to continuous flow of the river and other
activities.
Click “DOWNLOAD NOW” below to get the complete Projects
FOR QUICK HELP CHAT WITH US NOW!
+(234) 0814 780 1594
Login To Comment