WATER QUALITY STATUS OF LOWER RIVER NIGER, AGENEBODE, NIGERIA

Freshwater is often exposed to pollution, unhealthy environment due to rapid industrialization and population resulting in human afflictions and disease transmission, thus the need to study the water quality status of Lower River Niger, Agenebode.  This paper reports findings from a study which evaluated the spatio-temporal variations in the physico-chemical parameters of the study area which is a vital resource for fishery and domestic uses for communities of over two-hundred thousand. Unfortunately, it’s fast degrading due to various anthropogenic activities, hence, the aim of this study is to investigate some physical and chemical parameters of  Lower River Niger at Agenebode. Lower River Niger (LRN) was stratified downstream (DNS), midstream (MDS) and upstream (UPS) zones based on hydrological features and two sampling points each were randomly selected. Water samples were collected bi-monthly over two wet and dry seasons and analyzed for Dissolved-Oxygen (DO, mg/l), Chemical-Oxygen-Demand (COD mg/l), Total Suspended Solids (TSS mg/l), Alkalinity(mg/l), Phosphate(mg/l), conductivity(S/cm), Biochemical-Oxygen-Demand (BOD,mg/l), and temperature (⁰C) following standard methods. Highest (84.46±24.95) and lowest (75.45±24.23 mg/l) alkalinity was recorded for MDS and DNS respectively. Temperature and DO ranged from 27.52±1.48^oC (DNS) to 28.32±1.56^oC (MDS) and 4.27±0.42 (UPS) to 6.06±10 mg/l (DNS) respectively, TSS varied between 51.68±8.81mg/1 to 84±19.8mg/1, with maximum value in UPS and MDS. The seasonal variation showed that mean DO values, COD, transparency, temperature, conductivity, ammonia, phosphate, chloride, TDS, TSS, calcium, magnesium, sulphate, and depth vary significantly. Conductivity were 60.28±6.1 and 58.67±6.52 mg/l, phosphate (3.89±1.63;0.52±0.09) mg/l, temperature (28.20±2.34; 25.52±1.74) ^oC and DO (5.25±0.56; 5.5±0.61) mg/l in dry and wet seasons respectively. The mean values for BOD (68.52±61.21mg/l), temperature (27.52±1.48)^oC, conductivity (59.55±25.19)mg/l, alkalinity (79.03±22.61) mg/l and ions were within desirable limits for aquatic life. However, TSS 101.49 ±105.27, Transparency 49.88±12.46, Sulphate 5.30±4.40 and COD 84.03±25.37 (mg/l) were above the recommended level for aquatic life. These findings are indicative of warning signs for pollution which impact not only aquatic organisms but also drinking water. Crucial restorative steps are needed therefore to reduce direct discharges of agricultural and anthropogenic effluents into LRN

Presentation Preference: Oral

Primary Presenter: Adeniyi OSAIMIANMIONMWAN, Ajayi Crowther University Oyo. Nigeria (osasadeniyi@gmail.com)

Authors:

Osaimianmionmwan Adeniyi, Ajayi Crowther University Oyo. Nigeria  (osasadeniyi@gmail.com)