EFFECT OF ABATTOIR WASTE ON WATER QUALITY IN KWATA SULEJA AREA OF NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assessed the influence of abattoir waste on water quality in the Kwata Suleja area of Niger State. Data analyses were carried out using a frequency- percentage technique, statistical mean, correlation analysis and were presented in figures and tables. The study revealed that microbiological elements have exceeded maximum level and the elements included Total Coliform and E. coli. Total Coliform ranges from 87cfu to 283cfu within the study area and the maximum allowable limit is 10cfu. E. coli found within the study area range from 13cfu in sample A² to 75cfu in sample downstream and the maximum allowable limit is 0cfu. The finding also shows the incidence of waterborne diseases in the study area like cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid are on the increase and this is attributed to poor drinking water quality. The year 2011 has the highest Diarrhea occurrence in the study area with 1,285 occurrences, 2014 has the highest cholera occurrence with 198 and 2008 has the highest Typhoid occurrence with 204 in the study area. The finding also shows that provision of more boreholes in the study area ranked the highest with 238 (79%) respondents, illumination on promising influences of pollution from abattoir wastes ranked second with 43 (14%) respondents and provision of pipe-borne water ranked the least with 21 (7%) respondents. The values obtained for both faecial and total coliform counts for all the sample stations exceed the various standard suggested by Nigerian Standard for Water Quality for various water uses. Thus, the Suleja surface water/groundwater is highly polluted with fecal contaminants and as such unfit for domestic use.