Assessment of Surfac...

Abattoir operations generate numerous waste and microbial organisms that pollute the environment and severely threaten human health and quality of life. The study assessed the physicochemical, heavy metals and microbial pollution of surface water around Choba abattoir in Rivers State, Nigeria. Surface water was collected from the nearby water body and tested for physicochemical parameters (pH, turbidity, conductivity, total dissolved solid, Nitrate, phosphate and sulphate), heavy metals (lead, cadmium, nickel, copper, iron, zinc and manganese) and microbial quality (total and faecal coliform) based on American Public Health Association standard. The finding revealed that the pH (6.6-7.0), COD (3.38-5.06 mg/l), BOD (2.13-3.38 mg/l), Nitrate (2.5-3.5 mg/l), and all heavy metals are within WHO limit for the surface water except for Cd (0.005-0.008 mg/l), while the microbial quality exceeded the WHO limit. The study concluded that the concentration of the surface water parameters indicated that the water is of a poor quality that could negatively impact human and aquatic organisms; hence, all types of waste should be treated before discharge into any media of the environment to avoid the pollution of such media.