Abstract
This study investigated the effect of raw sewage on the quality of surface water in Opobo town, Rivers State, Nigeria. The investigation was occasioned by the predominance of direct disposal of raw sewage into surface water bodies in the study area. Opobo town is a coastal community in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria; and in coastal communities, surface water contamination by fecal and organic matter is a primary water quality issue, especially in inland rivers. In the study, samples of surface water were collected with 500ml bottles at seven different points, ranging from the upstream to the downstream of the river. The samples were analyzed for twenty-two different water quality parameters, including turbidity, suspended solids, pH, alkalinity, ammonia nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), with the following mean values respectively obtained: 5.6 NTU, 359.3mg/l, 5.8, 164.1mg/l, 146.3mg/l, 204.7mg/l and 262.7mg/l. There were also substantial doses of total coliform (172.3cfu/100ml), E. coli (110.5cfu/100ml), Enterobacter (106.0cfu/100ml) and salmonella spp. (162.7cfu/100ml). These results were compared with standard criteria for coastal waters designated for aquatic life, recreation, navigation, and industrial water supply. It was found that the discharge of raw sewage into the surrounding surface waters in the area presented water quality that is injurious to both human and aquatic life. The practice is strongly discouraged and treatment of the sewage before disposal also strongly recommended.
Highlights
Surface waters in seas and oceans make up 96.5% of the earth’s waters [1]
Opobo Town is the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria
Total alkalinity was determined by titration with sulphuric acid to a pH of 4.5, the Nesslerization method was used to determine the ammonia nitrogen in the water; the metal, copper was measured using the Neocuprione method; Partition-gravimetric method was employed to determine the amount of oil and grease, and the Digestion and Ascorbic Acid Spectrophotometric method was used to determine the Tables 1, 2 and 3 show the results of the physical, biological and chemical parameters analyzed for the surface water samples
Summary
Surface waters are important because they house aquatic animals, act as an extra source to groundwater. There are various communal practices in Opobo town and her neighboring villages that are apparently detrimental to the environment, especially to human and aquatic health, as they negate established global best environmental practices. Environment and Ecology Research 5(3): 220-226, 2017 directly into the water bodies surrounding Opobo town. 95% of these systems channel their untreated waste through pipes and gutters directly into the surface waters. Other solid wastes like papers, plastic bags, empty cans, toilet papers, sanitary pads, etc, are disposed indiscriminately into the surrounding water bodies, and these contribute to the overall pollution of the water; destruction of its aesthetics, and devaluation of the economic activities of the people
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