Assessment of the impact of abattoir effluent on the quality of groundwater in a residential area of Omu-Aran, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Water pollution from abattoir effluents may create substantial environmental and public health hazards. Available literature is scanty on the quality of groundwater located near abattoirs in tropical developing countries like Nigeria. This study, therefore, accessed the impact of abattoir activities on the quality of groundwater in Omu-Aran Nigeria.Methods: A total of eighteen water samples were taken from five privately own wells and one control well located at varying distances and elevations to the abattoir. The physicochemical characteristics of the water were determined using the standard methods. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. Results:The mean values of parameters in the water samples collected from the studied wells ranged from 5.80 ± 0.20 to 7.23 ± 0.55 mg/L, 12.0 ± 1.0 to 26.0 ± 2.0 mg/L, 0.06 ± 0.02 to 0.16 ± 0.02 mg/L and 208.0 ± 24.25 to 254.67 ± 12.22 cfu/mL for dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, lead and total coliforms, respectively. There was a significant difference in the quality of water from the studied and control wells in the parameters except that of total coliform. The quality of the groundwater improved with increasing distance from the abattoir. Conclusions:Findings revealed that abattoirs have the potential to impact the quality of groundwater. Therefore, careful consideration is required when choosing a location for siting new abattoirs. For existing ones, particularly those close to residential areas, effective pollution control measures should be put in place to protect groundwater. which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

A Water Quality Index Approach in Estimating Water Quality of Shallow Wells Situated Near Pollution Sources in a Community

“…However, this temporal variation was not significantly different as illustrated in Table 3 (alpha level of 0.05). Values are comparably higher than values from a previous study carried out by [3].…”

“…The well at Mode was found to be the highest (40.85 ± 8.89 mg/L) although it was still below the permissible guideline value (WHO) which is 250mg/L. The values were akin to the values reported by [3] done in the same study area. There are relatively higher levels during the rainy season (34.50 ± 16.03) as compared to the dry (18.95 ± 16.20) mg/L.…”

“…Water is often polluted with high TDS levels when untreated wastewater is disposed of into pits and surface waters that ultimately flow down to the water table [31]. Water could become corrosive destroying storage containers and unfit to drink [3].…”

“…[37] suggested natural causes of chloride could be a result of rainfall as well as dissolution of chloride-bearing minerals whereas anthropogenic sources may be derived from extensive use of fertilizers, landfill leachates and via effluents of inappropriately constructed soakaway pits which increase chloride concentration. Moreover, it could be significant in detecting sewage contamination of groundwater [3,38].…”

“…quality [3] and majority of the microbial contaminants come from fecal sources of animals and humans [4]. Pathogenic microorganisms should not be found in water resources as disease outbreaks, including cholera and dysentery, are often the result of such contamination, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).…”