Effectiveness Of Water Quality Index In Assessing Water Resources Characteristics In Izombe Oguta Local Government Area Of Imo State, Nigeria

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EFFECTIVENESS OF WATER QUALITY INDEX IN ASSESSING WATER RESOURCES CHARACTERISTICS IN IZOMBE OGUTA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF IMO STATE, NIGERIA

 

CHAPTER ONE 1.0

                                                         INTRODUCTION

 

The importance of water in the control of diseases had long been recognized (Hofkes, 1981; WHO, 1996).Water is a factor of production in virtually all enterprises, including agriculture, industry and the services sector (UNESCO, 2006). The importance of safe drinking water is underlined by the assertion that, “safe drinking water is the birth right of clean air” (TWAS, 2002). It also reported that the majority of the world’s population especially in most parts of Africa and Asia does not have access to safe drinking water and that as much as 6 million children die daily as a result of water- borne diseases linked to scarcity of safe drinking water or sanitation (TWAS, 2002).

WHO (2002) pointed out that the disease related to contamination of drinking water constitute a major burden on human health; and that interventions to improve the quality of drinking water provide significant benefits to health. For most communities, the most secure source of safe drinking water is pipe-borne water from municipal water treatment plants. Often, most of water treatment facilities do not deliver or fail to meet the water requirements of the served community; due to corruption, lack of maintenance or increased population.

The scarcity of pipe-borne water has made communities to find alternative sources of water, streams, rivers, boreholes, Ogbanokwute. As today’s technology progresses, the natural environment suffers from the detrimental effects of pollution as the discharge of industrial effluents has led inevitably, to alterations in the quality and ecology of receiving water bodies.  Untreated wastes pose serious threat to associated environment including human health risks (Chand and Dara, 1997). Increased industrial activities have led to pollutional stress on surface water both from industrial, agricultural and domestic sources (Ajayi and Osibanjo, 1981).Untreated wastes from processing factories located in cities are discharged into inland water bodies resulting to stench, discolouration and a greasy oily nature of such water bodies (Mombeshora, 1981). Other cited effects of industrial effluents on the receiving water are high turbidity, reduced transparency, increased suspended solids and oxygen depletion (Palasnisamy etal., 2007).

Furthermore, the most serious source of pollution of water is contamination by human waste from latrines and septic tanks resulting in increased levels of microorganisms including pathogens. Other likely sources of contamination include runoffs, agrochemicals such as pesticides and nitrates used on farmlands. Brewery plants have been known to cause pollution by discharging effluents into receiving streams, groundwater and soil. Drinking water should be odourless, tasteless, colourless and devoid of particulate matter (Emile et al., 1999). Chemical investigation of water quality of some Nigerian rivers (Ajayi and Osibanjo, 1981; Adeniji and Mbagu 1983; Imevbore, 1970; Asuquo ,(1989) reveals that water that was once an abundant natural resource is rapidly becoming scarce in quantity (high demand) and the quality is deteriorating  in many places, owing to population.

There is little knowledge about the effects of effluent discharge in some areas in the country especially as it pertains to brewery effluents.

In a study on the effects of chemical, textile and food processing industrial effluents in Kano River Basin, it was found to be contaminated, though the river serves as a major source of water supply to the city and is also the major site for wastes from industrial estates within the state. It was found to contain the following pollutants in significant concentration; high chemical oxygen demand, total solids, total hardness, calcium carbonate, ammonium and nitrogen (Bichi and Anyata, 1999; Mashi and Alhassan, 2007).

Also, according to the work done by Ekhaise and Anyasi (2008) to assess the extent of pollution of water due to effluent discharge from brewery industries in Ikpoba River Benin City, it was noted that water temperature varied from 23 to 350C, H+ ion concentration (pH) between 3.55 to 9.05, high concentration of calcium, high nitrate concentration, There is therefore contamination of the surface water due to the brewery effluent discharge which could probably be hazardous to human health. The presence of faecalcoliforms, Escherichiacoli, Faecal streptococci and Clostridiumperfringens in the water samples during sampling period indicated faecal pollution.

Studies have also shown that River Asa’s water in Ilorin is affected by the discharge of detergent effluents (Eniola and Olayemi, 1999). Studies on the increase in crude oil exploration, refining and activities of other industrial establishments in the Niger Delta has resulted in the wide scale contamination of most hydrocarbon and dispersant products (Kobayashi and Rittmaman, 1982). In Enugu West Senatorial District around 9th Mile brewery site, water for drinking and for other domestic purposes is obtained mainly from boreholes, wells, streams and rivers.

Brewery effluents are composed of both organic and inorganic compounds, such as oil and grease, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), kieselgur, spent grains, yeasts, green residues, biological sludge, petrochemicals, microorganisms, ammonia compounds, heavy metals and heat (Fakayode, 2005; Davies and Gasse, 1998; Nuchi et al., 2008). These compounds contaminate the water bodies directly when they are discharged into the surface water bodies, or by percolation into the underground water bodies through the soil. Some of the organic materials when they get into drinking/domestic water may result into a lot of unwholesome consequences. One being direct toxicity for the consumers, It may also add to hardness which can result into many undesirable effects like not allowing foaming of soaps, kegging of vessels and its toxicity, but many of the organic materials can contribute to the nutrients of wholesome microorganism which will now get into man and cause many enteric diseases.

Analysis of water bodies around the brewery sites for organic, inorganic and microbial contamination shall be of great public health importance. The degree of deviation or the conformity of the analytical values obtained from the internationally acceptable standards shall be indicative of the potability and hence safety of the water bodies for use as drinking and other domestic purposes. Besides, it shall reveal the extent the brewery activities are affecting the water bodies of the host community.

Such knowledge shall be beneficial in the formulation of public health policies. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry will then be equipped to give advice to prospective investors for further location of brewery industries. The Federal and State Ministries of Environment and other Regulatory Agencies shall also benefit from these findings hence this work.

 

1.1   Aims and Objectives

  • To determine the physico-chemical properties of the water source in the study area – the Nigeria Brewery catchment zones.
  • To examine the different water sources at the study area for evidence of microbial pollution especially indicator and/or any other peculiar organism by standard culture techniques.

To assess the public health implication of such findings

 

EFFECTIVENESS OF WATER QUALITY INDEX IN ASSESSING WATER RESOURCES CHARACTERISTICS IN IZOMBE OGUTA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF IMO STATE, NIGERIA

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