The Effect of Agbarho Slaughterhouse Effluent on the Agbarho River Water

The Effect of Agbarho Slaughterhouse Effluent on the Agbarho River Water

Chapter One of The Effect of Agbarho Slaughterhouse Effluent on the Agbarho River Water

BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Water is the prerequisite of life, mankind has settled along the Nile, the Euphrates, the Tigris, the Indus and the Yangtze-Kiang (Marsha et al., 1999). Since ancient times and well before the past millennium, people have sought ways of dealing with water (their main commodity and primary source of drinking, sanitation, irrigation, cultivation, transportation and communication). Two major water supplies are surface water and ground water and are the water resources for readily available water for human consumption. Surface water includes pounds, streams, rivers, oceans and lakes. Pure water rarely occur in nature due to water capacity to dissolve and absorb surrounding materials. Surface water is the most readily available, yet the most polluted as a result of anthropogenic, but happily, controllable activities (David, 2006). In Nigeria, surface water pollution is being associated with surface runoff, industrial effluent, cold-room effluent, domestic waste and abattoir effluent. In this study, emphasis is placed on effluent generated from abattoir processes.

The abattoir industry is an important component of the livestock industry providing domestic meat supply to over 150 million people and employment opportunities for teaming population in Nigeria (Nafarnda et al; 2012). However, majority of the activities going on in most of the abattoir present in Nigeria are never monitored for regulation purposes. Majority of the abattoir in Nigeria are not developed and facilities for the treatment of abattoir effluents are lacking. Potential health risks from waterborne pathogens can exist in water polluted by abattoir effluents, runoff from feedlots, dairy farms, grazed pastures, fallow and sod amended with poultry litter, grassland treated with dairy manure, and sewage sludge treated land. Such contamination of water bodies from abattoir wastes could constitute significant environmental and public health hazards (Nafarnda et al, 2012).In Southwestern Nigeria several pathogenic species of bacteria in abattoir effluent have been identified. These species among others include Staphylococcus sp., Streptococcus sp., in harsh environmental condition depicting the unfriendly nature of untreated abattoir effluent to the surrounding environment and human health (Coker et al., 2001). The main wastes originate from killing, hide removal or de-hairing, paunch handling, rendering, trimming, processing and clean up operations. The wastes generated from slaughter house usually constitute blood, grease, inorganic and organic solids, salts and chemical added during processing operations (Raheem et al). On the average, majority of the abattoir in Nigeria are sited near a stream, natural pond or river, like the one present in Agbarho, Ugheli north, Delta state.

Environmental issues resulting from improper management practices responsible for the pollution of the aquatic environment with various forms of contaminant has increased in geometric proportion over the last four decades with concomitant increase in water borne diseases especially typhoid, diarrhea and dysentery. Abattoirs are generally known all over the world to pollute the environment either directly or indirectly from their various processes. It is observed that in Nigeria, many abattoirs dispose their effluents directly into streams and rivers without any form of pre-treatment and the slaughtered meat is washed by the same water (Adelegan, 2002).

The Agbarho abattoir on daily basis produces several gallons of blood, and intestinal contents and tissues introducing them into the environment including the Agbarho River. On a visit to the Agbarho abattoir, during a quick survey around the abattoir, neither holding tank nor waste treatment system/facility was observed which is obviously an indication that effluent and other solid wastes generated from the abattoir are been dumped/discharged indiscriminately into the surrounding. The abattoir was said to have been existence for years now, which implies that the water body has been receiving abattoir effluent for years.

Note: to avoid ambiguity, abattoir may be used interchangeably with slaughter house, also wastewater may also be used instead of effluent.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Abattoirs are generally known all over the world to pollute the environment either directly or indirectly from their various processes hence  water quality assessment is essential to the Agbarho River so as to ascertain the level of impact of the abattoir effluent periodically discharged to it. As it receives discharged waste water from the Agbarho abattoir. considering implicated certain bacteria species in abattoir effluent pollution, not ignoring other processes involved in meet and hide processing, the analysis will deal with certain physiochemical and biological parameter of the river water.

Cases of water borne diseases especially typhoid, diarrhea and dysentery has resulted as a result of contact with polluted water. It is therefore expedient to carry out such analysis on the river for awareness purpose, as the users of the river exploit it for economic and recreational purpose without the full knowledge of the danger it may pose to human health.

Until now in Nigeria, many abattoirs (Agbarho Slaughterhouse included) dispose their effluents indiscriminately into streams and river body and without any form of treatment and mismanage various their waste. Assumption is being made that publications on effect of abattoir on water quality would pilot the awakening of effective and sound regulation on wastewater treatment and abattoir waste management.

In overview, water quality usually degenerate as a result of indiscriminate and uncontrolled effluent discharge from abattoirs, accompanied with water borne diseases with no sign of governmental mitigation plan. However there has not been any study on the relevance of the abattoir activities on Agbarho River.