The Effect of Abattoir Effluent Waste Water on Soils of Gandu Area of Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of abattoir wastewater on the microbiological and physicochemical properties of soils and neighboring residential wells in Gandu area of Sokoto State. The study was conducted during rainy and the dry season months. The mean count of bacteria in the abattoir waste water was 4.74x106 cfu/ml, while that of the soil was 3.3x106 cfu/g and the well water 2.95x105 cfu/ml. The mean fungal yield was 1.60x105 cfu/ml for the abattoir waste water, 1.5x105 cfu/g for the soil, and 1.0x105 cfu/ml for the well water. A total of 267 different microorganisms belonging to sixteen different genera of public health importance were isolated from the samples. The most frequently isolated microorganisms from abattoir waste water, well water and soil were Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus Aspergillus niger, A. flavus and A. terreus. The physicochemical parameters examined were pH, electrical conductivity, nitrate, phosphate, magnesium, calcium, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The result of this study showed that the microbiological and some of the physicochemical properties of the abattoir wastewater, abattoir well water and soil were not within the limits specified by of FEPA and WHO and thus pose threat to the health of the Gandu community.