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ABSTRACT
The characteristics of effluent produced in Uyo Capital city slaughterhouses located at Ntak Inyang and Iba Oku were monitored by water and wastewater parameters. The wastewater from the slaughterhouses generally shows a high pollutant strength. The BOD value of 7.25mg/l, DO value of 0.21 mg/l, nutrient values of 1.14 and 1.25mg/l, respectively. The heavy metals concentrations recorded are 0.05, 15.5, 16.05, 0.75 and 0.10mg/l for cadmium, zinc, copper, iron and lead with several million colony forming units (CFU) 100ml of total coliform and other bacteria. The presence of pathogens such as E.coli and others were also present. Effluents from the abattoir sites were found not to increase the BOD, NO^sup 3-^, PO^sup 3-^^sub 4^, Cd, Fe, Pb, Cu and Zn values of the surface water. These values were lower than the WHO/FMENV limits, due to dilution from the heavy down pours during sampling. The present of microbial populations in the surface water indicate the risk of human infections in the study area.
KEYWORDS: Slaughterhouse effluent, heavy metals, wastewater, pollution, bacteria and total coliform.
1. INTRODUCTION
Slaughterhouses are needed primarily to serve the large-scale demand for meat in urban areas where there's no livestock. Thus, the slaughterhouses have developed as an adjunct of the city. However, in spite of the public and international agencies policy focused on this problem, the situation in Uyo Capital City seems degenerating and therefore demands greater attention. These degenerating activities at the slaughterhouses have greatly increased the volume of effluents and animals waste released into the environment with negative socioeconomic and health implications.
These waste products and effluent from abattoir and subsistence consumption are often so thinly spread through the environment that the absorptive capacity of the natural resources is hardly reached. However, with increasing income in Uyo, an increasing proportion of animals and animal product go through market and processing channels before consumption. This places an increased level of pressure on the agricultural sector-cum-environment. The standard and regulations governing slaughterhouses vary considerably around the world. In many countries, the slaughter of animals is virtually unregulated by law. Often, however, it is strongly regulated by custom and tradition. In the non-Western world including the Arab world, the Indian sub-continent, both forms of meat are available: one which is produced...