TITLE:
The Impact of Urban Flooding on Surface Water Quality of Awka Town
AUTHORS:
Anthony C. Okoye, Emma E. Ezenwaji, Kabir A. Awopeju
KEYWORDS:
Ponds; Flood; Pollution; Health Impact; WHO Standard
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.5 No.1,
January
23,
2014
ABSTRACT:
Some
physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters were analyzed for in
the water samples of four different ponds located in Awka town both prior and
after the rain to ascertain the impact of flood in these ponds and to establish
whether the pollution was significant. Four samples were collected from each
pond both before the rain and after making it a total of thirty-two samples.
Twenty-seven parameters were analyzed for in each of the samples. The result
revealed that twelve parameters exceeded WHO standard before the rain while
fourteen exceeded after the rain. There was significant increment in the values
of the analyzed parameters after the rain when compared with the value before
the rain as revealed by the Anova statistical tool. It was discovered that
there was a major increase in the bacteriological parameters after the rain
which implied the serious health impact. It was recommended that users who
utilized these ponds for squeezing bitter leaf, processing cassava and washing
meats etc. should do so with the caution so as not to expose people to health
problems.