Causes and Effects of Water Pollution on Human Health and the Aquatic Ecosystems: the Case of Bahirdar Satellite Town, Blue Nile ‘Abbay’ River Basin
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Date
2020-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Water pollution occurs when unwanted materials enter in to water, changes the quality of water
and become harmful to environment and human health. Despite water is an important natural
resource used for drinking and other developmental purposes in Bahirdar satellite town, there are
public concerns on the lack of safe drinking water, deteriorating aquatic ecosystem and water
borne health problems. Thus, this thesis was imitated to investigate the causes and effects of
water pollution on human health and the surrounding aquatic ecosystem in some selected areas
of Bahirdar satellite towns, the Abbay river basins. Both qualitative and quantitative data were
collected from primary and secondary data sources using a structured questionnaire, interview
guides and thematization, and analyzed by using the latest SPSS software. From the study, it was
found that the Bahirdar satellite town, Abbay river basin was highly polluted. Accordingly,
discharge of domestic and industrial effluent wastes, leakage from water tanks, unlawful
dumping, radioactive waste and agricultural deposition are major causes of water pollution.
Agricultural pesticides and fertilizers that disposed off and industrial waste can accumulate in tan
lakes and the Abbay river basin, proving harmful to humans and animals. Toxic effluents in
industrial wastes of the ‘Poly’ and ‘Peda’ campuses of Bahirdar University were also the major
cause of water pollution. Infectious diseases, like cholera, typhoid fever and other diseases
gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, vomiting, skin problems, reproductive failure, acute poisoning and
kidney problem are spreading through polluted water. Human health is affected by the direct
damage of plants and animal nutrition. The pollutants were killing useful plants, molluscs,
aquatic birds, fishes, crustaceans and other aquatic organisms that serve as food for human.
Insecticides and other chemical waste concentration were increasing along the food chain. These
insecticides were harmful for humans. Based on the findings of the research it were
recommended to enhance public awareness, preventive enforcement and legislative measures
and carryout mechanical and biological soil and water conservation measures so as to improve
river water quality in Abbay River basins.
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Keywords
Abbay River basin, Bahir Dar Satellite town, Health effect, Point Source Pollution, Non-Point Source Pollution, perception, Water pollution