Assessment of Surface Water Quality In Upper Awash River Basin
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Date
2015-10
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Addis Ababa
Abstract
The present study focuses on the analysis of physicochemical and biological water quality
parameters: electrical conductivity, nitrate, phosphate, COD, BOD, DO, turbidity , total
dissolved solids, total alkalinity, total hardness, trace elements and biological parameters like
E- Coli and total coliform in the upper Awash River basin. Awash River is in a great
environmental concern because most of its tributaries streaming from the different catchment
area of the basin contain several pollutants. The main threat to the surface water quality in upper
Awash River basin is environmental pollution derived from domestic, Industrial and Agricultural
activities. Due to inadequacy of controlled waste management strategies and waste treatment
plants, people are forced to discharge wastes both on open surface and within water bodies.
Improper waste disposal has deteriorated the quality of Awash River by changing the physical,
chemical and biological properties of river water. Twelve samples of river water from different
selected points during dry and wet season were collected and taken to Addis Ababa
Environmental protection laboratory and Oromia water quality laboratory for identification of
surface water quality status. physicochemical and bacteriological analysis of the samples during
the dry and wet season along the streams show that the level of unwanted chemical and
biological constituents are higher than the maximum permissible limit of Ethiopian and WHO
standards. Therefore, this study aims to assess the quality of Upper Awash River Basin surface
water quality based on physicochemical and bacteriological parameters and figure out if there
are environmental and health risk associated with the use of these water sources. The result
indicated that the range of BOD (7.6-216mg/l), Ammonia (0.12- 44.8mg/l), phosphate (0.28-
9.64mg/l), turbidity (104- 5100mg/l) and alkalinity (40- 438mg/l). Total coliform and E-Coli
present in the samples were at levels indicative of fecal pollution. It also exceeded all the
guidelines for human use whether for personal contact, drinking, washing and cooking.
Therefore this indicates that there is a serious health risk from the use of these water sources.
The lack of industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plant of the towns in the basin has
caused the Awash River to suffer from a serious pollution.
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Keywords
Electrical conductivity, Nitrate, Phosphate