Evaluation of the use of Effluent Released from a Wastewater Treatment Plant in Zaria, North-West, Nigeria for Irrigation of Vegetables
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47430/ujmr.25103.035Keywords:
Effluent, wastewater treatment, physicochemical, coliformAbstract
Study’s Excerpt:
- Effluent discharge met WHO/NESREA limits for temperature, DO, TDS, and phosphate.
- BOD, COD, TSS, nitrate, and sulphate exceeded permissible discharge limits.
- Total coliform count reached 1.0×10⁶ CFU/ml at discharge point.
- Significant differences in coliform counts between influent and effluent samples.
- Findings reveal inadequate wastewater treatment and call for urgent improvement.
Full Abstract:
The use of Water daily accounts for the generation of wastewater requiring treatment. Influent, effluent (discharge point, 400m, 500m downstream), and soil and vegetable samples from fields of effluent-irrigated tomato, lettuce, and onion were sampled. Standard methods were used to analyse physicochemical properties and coliform counts. At the effluent discharge point, values of temperature (24°C), dissolved oxygen (100 mg/L), total dissolved solids (390 mg/L), and phosphate (3.7 mg/L) comply with WHO and NESREA standards for effluent discharge. However, biochemical oxygen demand (60 mg/L), chemical oxygen demand (1200 mg/L), total suspended solids (230 mg/L), nitrate (45 mg/L), and sulphate (480 mg/L) exceeded set limits. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) in pH as well as temperature across samples. Significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) occurred in dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, turbidity, total solids, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, conductivity, nitrate, phosphate, and sulphate. The total coliform count at the point of effluent discharge was 1.0 x106 CFU/ml, at 400 m and 500 m downstream was 5.0 x105 and 2.4x105 CFU/ml, respectively. The faecal coliform count at the point of discharge was 4.1x105 CFU/ml, and 2.8x105 and 1.5x105 CFU/ml respectively at 400 m and 500 m along the effluent flow channel. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) in total and faecal coliform counts for influent and effluent samples. However, coliform counts in both soil and vegetable samples exhibited no significant variation (P > 0.05) across plots. The wastewater treatment is inadequate, as seen in the physicochemical parameters and high coliform counts. This, indicates the need for an improvement in the wastewater management.
Downloads
References
Adefisoye, M. A., & Okoh, A. I. (2016). Identification and antimicrobial resistance prevalence of pathogenic Escherichia coli strains from treated wastewater effluents in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Microbiology Open, 5(1), 143–151. https://doi.org/10.1002/mbo3.319
Aguas, Y., Hincapie, M., Martínez-Piernas, A. B., Agüera, A., Fernández-Ibáñez, P., Nahim-Granados, S., & Polo-López, M. I. (2019). Reclamation of real urban wastewater using solar advanced oxidation processes: An assessment of microbial pathogens and 74 organic microcontaminants uptake in lettuce and radish. Environmental Science and Technology, 53(16), 9705–9714. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b00748
Alexander, M. (1983). Most probable number method for microbial populations. Methods of Soil Analysis: Part 2 Chemical and Microbiological Properties, 9, 815–820. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronmonogr9.2.2ed.c39
American Public Health Association. (2017). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater (23rd ed.).
Angelakis, A. N., & Snyder, S. A. (2015). Wastewater treatment and reuse: Past, present, and future. Water, 7(9), 4887–4895. https://doi.org/10.3390/w7094887
Balogun, S., & Ogwueleka, T. (2021). Coliforms removal efficiency of Wupa wastewater treatment plant, Abuja, Nigeria. Energy Nexus, 4, 100024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nexus.2021.100024
Boyd, C. E., & Boyd, C. E. (2020). Suspended solids, color, turbidity, and light (pp. 119–133). Water Quality: An Introduction. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23335-8_6
Corcoran, E. (2010). Sick water?: The central role of wastewater management in sustainable development: A rapid response assessment (p. 30). UNEP/Earthprint.
Cui, B., & Liang, S. (2019). Monitoring opportunistic pathogens in domestic wastewater from a pilot-scale anaerobic biofilm reactor to reuse in agricultural irrigation. Water, 11(6), 1283. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11061283
Danladi, B., Hashim, N., & Mohd, H. (2017). Predicting impact of climate change on water temperature and dissolved oxygen in tropical rivers. Climate, 5(3), 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli5030058
Díaz-Gavidia, C., Barría, C., Weller, D. L., Salgado-Caxito, M., Estrada, E. M., Araya, A., & Adell, A. D. (2022). Humans and hoofed livestock are the main sources of fecal contamination of rivers used for crop irrigation: A Microbial source tracking approach. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13, 768527. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.768527
Egilmez, H., & Haspolat, E. (2024). Temperature-dependent parameters in enzyme kinetics: Impacts on enzyme denaturation. Fundamental Journal of Mathematics and Applications, 7(4), 226–235. https://doi.org/10.33401/fujma.1517334
Falomir, M. P., Gozalbo, D., & Rico, H. (2010). Coliform bacteria in fresh vegetables: From cultivated lands to consumers. Current Research, Technology and Education Topics in Applied Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, 2, 1175–1181.
Farhadkhani, M., Nikaeen, M., Yadegarfar, G., Hatamzadeh, M., Pourmohammadbagher, H., Sahbaei, Z., & Rahmani, H. R. (2018). Effects of irrigation with secondary treated wastewater on physicochemical and microbial properties of soil and produce safety in a semi-arid area. Water Research, 144, 356–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.07.047
Food and Agriculture Organization. (2020). The state of food and agriculture 2020: Overcoming water challenges in agriculture.
Food and Agriculture Organization. (2023). Guidelines for safe use of marginal water in agriculture.
Ja'afaru, M., Ewansiha, J., Dahiru, A., & Chimbekujwo, K. (2020). Microbiological, physicochemical and heavy metals assessments of soils and selected vegetables grown on Rumde-Doubeli irrigated farmland in Yola Nigeria. Tanzania Journal of Science, 46(3), 684–699. https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v46i3.10
Jeong, H., Kim, H., & Jang, T. (2016). Irrigation water quality standards for indirect wastewater reuse in agriculture: A contribution toward sustainable wastewater reuse in South Korea. Water, 8(4), 169. https://doi.org/10.3390/w8040169
Kanwar, R. M. A., Khan, Z. M., & Farid, H. U. (2021). Investigation of municipal wastewater treatment by agricultural waste materials in locally designed trickling filter for peri-urban agriculture. Water Supply, 21(5), 2298–2312. https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2021.075
Kilic, Z. (2020). The importance of water and conscious use of water. International Journal of Hydrology, 4(5), 239–241. https://doi.org/10.15406/ijh.2020.04.00250
Kodukula, P. S., Prakasam, T. B. S., & Anthonisen, A. C. (2018). Role of pH in biological wastewater treatment processes. In Physiological Models in Microbiology (pp. 113–135). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781351075657-6
Letshwenyo, M. W., & Mokokwe, G. (2020). Accumulation of heavy metals and bacteriological indicators in spinach irrigated with further treated secondary wastewater. Heliyon, 6(10), e05241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05241
Luna-Guevara, J. J., Arenas-Hernandez, M. M., Martínez de la Peña, C., Silva, J. L., & Luna-Guevara, M. L. (2019). The role of pathogenic E. coli in fresh vegetables: Behavior, contamination factors, and preventive measures. International Journal of Microbiology, 2019(1), 2894328. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2894328
Mateo-Sagasta, J., Raschid-Sally, L., & Thebo, A. (2015). Global wastewater and sludge production, treatment and use. Wastewater: Economic Asset in an Urbanising World, 15–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9545-6_2
Mojid, M. A., & Wyseure, G. C. (2013). Implications of municipal wastewater irrigation on soil health from a study in Bangladesh. Soil Use and Management, 29(3), 384–396. https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12056
National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency. (2009). National environmental (sanitation and wastes control) regulations.
Navab-Daneshmand, T., Friedrich, M. N., Gächter, M., Montealegre, M. C., Mlambo, L. S., Nhiwatiwa, T., & Julian, T. R. (2018). Escherichia coli contamination across multiple environmental compartments (soil, hands, drinking water, and handwashing water) in urban Harare: Correlations and risk factors. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 98(3), 803. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.17-0521
Olonade, K. (2016). A review of the effects of wastewater on reinforced concrete structures in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Technology, 35(2), 234–241. https://doi.org/10.4314/njt.v35i2.2
Oluwaseun, F. (2018). Evaluation of wastewater reuse and suitability for agricultural purpose in Akure, Nigeria. Agricultural Engineering International: International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CIGR) Journal, 20(3), 61–70.
Ouansafi, S., Bellali, F., Maaghloud, H., Kabine, M., & Abdelilah, F. (2022). Treated wastewater irrigation of tomato: Effects on crop production, and on physico-chemical properties, SDH activity and microbiological characteristics of fruits. Agricultural Engineering International: International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CIGR) Journal, 24(1).
Qadir, M., Wichelns, D., Raschid-Sally, L., McCornick, P. G., Drechsel, P., Bahri, A., & Minhas, P. (2010). The challenges of wastewater irrigation in developing countries. Agricultural Water Management, 97(4), 561–568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2008.11.004
Sacks, M., & Bernstein, N. (2011). Utilisation of reclaimed wastewater for irrigation of field-grown melons by surface and subsurface drip irrigation. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences, 59(2–4), 159–169. https://doi.org/10.1560/IJPS.59.2-4.159
Sinegani, A., & Maghsoudi, J. (2011). The effect of soil water potential on survival of fecal coliforms in soil treated with organic wastes under laboratory conditions. African Journal of Microbiological Research, 5, 229–240.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2022). World population prospects 2022.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2020). UNESCO International Centre for Water Security and Sustainable Management.
United Nations World Water Development Report. (2023). The United Nations World Water Development Report 2023: Partnerships and cooperation for water. UNESCO.
World Bank. (2023). World development report 2023: Migrants, refugees, and societies.
World Health Organization. (2006). Guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta and greywater: Volume 2—Wastewater use in agriculture.
World Health Organization. (2017). Guidelines on sanitation and health.
World Health Organization. (2022). Guidelines for drinking-water quality: Fourth edition incorporating the first and second addenda.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Fatima Adekemi Ajala, Dauda Abdullahi Machido, Muhammad Bashir Tijjani, Ado Adamu Yusuf
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
