Abstract
Water is the most important natural resource for human, plant and animal survival. Surface water quality has deteriorated resulting from anthropogenic activities. Research determined effects of wastewater effluent from a meat processing plant on Athi river water quality. Physical parameters including Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), pH and Turbidity were analysed for dry and wet seasons. Analysis showed a level of increase in pollution of Athi River water downstream during dry season. In both seasons, COD, BOD5, pH and Turbidity increased from sampling point SP1 to SP3. There was noticeable reduction for BOD5 and COD at SP4 indicating ability of the river to self-purify. DO showed reduced amounts from point SP1 to SP4. The results showed untreated wastewater released to Athi River influenced its quality. Therefore, there is need to treat wastewater to the required standard before it is released to reduce the negative impacts.
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