Assessment of the Physical and Chemical Concentrations of Surface Water of Kpege Stream Behind the Abattoir of the Makurdi International Cattle Market, North Bank, Benue State, Nigeria

The study investigated the Assessment of the Physical and Chemical Concentrations of Surface Water of Kpege stream at the International Cattle Makurdi, Benue State.Water samples were taken at three sections of the stream: upstream, behind the abattoir section (which constituted the abattoir section) and downstream with the upstream section included to determine the area not affected by the abattoir effluents, this provided opportunity to know the pollution variability of the stream.Water samples were tested for physical (turbidity, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity and suspended solids), chemical (pH, chloride, copper, chromium, lead and biochemical oxygen demand) and microbial/ bacterioroligal (e-coli) parameter with obtained values compared against the Nigerian Quality for Drinking Water Quality Guidelines to ascertain the suitability of the stream for human consumption.Water Quality Index was used to determine variability in water quality across the sampled points of the stream.Findings revealed that turbidity (14.79NTU, 15.62NTU and 18.21NTU) and BOD (28, 34 and 40mg/L) recorded values above the NSDWQ stipulated values of 5NTU and < 5mg/L respectively.Chromium and lead values were higher than the NSDWQ permissible limits signifying significant heavy metal presence.Values of e-coli at the abattoir and downstream sections were well above the 0cfu/mL concentration level at 12 and 6cfu/mL respectively showing faecal contamination occasioned by washing of animal faeces into the stream.WQI values obtained at the three sections were 54.77 upstream, 60.29 at the abattoir section and 63.62 at downstream.Though the WHO limits the safety QWI value of 70, the study concluded that water quality from the stream is poor in quality and such not suitable for human consumption.The study recommended amongst others State Government's intervention in putting up effluent treatment facilities and introduction of better technologies to reduce quantity of waste emanating from meat processing, enforcement of laws on abattoir operations, and setting up of light industries that would utilize abattoir waste for other sectors such as poultry feeds and plant fertilizer industries.