Industrial Pollution and Vegetable Farming in Sharada Industrial Layout of Kano Municipal Area Council

Ikenna Ugonna Uzonu
Keywords: Effluents, heavy metals, farmers, industrial layout, industrial pollution, municipal council, irrigation, vegetable farming, Kano
Tropical Journal of Science and Technology 2020 1(2), 50-58. Published: March 10, 2021


Abstract

This work examined the effects of industrial effluents on surface water used for vegetable irrigation in Kano City of Kano State. As the population of Kano increases, more demand is placed on these industries for products thus leading to the generation of large volumes of effluents that are discharged directly into nearby streams without treatment. The usage of this surface water for vegetable irrigation by a significant number of vegetable farmers is a matter of major concern due to the presence of pollutants. Some of the field measurements were carried out insitu while others were taken to the laboratory for analysis. Groundwater samples were taken from a borehole and two hand-dug wells while surface water was taken from point of discharge and two other points along the Challawa River which is the main source of water for vegetable irrigation. Composite soil samples were taken from four points within the vegetable farms. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Ministry of Environment standards were used as baseline standards for limits. Results show that presence of Fe, Pb, Mn, Cr and Cd were found to be above the FMEnv limits in the soil, the presence of SO4, Cu and K were also found to be above the FMEnv limits as well in groundwater while BOD, NO2 and Cr were above the FEPA limit for surface water. Some of the recommendations include constant monitoring for the presence of heavy metals in soils and irrigation water and that the need for the construction of both primary and secondary treatment plants has become essential.