Community Perception on Urban and Agricultural Waste Dump on Environment along River Chanchaga, Minna, Nigeria

Abstract

River Chanchaga is the major effluent receiving stream in Minna. Is receives influent from urban and agricultural wastes such as domestics and agro-allied chemicals that flow into the natural source of drinking water inducing pollution stress and degradation of aquatic environment. The study investigates the communities’ perception of agricultural and urban pollutants on aquatic environment of the study area. Field surveys interviews and observation methods were used for the study. A total of 250 people accounting for 0.47% approximately 0.5% of the total of the total population were interviewed, making it eight per each community in thirty communities along the study area. Reconnaissance survey was conducted to get acquainted with physical characteristics of the river. The result indicates that indiscriminant operation of agricultural activities and urban wastes discharge posed great public health risk to the inhabitants of the area. The identified health risk causing agents were insects and rodents attracted by garbage heaps (wastes dump) and diseases attributable to different forms of water pollution related problems like, malaria, cholera, unpleasant odour and aquatic environment degradation of River Chanchaga. The result is that the communities along the study area are concerned, with agrochemical usage (chemical content) with 59.7 %, endanger to malaria cases with 12,3 %, besides unpleasant odour with 7.4%, seasonal bed water taste with 4,1. % and proliferation of pest and diseases with 16.5%. Since aquatic ecosystem provides food and water for consumption, the. study recommended the improvement in the Operation of agricultural practices as well as regulating- and monitoring of urban discharge or control or reduce environmental damage that can affect aquatic ecosystem of the study area. It is therefore, necessary to plan and coordinate human-activities along this river in a manner that their negative effects on water quality are minimized as much as possible.