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Volume 8 Journal of Environmental & Analytical Toxicology Environment and Health Congress 2018
July 11-12, 2018
July 11-12, 2018 Sydney, Australia
World Congress on
Environmental Toxicology and Health
Physicochemical parameters and planktonic diatoms as indicators of toxicity in surface water body,
Nairobi Dam, Kenya
Shyam Manohar
Kenyatta University, Kenya
C lean air, water and food are natural God given gifts to all humans and also to all micro and macro-organisms inhabiting
on this living planet. If one of these necessities is contaminated with chemicals more than the tolerance level(s) become
toxic and create serious health problems for life. Water quality of any natural or manmade aquatic ecosystem mainly depends
on the type(s), density and frequency of organism’s species composition, growth, productivity, distribution and stratification;
seasonal water level fluctuations, flow rate, number of inlets and outlets with volume of water; interactions between biological,
physical, geology; types of chemical(s) contamination, their characteristics and anthropogenic activities within surroundings
of freshwater resource(s). Planktonic species and physicochemical parameters were studied within Nairobi Dam at five
selected sampling stations (S1 to S5) during dry season from June to September 2017. There are 15 genus which are Amphora,
Aulacoseira, Closterium, Cyclotella, Cymbella, Diatoma, Fragillaria, Gomphocymbella, Navicula, Nitzschia, Peridinium,
Pinnularia, Stephomodiscus, Surillela and Synedra composed of 23 planktonic species. Out of four species of the genus Nitzschia,
three species N. lucastris, N. palea, N. recta together with Cymbella cistula and Diatoma hiemiale have 100% frequency and
well adapted within wide range of high nutrient levels in all samples but Nitzschia subacicularis appeared with 60% frequency.
Other five genus with two species each are Aulacoseira ambigua, A. schroidera; Cyclotella ocellata, C. kutzinghiana; Diatoma
elongatum; D. hiemiale; Fragillaria aethiopica; F. longissimi; Synedra cunningtonii, S. ulna but another nine genus with single
species are Amphora ovaris, Ceratium sp., Gomphocymbella beccari, Peridinium sp., Cymbella cistula, Navicula granatum,
Pinnularia viridis, Stephomodiscus astraca and Surillela ovalis. Mean monthly values of selected physicochemical parameters
are: temperature 25.44±0.63 oC, flow rate 2.38±0.07 km/h, pH 8..36±0.13, dissolved oxygen 2.95±0.6 mg/L, electrical
conductivity 671.43±222.2 µs/cm, Turbidity 113.13±13.86 NTU, carbonates 146.91±25.64 mg/L, total nitrogen 654.97±214.6
µg/L, total Phosphorus 990.95±27.24 µg/L, Sulfates 12.51±0.82 mg/L and chlorides 10.31±0.83 mg/L. Study revealed that only
pH, dissolved oxygen and carbonates show significant difference (p≤0.05) in Nairobi Dam water but rest of physicochemical
levels of conductivity, turbidity, total nitrogen, total phosphates, sulfates and chlorides are higher than recommended levels
in drinking water according to EU, WHO and Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS). Based on the results, it is concluded that
water is hard and due to high nitrogen level it limits the oxygen carrying capacity of red blood cells and infants may suffer
with methemoglobinemia (blue baby syndrome) health problem and even noncarbonated hardness due to presence of high
levels of Cl2, SO4 and NO 3, the water of the dam is slightly toxic. Therefore, without proper municipal water treatment system,
it must not be supplied to human population, for animal drinking and should not be used even for aquaculture. During field
observations, color, odor, presence of planktonic species, their density and frequency should be used as bio-indicator for quick
water quality assessment of freshwater ecosystem(s).
Biography
Shyam Manohar is a Professor of Environmental Science at Kenyatta University, Kenya and has obtained his PhD (1974) from Institute of Science, University of
Bombay He has completed his BSc majoring in Botany, Chemistry and Zoology, MSc (Botany) from University of Meerut, India and was a Senior Scientific Officer
at Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. He has conducted research on floristic and phyto-sociological studies of the north and south arid and
semi-arid regions of India.
Shyam Manohar, J Environ Anal Toxicol 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0525-C1-011