ASSESSMENT OF THREE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF EFFLUENTS FROM SELECTED FOOD PROCESSING CENTRES AND THEIR EFFECT ON RECEIVING WATER BODIES IN ABAKALIKI, EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA.

The study assessed three physical properties of effluents from selected food processing centres and their effects on receiving water bodies in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state. Three replicates of both effluent and water samples from effluent-receiving water bodies were collected in 2023 and 2024 from Native Delicacy, Crunches, Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro. The samples collected were taken to the Soil and Environmental Management Laboratory of Ebonyi State University for analyses of temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS) and total suspended solids (TSS). Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance and mean separated using F-SLD (p<0.05). The results revealed that the effluent temperatures for all the study centres in the dry season ranged from 28.0 - 29.5oC and were higher than that of wet season values. The receiving water bodies' temperatures were lower than the effluent temperatures but higher than WHO standards in all the study centres. The TDS and TSS of effluent studied showed a significant difference in all the food processing centres and were higher in the dry season compared to the wet season in the receiving water bodies. The TDS value ranged from 46.80 - 55.60 mg/L in the dry season and 31.00 - 50.20 mg/L in the wet season though the values were higher than that of control and were within WHO standards. The study showed that the receiving water bodies were poor in quality and there is a need to treat them before use. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on industrial pollution in Abakaliki. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]