Microbial Assay of Otamiri River and Its Sediments in Parts of Owerri

The aim of the study was to analyse and identify microbial constituents in the water and sediment samples with comparison of the River to World Health Organisation (WHO, 2011) standard for drinking water and Federal Ministry of Environment (FME, 2006) and their public health implications with respect to water quality. The microbial assay of Otamiri River was investigated using Standard plate count. The result indicates that microbial constituents of Otamiri river obtained at five strategic gauge stations designated SSWS1 (Egbu), SSWS2 (Timber Market), SSWS3 (FUTO), DOWNSTREAM (Mbirichi) and CONTROL POINT with mean Total coliform Count of 3.0 × 102, 3.0 × 103, 4.1 × 103 and 1.0 × 103 cfu/100ml with control point value of 0.5 × 103 respectively. The mean Total Bacteria Count was 3.0 × 104, 2.1 × 103, 1.1 × 103 and 0.8 × 103 cfu/100ml respectively with control point value of 0.2 × 103 while the mean values for Total E. coli Count were 1.1 × 102, 3.0 × 102, 4 × 103 and 2.0 × 103 cfu/100ml with control point value of 0.2 × 103. The biochemical identification of some organisms in water was Escherichia coli, Vibro spp., Klebsiella spp., and Entrobacteria spp. The result of stream sediment samples indicates that the mean Total Bacterial Count was 3.5 × 104, 5.0 × 104, 6.5 × 104 and 2.0 × 104 cfu/g respectively with 1.5 × 102 as control point value and that of Total Coliform Count was 6.5 × 103, 2.0 × 103, 2.5 × 103 and 0.8 × 103 cfu/g respectively with control point value of 0.5 × 102. While for the Total E. coli Count, the values were 2.5 × 103, 1.0 × 103, 2.5 × 103 and 0.5 × 105 cfu/g respective with control as 0.5 × 102. Biochemical identification of some organisms in sediments includes: Escherichia coli, Vibro spp., Klebsiella spp., Entrobacteria spp. and Bacillus spp. The mean total bacterial count, total coli form count and total E. coli, were not in conformity with both World Health Organisation (WHO, 2011) Standard for drinking water and Federal Ministry of Environment (FME) 2006 standard for soil and thus constitute a threat to the River;these are attributed to waste dumps and anthropogenic activities around the five stations. The presence of bacteria in water can cause cholera, hepatitis, dysentery and typhoid. The microbial constituents can be reduced by chlorination.

Experimental Culture of the Giant Freshwater Prawn, Macrobrachium vollenhovenii (Herklots, 1857) around the FUTO Axis of Otamiri River, Imo State, Nigeria

Culture trial of 7,488 juveniles of the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium vollenhovenii (Herklots, 1857) was carried out for 180 d in concrete tanks to determine their adaptability, survival, feed utilization and growth performance under culture condition. Twelve experimental concrete tanks each measuring 10 m × 5 m × 1.0 m were used for the experiment from March to August 2016. The prawns were stocked two weeks after treatment of tanks with agricultural lime at the rate of 2,279 kg/ha and poultry manure at the rate of 114 kg/ha. Four experimental diets tested were designated as T1: powdered broiler starter, T2: commercial brine shrimp, T3: combination of broiler starter and brine shrimp and T4: Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Station (MAFES) diet formula. Diets were randomly assigned to the four treatment tanks and replicated three times in a 4 × 3 = 12 experimental units as a completely randomized design experiment (CRD). Each tank was stocked with 624 juvenile prawns with mean total length of 1.5 cm and body weight of 10.0 g. Prawns were fed at 5% body weight and twice at 0600 h and 1800 h. Sampling for growth was carried out bi-weekly while water quality was tested weekly. Results were statistically evaluated with one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Water quality of the four tanks was not significantly different (p > 0.05) from one another throughout the culture period and conformed to recommended tolerable limits in prawn culture ponds. Growth performance was best in diet T4 (the MAFES formula), with a survival rate of 75%, mean weight gain (MWG) of 65 g, relative growth rate (RGR) of 650%, specific growth rate (SGR) of 1.12%, average daily growth (ADG) of 0.3 g/day and food conversion ratio (FCR) of 1.44. The above values differed quite significantly (p < 0.05) from growth responses of other diets. The computed gross ratio (GR) of 0.62 suggests that prawn culture is a highly lucrative business.

Investigating Temperature and Nutrients as Drivers of Primary Productivity in Aquatic Environment

An investigation into the relationship between temperature and the nutrients (,, and ) in pelagial primary productivity of the middle reaches of Otamiri River in Owerri, Southeastern Nigeria was carried out between October and November, 2018 at ten sampling points (OTP 1-OTP 10). The estimation of productivity was made with the light and dark bottle technique. Maximum yields in Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) (0.8738 mgCL-1d-1), Net Primary Productivity (NPP) (0.8513 mgCL-1d-1), as well as Community Respiration (CR) (0.1613 mgCL-1d-1) were recorded at OTP 3, OTP 3 and OTP 8 respectively that had more vegetation covers than in segments without cover. GPP is correlated withions (r = 0.400),ions (r = 0.418), and water temperature (r = 0.379) (p 0.05), while CR is correlated with ions (r = 0.500) (p 0.01). The variability of GPP increased mildly with increasing temperature and the nutrients;with predicted regression model productivities of 0.1388, 0.5621, and 0.6066 mgCL-1d-1, corresponding with mean values of 28.41℃, 0.33 mg/L, 1.04 mg/L and 10.25 mg/L recorded for temperature,,, and ions concentrations. Mean GPP was estimated to result in a comparatively low annual productivity of 188.75 mgCL-1yr-1. Conservation and restoration of riparian vegetation covers in watershed corridors of the river for optimal driver roles were recommended.

Assessment and Trend of Land Cover Land Use Changes in Owerri and Environs, South Eastern Nigeria

This study examined land cover and land use changes (LCLUC) in Owerri and environs from 1986 to 2016 and went further to determine the trend in the change of each LCLUC class. The satellite imagery of the area over the three decades was characterized into the different LCLUC classes and the changes in the areal extent of the different LCLUC classes were calculated and plotted, followed with the estimation of the trend?using?linear regression analysis method. The result?revealed that over the three decades, forests and sparse vegetation respectively decreased at a rate of 0.73% and 0.05% of the total land area per year while built up areas increased?almost equally in the opposite direction at a rate of 0.65% of the total land area per year. Open spaces and water bodies decreased at the rate of 0.11% and 0.02% of the total land area respectively which were as a result of the pressure for resources like land and sand for built infrastructure.?A model was derived for the LCLUC and it revealed that Owerri and environs may be devoid of vegetal cover in about 2 decades (2039) if the current rate of conversion of forests to built-up infrastructure is not abated.?This whole LCLUC scenario if not controlled may trigger changes in the local climate of the area and urgent steps are therefore needed to create awareness to all the stakeholders?in the area?on the need for sustainable land and natural resources use, tree planting, urban spatial plan and controls in order to safeguard the environment, ecosystem and climate of the area for the future.