Evaluating Water Quality of Lower Omo River and the Ethiopian part of Lake Turkana, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

The study’s surface water bodies, which include the lower Omo River and Lake Turkana in Ethiopia, are the most significant supplies of water for human activities, but they are also severely stressed by environmental factors and are in danger due to human activity. The physicochemical parameters were determined using standard analytical procedures in the Laboratory. The mean BOD₅ values obtained in this study were 16.268± 1.47 mg/l and 16.28 ±1.133 mg/l in the upstream and in the downstream respectively. The COD value was higher in the River(upstream) (mean 376.06 ±130.45mg/L) than in the Lake (downstream) (mean 136.00± 41.52 mg/L).The mean fluoride ion level in the River were 0.89 ±0.0135 while that of the Lake was 2.026±0.064mg/l. The mean concentration of total nitrogen were 8.938±1.327mg/L) and 17.84 ± 4.0083mg/L) in River and Lake respectively .The value for PO₄^-3 was 1.866 ± 0.625mg/L in the River (LOR) while in Lake (ELT) , the concentration was 5.108±0.975mg/L . Mean concentrations for NH₃ were 0.54 ±0.361and 1.354 ± 0.655 in the river and lake respectively. The finding of Water quality index (WQI) revealed that the water quality status was very poor and unsuitable for drinking in the lower Omo River and Omo Delta. Hence monitoring the effluent standards from the upstream industries, managing the waste disposal system in the towns along the river side are vital to protect the freshwater from further pollution.