DETERMINATION OF ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDES CONTENT OF ETHIOPE RIVER, ABRAKA, NIGERIA FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS HAPPA AQUACULTURE

Abstract

The Federal Government of Nigeria in effort at reducing unemployment among youths, curb social ills, create wealth and thus food security, introduced trade and entrepreneurship curricula in various skill areas including fishery. Good quality water is a pre-requisite for production of healthy fish for human consumption. This study therefore focused on the organochlorine pesticides content of Ethiope River for happa aquaculture in secondary schools. The research location Ethiope River was divided into research sampling stations and these were Mudi beach sampling station, River Motel sampling station, McCarthy beach, Oria and Erhuovie sampling stations. From each of the sampling stations, water samples were collected with clean sampling bottles with graduated strings at 10cm depth and covered sub-surface. The samples from 10 sampling sites in a sampling station were bulked and a composite drawn, fixed with HNO3 and stored in ice-cooled box with which they were taken to laboratory for analysis. The analytical methods adopted were EPA Model 3570E, APHA 311D and 303 and CAEM 939C. The pesticides were determined with HPLC/UVFD. The mean results obtained were PIPI DDT 3.232±0.69, Haptachlor 4.46±1.50, Edrin 9.36±1.97, Adrin 7.25±0.84 and Lindane 1.79±0.35. The mean results of the organochlorine pesticides investigated were subjected to test of significance with ANOVA with numerator 4 and denominator 20. The calculated F-ratio was 6.35 while F-ratio critical value was 2.44. This revealed that the concentrations of the organochlorine pesticides determined were higher than WHO/FME maximum permissible concentration. The study recommends that happa aquaculture should not be embarked on in Ethiope River by secondary schools in Abraka.