Impact of Slaughterhouses Effluent on Water Quality of Modjo and Akaki River in Central Ethiopia

The objective of this study was investigating the impact of effluents of Kera and Luna slaughterhouses on the water quality of receiving Rivers Akaki and Modjo respectively. Water samples from effluents of both slaughterhouses and both Rivers were examined using standard procedure over the duration of two months period of dry season. It was found that except temperature and pH, the levels of DO, TS, TSS, BOD5, COD, NH3-N, NO2--N, NO3--N, S-2, SO4-2, PO4-3, TP, FC, TC and FOG of both rivers and both effluents did not comply with standards of the country. Again the addition of discharges has caused many fold increase in most of the analyzed parameters at downstream of both rivers. The result has revealed that there was an adverse impact on the physiochemical and bacteriological characteristics of the receiving rivers as a result of the discharge of these effluents. There is a need of remediation of both Rivers as well as an intervention of regulatory bodies to ensure production of high quality treated final effluents by the slaughterhouse industries.