Heavy Metal Content of Abattoir Waste and Municipal Sludge in Soil and Water along Jakara River in Kano, Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

Pollution of general environment has increasingly gathered a global interest in this respect; con-tamination of agricultural soils with heavy metals has always been considered a critical challenge in scientific community. Heavy metals are generally present in agricultural soils at low levels. Due to their cumulative behavior and toxicity, however, they have a potential hazardous effect not only on crop plants but also on human health. A study was carried out on the quality of Jakara River water in Kano which is the main source of water for municipal agriculture in the area to evaluate its suitability and otherwise for agricultural crop production. Heavy metals in both the soil and water were found to be low, but their value in soils is higher due to continuous accumulation and in the soil at 0 -15 cm depth the concentration followed these trends: Fe > Cr > Mn > Ni > both Pb, Cu and As > Zn while at 15 -30 cm soil depth it was found that Mn > Ni > Zn > As > Cr > Pb and Fe > Cu.