Status of Water Quality of Naka River in Meru South, Kenya.

Abstract

The study was carried out for a period of two seasons (wet and dry) in a year. The physicochemical, bacteriological parameters of water and trace metals in sediment samples were evaluated at selected sites of river Naka. Result indicated that the levels of Fe, Mn, Cr, Pb, Al, MPN of coliform organisms/100 mL and E. coli /100 mL in water samples were above maximum permissible limits of WHO. The rest of the parameters measured fall within these limits. The results of sediments revealed that Fe2O3, Al2O3 and SiO2 are the major oxides in the sediments and the rest exist in trace amounts. The small values obtained from the loss on ignition indicate that sediments have lower carbonaceous matter and higher mineral contents. The levels of trace metals in sediments were higher than those in water samples