Microbiological Investigation of Waste Water Discharge from Temple and Nkwelle Abattoir in Umunya, Anambra State, Nigeria

The increasing volume of waste generation and inadequate disposal systems in Nigeria, particularly due to anthropogenic activities such as the indiscriminate location of slaughterhouses near residential areas, poses significant environmental and public health risks. This study investigated the microbiological quality of wastewater discharged from two slaughterhouses (Temple and Nkwelle) in Umunya, Oyi Local Government Area, Anambra State. Wastewater samples were collected using sterile containers and immediately transported to the microbiology laboratory for analysis. Bacterial isolation was conducted using Nutrient agar, Salmonella/Shigella agar, and MacConkey agar, while fungal isolation was performed using Potato Dextrose agar. The Total Heterotrophic Bacterial Counts (THBC) for Temple and Nkwelle slaughterhouses were 6.8 × 10⁵ CFU/mL and 5.2 × 10⁵ CFU/mL, respectively, while the Fungal Counts were 1.4 × 10⁴ CFU/mL and 1.2 × 10⁴ CFU/mL, respectively. Bacterial isolates included Escherichia coli, Bacillus spp., Citrobacter spp., Streptococcus spp., Proteus spp., Enterobacter faecalis, Klebsiella spp., Lactobacillus spp., and Staphylococcus aureus. Fungal isolates comprised Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp., and Mucor spp.