Variation in the Chemical Status of Water and Soil  Sediments along Saiwa Swamp Ecosystem, Trans  Nzoia County, Kenya

W.S. K. Ruto; J.I. Kinyamario; J.I. Kanya; N.K. Ng’etich

doi:10.3233/AJW-170022

Abstract

Saiwa Swamp National Park in west-northern Kenya presents a typical wetland, and is habitat to the rare sitatunga antelope (Tragelaphus spekei). The swamp is surrounded by farms making it an ecological island, thus threatening the very existence of this wetland. Agrochemicals released from these farms are channelled into the swamp and thus affecting its physico-chemical status. This study compared the chemistry of water and soil sediments at specific sites along the swamp gradient during the rainy season. pH of surface waters was nearly neutral (mean of 7.0) during the entire study period while that of the soil sediments was acidic (4.6 to 5.0). Elements Ca, Mg and Fe recorded higher concentrations in dry season compared to the wet season. Other elements including Cu, Mn and Zn were not detected in surface water during the dry season. There was an increase in concentrations of Cu and Mn in the swamp waters during the wet season. The findings of the study showed a large percentage of the nutrients removed from the subsurface water in filtering contaminants.

Keywords

Riparian

sitatunga

chemical status

Saiwa Swamp National Park.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare they have no competing interests.

References

Anonymous (2009). GenStat release 12.1. VSN International Ltd.

APHA (1998). Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 20th Edition. American Public Health Association. Washington D.C.

Divya, J. and S.L. Belagali (2012). Impact of chemical fertilizers on water quality in selected agricultural areas of Mysore district, Karnataka, India. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2(3), 1449-1458.

Douglas, M. and P.E. Considine (1984). Encyclopaedia of Chemistry. 4th Edition. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc. New York.

Garg, S.P. (1987). Groundwater and Tube Wells. 2nd Edition. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co., New Delhi.

Gaudet, J.J. (1979). Seasonal changes in nutrients in a tropical swamp: North swamp, lake Naivasha, Kenya. Journal of Ecology, 67, 953-981.

Gaudet, J.J. and F.M. Muthuri (1981). Nutrients relationships in shallow water in an African lake, Lake Naivasha. Oecologia, 49, 109-118.

Gichuki, N. (1998). Status of Birds in Saiwa Swamp National Park, Kenya. National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi.

Katimon, A., Kassim, A., Othman, F., Sohaili, J., Yusop, Z. and N. Hashim (2004). Agricultural drainage affects river water quality. Institute of Engineers Journal, Malaysia, 651(2), 1-7.

Medudhula, T., Samatha, C. and C. Sammaiah (2012). Analysis of water quality using physico-chemical parameters in Lower Manair Reservoir of Karimnagar District, Andhra Pradesh. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 3(1), 172-180.

Mitsch, W.J. and J.G. Gosselink (2007). Wetlands. 4th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey.

Mohamed, A.M. (2000). Mitigating the effects of intensive agriculture in wetlands: The case of Saiwa wetlands, Kenya. Community Based Wetlands Conservation Project, World Wide Fund for Nature, Kitale, Kenya.

Moore, D.S. and G.P. McCabe (1999). Introduction to the Practice of Statistics. W.H. Freeman and Company, New York.

Muthuri, F.M. and M.B. Jones (1997). Nutrient distribution in a papyrus swamp: Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Aquatic Botany, 56, 35-50.

Mwaniki, S.N., Wanjau, T.W., Njeru, S.N. and J.W. Mavura (2013). Physico-Chemical Properties of Spring Water in Kabare and Baragwi Locations, Gichugu Division Kirinyaga County of Kenya. International Journal of Science and Research, 2(7), 280-286.

Ndubi, D., Oyaro, N., Githae, E. and A. Afullo (2015). Determination of physico-chemical properties of sources of water in Narok North Sub-County, Kenya. International Research Journal of Environmental Sciences, 4(1), 47-51.

Ogutu, Z.A. (1996). Conflicts over resources: Saiwa Swamp National Park (Kenya) and its environs. GeoJournal, 41(1), 25-31.

Okalebo, J.R., Gathua, K.W. and P.L. Woomer (2002). Laboratory Methods of Soil and Plant Analysis: A Working Manual. 2nd Edition. Sacred African Publishers, Nairobi.

Steel, R.G.D., Torrie, J.H. and D.A. Dicke (1997). Principles and Procedures of Statistics. A Biometrical Approach. 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill Inc. New York.

Twort, A.C., Law, F.M., Crowley, F.W. and D.D. Ratnayaka (1994). Water Supply. 4th Edition. Great Britain.

Previous article in this issue

Next article in this issue