Macroinverterbrates as indicators of industrial pollution in river Kasokwa in Budongo Subcounty Masindi District Uganda.

Abstract

Just like other countries, Uganda is facing increasing degradation of river quality which may result in adverse effects to human health and aquatic organisms(Angiro, Abila, & Omara, 2020a; Geme, 2014; Paul, 2011). It is important to protect rivers from pollution since they provide a source of water for domestic usage, irrigation and industrial use (Khatri, Raval, Jha, & Rawtani, 2020). Paul, 2011 and Geme, 2014 indicate that majority of people who live near rivers use them as the only source of water. However, human activities are severely detoriorating the quality of fresh water ecosystems through pollution, over exploitation, introduction of invasive species, habitat loss, and physical alteration, these have also led to decline in freshwater biodiversity(Tan & Beh, 2015). In developed countries, regulations have been implemented to restrict discharge of untreated waste water into rivers and streams, however, the existing regulations in under developed countries are weak (Beyene, Legesse, Triest, & Kloos, 2009). Paul, 2011 reports that majority of the industries in Uganda discharge their effluents in water bodies before treating them as to the recommended standards.

Physical parameters such as pH, Dosolved Oxygen, Biological Oxygen Demand and Chemical Oxygen demand have been widely used to monitor water quality (Khatri et al., 2020), however, the results of physical parameters are not fully reliable (Armon & Hänninen, 2015; Biology, State, & State, 2012). Biological parameters have since been adopted to monitor water quality and considered as reliable since they can provide information about water quality over a long period of time due to their difference in sensitivity to water pollution (Biology et al., 2012). Macro invertebrates have been used as bio monitoring organisms for fresh water streams and rivers to tell about environmental stressors such as pollution (Rasifudi, Addo-Bediako, Bal, & Swemmer, 2018).