Bacteriological and physicochemical characterization of campus waste water discharged into the drainage channels of Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano

Abstract

Management and safe disposal of wastewater are the most critical environmental and public health challenges of the 21st century, particularly within developing nations. The overarching aim of this research was to characterize the bacteriological quality of wastewater discharged from the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, into its drainage channels and evaluating its potential environmental and public health risks. This study assessed the physicochemi cal and microbiological quality of wastewater across three sampling points (A, B, C) on Nigeria Police Academy Ka no campus, where wastewater samples were collected and analyzed according to standard APHA methods for key parameters. Results indicated a progressive deterioration in water quality from point A to C. Physicochemical analy sis revealed that parameters significantly exceeded permissible limits (WHO/NSDWQ) downstream (p < 0.05), with dissolved oxygen (1.9 – 3.2 mg/L) falling below the standard (≥5.0 mg/L), while BOD (42.5 – 63.7 mg/L) and COD (98.7–138.6 mg/L) increased significantly. Microbiologically, all bacterial counts (total heterotrophic bacteria, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, enterococci) showed a significant increasing trend from point A to C, (p < 0.05) with fecal indicators (E. coli, Enterococci) far exceeding the WHO standard of 0 cfu/100mL. Four predominant bacterial iso lates were identified: Escherichia coli,(25), Klebsiella pneumoniae,(15),Pseudomonas aeruginosa,(10) and Enterococ cus faecalis (8).Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed high resistance rates among these isolates, particularly to ampicillin (70 - 80%) and other tested antibiotics. The study revealed that the campus wastewater was of poor quality, constituted a pollution source, and harbored multidrug-resistant bacteria, posing a significant health risk and highlighting a critical need for improved wastewater treatment before discharge.