Assessment of plant nutrient levels and heavy metals content in irrigation water in Kibera slum and their level in kales (Brasiccaoleracea)
Abstract
Pollution of the environment with toxic metals and radioactive waste poses a great harzard to humans, animals and ecosystems. The heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, chromium, copper, and zinc are most injurious. Kibera is the largest slums inKenya within Nairobi County with a population of 170,070 (Kenyan Census, 2009) and majority of residents are very poor leaving on less than $ 1.00 a day. It has an altitute of 1707m above sea level with maximum temperature of 28oC and minimum temperature of 13oC. Kale farmers in Kibera say that growing the commodity along sewer lines and dams freeze them from the burden of expensive fertilizers. There is growing concern that kales grown using slum sewers may be loaded with higher than normal levels of heavy metals, and other nutrients like NO3-, P, K+. The broad objective for the study is to determine the concentration of nutrient levels, and some heavy metals content in irrigation water and their level in kales. Soil and water sampling have be taken for the analysis for some heavy metals such as Pb, Zn, As; pH, Electrical Conductivity, NO3-, P, and K contents will also be determined. There will be 3 treatments; control (tap water), untreated effluent, and (both rain water and untreated effluent) using Kabete field station soils. Deferred treatments will be compared using histograms.
Publisher
University of Nairobi