Organochlorine Pesticides Characterization of Umie River Eku Delta State for Cage Aquaculture in Schools: A Tool for Youths Empowerment and Food Security in Nigeria

Abstract

Food insecurity is a global challenge requiring solutions to achieve food secured nations. Agriculture has been adjudged as viable option to achieving food security in Nigeria especially youths aquaculture through cage aquaculture. Good quality water is an imperative in aquaculture and this underscores this study. Thus, the focus of this study is the determination of organochlorine pesticides content of Umie River Eku for cage aquaculture in schools. To achieve this, Umie River was mapped out into research stations A B C D E. Samples were collected from 5 spots in each sampling station, bulked and composite drawn, fixed with HNO₃ and stored in ice cooled boxes for analysis. The analytical standards adopted were EPA 3570, APHA and Stei ndwandter and Shufter (1978) and the analytical instrument deployed is Agilent 6100 series single quadruple LC/MS. The mean results obtained were beta-lindane 0.66±0.14μg/l; heptachlor, 2.20±0.16μg/l, edrin 2.32±0.11μg/l, cis chordane 2.33±0.12μg/l and DDT 2.66±0.14μg/l. The results of the organochlorine pesticides were further subjected to test of significance with ANOVA with numerator 4 and denominator 20 at 0.05 level of significance. The F ratio calculated is 8.23 while the F ratio critical value is 4.21. Thus rejecting Ho and this means that there is significant difference between the concentration of organochlorine in Umie River and WHO maximum permissible concentration for organochlorine pesticides in water. The study recommends that cage aquaculture should not be deployed in Umie Riveruntil remediation has been carried out to avoid contamination by toxicants and the concomitant health implications and this will negate efforts towards food security it ought to promote.