Frequency of Abattoir Waste Generation and Management in Port Harcourt Metropolis

Abstract

The study examined abattoir waste generation and management in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria. Abattoir operations generate numerous wastes that pose a threat to the environment. Three abattoirs, located in Port Harcourt metropolis, were used for this study, namely; Trans-Amadi, Ogbunabali, and Naval Officers Wife Association Borikiri (NOWAB). Data on the number of cattle and goats slaughtered daily was collected between November and December, 2017 through interviews and participatory observation. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results show that on average, about 159 cattle and 353 goats were slaughtered daily in the metropolis abattoirs per working day. Trans-Amadi abattoir recorded the highest percentage (97.66%) of animal slaughtered in the metropolis, while the least (0.78%) was recorded at Naval Officers Wife Association Borikiri, abattoir. A total of 2,003.4 tons of blood, 1,272 tons of Intestinal content, 1,876.2 tons of bone and 1,017.6 tons of tissues waste, respectively from cattle weredischarged into the environment daily. The slaughtering of goats was found to take place only at the Trans-Amadi and Ogbunabali abattoirs. Waste generated daily from goats was higher in Trans-Amadi abattoir (1,690 tons) than Ogbunabali abattoir (14.49 tons) in the metropolis. All the abattoirs visited use nearby streams as means of discharging these wastes slurry thereby giving rise to offensive odour and increase in the microbial loads of the streams. This awareness is expected to reawaken the interests of all stakeholders to eradicate this scourge in earnest.