Contamination of River Nun at Amassoma, Bayelsa State, Nigeria Due to Microbial Diversity in Sediments

Environmental contamination is a major issue challenging its sustainability. This study evaluated the microbial contamination level in sediment from River Nun at Amassoma axises in Bayelsa state, Nigeria. Triplicate sediment samples were collected from 5 locations along River Nun at Amassoma axises in Bayelsa state, Nigeria. The samples were analyzed using standard microbiological techniques. Results showed that microbial density ranged from 1.80 – 7.33 x 10⁶ cfu/g, 1.81 – 13.53 x 10⁴ cfu/g and 1.56 – 8.67 x 10⁵ cfu/g for total heterotrophic bacteria, total coliform and total fungi respectively. There was significant difference (P<0.05) among the various sampling stations. The tentative microbial isolates from the sediment were Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus, Enterobacter, Corynebacterium, Salmonella, Bacillus, Micrococcus, Proteus, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Saccharomyces, Mucor, Rhizopus, Fusarium and Geotrichum species. The similarity of the microbial diversity between the various locations based on Sorenson qualitative index ranged from 60.87 – 85.71%, being above critical level of significance of 50% for similarity. The occurrence of this array of microbes at further suggests that the water is contaminated and as such it requires treatment prior to use.

Author(s): Lovet T Kigigha, Enetimi I Seiyaboh, Vivian J Obua and Sylvester C Izah

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