DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2018.v06i11.002

Pages: 682-691

This investigation is conducted in Nyaba drainage basin, a 400km2 instrumented humid tropical urban watershed in Southeastern Nigeria to investigate into the biological characteristics and oxygen status of stream water in Nyaba catchment area. Samples of stream water and solid waste leachate were collected from 25 subs catchment areas of the basin and subjected to laboratory analysis of the biological characteristics. Field investigation of the stream velocity, width, depth, discharge, and flow velocity in the sub catchments was also conducted Land use, water utilities, waste generation and management were also examined. The effect of solid waste disposal on the microbiological quality of the stream water was discovered to be the overall strongest factor of the 6 final components affecting water quality of streams in Nyaba river basin. The study therefore recommends a redirection of present efforts from water treatments focusing on physico-chemical quality to microbiological quality surveillance with a sustainable solid waste disposal practice in the Enugu urban environment to restore and protect the ambient stream water quality in Nyaba catchment area.