TITLE:
Effects of Papyrus Plants (Cyperus papyrus) on the Physicochemical Parameters and Nutrient Levels of Water and Sediments in Yala Swamp Wetland in Western Kenya
AUTHORS:
Violet Achieng Orodo, Paul Otieno Abuom, Emmanuel Amukohe Shikanga, Elly Tetty Osewe, Douglas Nyambane Anyona, Fredrick Mhina Mngube, Stephen Adongo Odongo
KEYWORDS:
Adsorbing Contaminants, Phytoremediation, Conservation, Cyperus papyrus
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biophysical Chemistry,
Vol.15 No.1,
February
23,
2024
ABSTRACT: Yala swamp wetland is the
largest fresh water wetland ecosystem in Kenya supporting a broad biodiversity.
It comprises of River Yala, the Yala swamp, Lakes Kanyaboli, Namboyo and Sare,
and a portion of Lake Victoria neighboring the swamp. Approximately 2300 ha of
land have been reclaimed and has been used for large-scale agriculture
resulting in mass destruction of papyrus to create room for framing. Papyrus
are known to be important in phytoremediation but despite this role information
is limited, lacks supportive evidence and the empirical aspect on the levels of
these pollutants in relation to the papyrus biomass is limited. The study is
aimed at determining the effects of Cyperus papyrus on the water
and sediment quality in Yala Swamp wetland. Six sampling sites were
purposefully selected to monitor the variations of the physicochemical
parameters (temperature, dissolved oxygen: DO, pH, biological oxygen demand:
BOD, total suspended solids: TSS, turbidity, electrical conductivity: EC and
total dissolved solids: TSS) and the levels selected nutrients (phosphorus and
nitrates) in water and sediments as River Yala flows through Dominion Farms,
Lake Sare which surrounded by Cyperus papyrus and finally into
Lake Victoria. The samples were collected in triplicates during the wet and dry
seasons (May and September 2015 respectively). The physicochemical parameters
were measured in situ using a Hydrolab muiltimeter while the nutrients
were analyzed using UV/Vis spectroscopy. Statistical analysis was done using
SAS V9.0 software. The mean temperature was 26.19˚C ± 0.71˚C, DO: 3.72 ± 1.02 Mg/l, BOD: 3.9 ± 0.32 Mg/l, pH: 7.52 ± 0.17, TDS: 109 ± 86.33, EC: 173.26
± 13.8 μS/cm, TSS: 12.42 ± 18.51 Mg/l and Turbidity: 12.29 ± 10.03 NTU. The
values varied significantly at P 0.05 among all the sites. The results show that
papyrus is useful in maintaining the required levels of physicochemical
parameters. The study will assist in conservation of the papyrus to help
phytoremediate pollutants from Dominion farms and the adjacent farms in order
to have ecologically sound wetland.