Assessment of Water Quality from Privately Owned Fish Ponds Used for Aquaculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

Detection of heavy metals in freshwater ponds above recommended standards is becoming a growing global concern, putting consumers at risk of suffering carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects. The goal of this study was to establish the water quality from privately owned fish ponds found in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The study involved quantification of physical chemical parameters of water used for aquaculture from five sampling locations. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer was used to analyse the concentration of heavy metals while nutrients were analysed using DR/4000 Spectrophotometer. The results of heavy metals and nutrients varied from one sampling fish pond to another. The concentration of chromium ranged from 0.23±1.11mg/L to 1.13±0.13mg/L which exceeded recommended WHO guideline of 0.05mg/L while the concentration of lead was found to range from 0.081±0.006mg/L to 0.426±0.001mg/L which also exceeded WHO/FAO limit of 0.01mg/L. These results are indication that water used in privately owned ponds for aquaculture need to be monitored for better fish growth and human health. Thus, this study recommends necessary actions to improve the quality of water used for aquaculture including safe source to attain recommended standards which will help achieving high yield fish production but also conserving the environment and reducing potential human health risks.