ABSTRACT

The aim of this project work is to evaluate on the ogidi river water quality for irrigation purpose. Water is an important component for living organisms specially for human. It is the most essential substance for living things and it supports life's processes and without water it would not have been possible to sustain life on this planet. Water has unique characteristics that determine both its allocation and use as a resource by agriculture. It is not only a valuable natural resource, which maintains people's survival and development, but also constitutes the main constituent elements of environment. Irrigation water can create saline and/or alkaline soil depending on the quality and type of salt dissolved in the water. Salt concentration in irrigation water reduces available soil moisture, which limits plant growth.. Thus deteriorating the quality ofthe river and its suitability for irrigated agriculture. This project work was limited to the quality evaluation of Ogidi River in Orlu. L. G. A ofImo for irrigation purposes. It includes the analysis ofsome basic physicochemical properties ofthe river that may affect the quality of the river thus causing it to be fit or unfit for irrigation purposes. The physical properties to be analyzed ranges from turbidity, total dissolved solids to total suspended solids while the chemical properties includes pH, electrical conductivity, alkalinity, salinity, sodium absorption rate (SAR), chlorides, boron, sulphate bicarbonate and nitrogen. The materials used for the analysis include, thermometer, turbiditimeter, pH meter, conductivity meter. Spectrophotometer, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS), Autoclave. Water bath. Analytical balance. Lab. Oven, Evaporating dish. Filter papers .Desiccators. Dissolve oxygen meter. Reagents, buffer solutions, mediums etc Slide plates, Glass wares. Micro pipette. The slight increases in temperature at the downstream may be as a result of man’s activitiestowards the downstream ofthe river. The water samples though colorless had high turbidity values for the samples analyzed. In conclusion, the results ofthe water quality assessment show that all the physical properties ofthe water samples were within the recommended Standard by FAO except the turbidity which were slightly higher than the 5 NTU recommended standard.