HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATION OF SEDIMENTS AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF TUNGBOAKPOLOKIAGHA LAKE, BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA.

Heavy metal pollution of water has become a major environmental concern globally, which possess as a threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health. Heavy metal contamination in rivers and lakes is on the increase because of industrialization, urbanization and climate change. There has been no information on heavy metal concentration in Tungbo Akpolokiagha lake as there are no literature of it anywhere. Therefore, it was necessary to evaluate the heavy metal concentration of the lake so as to ensure the safety of the continuous consumption of fishes and other protein resources from the lake. This study investigated the heavy metal concentration of Tungbo AkpolokiaghaLake, Sagbama Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Seven sediments samples were collected through the random sampling method from seven sampling locations and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry and standard analytical method were used to find out the concentrations of specific heavy metals in the samples. The data gathered for the study were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics through the aid of SPSS version 25.0. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether the concentrations of metals varied significantly among sampling locations with p-value less than 0.05. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the concentrations of the metals among sampling locations at 5% level of significance.The concentration levels of heavy metals found in the sediment samples were as follows: Iron, zinc, chromium, nickel, manganese, lead, cadmium, and copper were all metals. The mean concentrations of heavy metals in sediments were as follows: Fe: 168.68±0.01to 189.18±0.01mg/kg, Zn: 22.77±0.01to 45.73±0.01mg/kg, Cr: 38.69±0.01 to 49.19±0.01mg/kg, Ni: 30.64±0.01 to 32.15±0.01mg/kg, Mn:15.65±0.01 to 18.69±0.01mg/kg, Pb: 19.68±0.01 to 24.70±0.01mg/kg, Cd: 2.89±0.01 to 4.70±0.01mg/kg, and Cu: 5.24±0.01 to 6.15±0.01mg/kg. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Environmental Standards Regulation and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) set the standards that were utilized to compare these results and with those of other researchers. These values were below the acceptable limits set by WHO and NESREA, with the exception of Cd. The results also indicated that the pollution of heavy metals in the sediment samples were in the order of Cd >Mn >Fe. This study showed that sediments with very high amounts of Cd, Mn, and Fe were very dangerous for both the health of ecosystems and aquatic creatures. It was recommended, among other things, that stringent oversight be put in place for the lake and that people be made aware of the harmful effects of heavy metal poisoning in the lake. Mitigation strategies like adsorption, phytoremediation and bioremediation should be utilized in the removal of cadmium and lead. Additionally, to protect the lake's aquatic plants, animals, and micro-organisms which live nearby and depend on it for their livelihood, all human activities that make the lake's metal pollution worse should be drastically reduced.