Environmental Impacts of Slaughterhouse Waste Management in Daloa and Man, Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

Aims: This study examines waste production and management in slaughterhouses in the Côte d'Ivoirean cities of Daloa and Man, as well as its impact on the surrounding waterways in Man. Study Design: The study is experimental in nature and employed a Research and Development (R&D) research design. Place and Duration of Study: Daloa and Man, cities located in the central-western and western regions of Côte d'Ivoire, respectively, Central laboratory of the University of Man, between September and December 2024. Methodology: Data were collected by surveying slaughterhouse managers in both cities of Daloa and Man and analyzing the physical and chemical characteristics of water samples taken from the Koh River near the Man slaughterhouse using a multi-parameter meter and ISO methods. Results: The animals slaughtered are sheep, cattle and goats, with cattle predominating. Nevertheless, between 2020 and 2023, the Daloa slaughterhouse recorded the highest number of animals slaughtered each year: 3,440–9,884 sheep, 9,253–10,374 cattle, and 2,912–4,810 goats. The waste produced at these two slaughterhouses consists of blood, horns, hooves, bones, dung (the contents of the animals' rumen) and wastewater from cleaning. These liquids are mixed during the slaughtering process and then discharged. In Man, this mixture is discharged into the Koh River. In Daloa, however, liquid waste is discharged into the natural environment behind the slaughterhouse. Solid waste, such as dung, is usually mixed with wastewater for disposal at both sites. Other solid waste, such as horns, hooves and bones, is left on site and exposed to scavenging animals, including rats, cats and stray dogs. The discharge point for effluent from the Man slaughterhouse into the Koh River is significantly more contaminated with nutrients and organic matter than the sections upstream and downstream, with average chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand concentrations of 3,137.5 mg/L and 1,873.7 mg/L respectively. Average concentrations are 40.1 mg/L for total phosphorus, 30.6 mg/L for orthophosphate, 497.9 mg/L for total nitrogen, 81.9 mg/L for nitrate and 341.6 mg/L for ammonium. Conclusion: The current method of managing slaughterhouse waste in these two cities is seriously damaging their appearance and degrading the water quality of the Koh River in Man. This is also affecting their image as tourist destinations.