An overview of the potential for biological monitoring of water pollution

Abstract

One of the major concerns in Southern Africa is the provision of adequate clean drinking water. As a result of human agricultural and industrial activity many toxins are released into the environment. Many of these toxins, which include heavy metals (e.g.cadmium,lead,mercury) and organic compounds (e.g. endosulfan, DDT) , are also likely to find their way into freshwater bodies. Water that is contaminated with such toxins would be unsuitable for human consumption. With the prospect of increased industrialization and agricultural output, it is likely that even larger quantities , of industrial waste and agricultural pesticides will be released into the environment including natural waterbodies. Many of these chemicals are known toxins and they may accumulate in the food chain and threaten not only humans, but also wildlife, and indeed the ecosystem as a whole. It is therefore important to monitor the presence of inorganic and organic pollutants in water-bodies to predict its safety for human/animal consumption. Several different methods have been developed to attempt a prediction of the levels of these pollutants or their fate in the environment