Water Quality and Its Influence on Tilapia Health, Parasite Infections, and Human Use of Kibomet Dam in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajff.v1i1.7065Keywords:
Dam Ecosystem, Public Health, Tilapia, Parasites, Water QualityAbstract
Kibomet Dam is an important freshwater resource supporting domestic use, livestock watering, irrigation, and fisheries in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. Increasing agricultural pressure and catchment disturbance, however, pose risks to its ecological integrity and public health value. This study assessed seasonal variation in water quality and examined its association with the health, parasite burden, and condition of Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia), with implications for the sustainable use of dam water. Water sampling was conducted from November 2024 to December 2025 at three stations representing the inlet, mid-reservoir, and outlet during both dry and wet seasons. Physicochemical parameters were measured using standard American Public Health Association (APHA) methods and included temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, electrical conductivity, ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate. Recorded seasonal values included dry-season temperatures of 24.8 ± 1.6 °C, wet-season DO of 3.6 ± 0.9 mg/L, and dry-season DO of 5.1 ± 0.8 mg/L. Wet-season measurements included turbidity of 43 ± 18 NTU, conductivity of 168 ± 70 µS/cm, ammonia of 0.16 ± 0.06 mg/L, nitrates of 26 ± 9 mg/L, and phosphates of 2.1 ± 0.8 mg/L. A total of 250 tilapia were sampled quarterly using standardised gill nets. Fish were examined for ecto- and endoparasites following established parasitological procedures. Five parasite taxa were identified: Trichodina spp. (34%), Cichlidogyrus spp. (28%), Diplostomum spp. (16%), Acanthocephalus spp. (12%), and zoonotic Neascus spp. (10%). Fish from high-pollution zones recorded parasite intensity values of 14 ± 4 and condition factors of 1.32 ± 0.15, while low-pollution zones recorded 6 ± 2 and 1.65 ± 0.12, respectively. Correlation coefficients included DO (r = −0.48), ammonia (r = 0.44), phosphates (r = 0.41), and turbidity (r = 0.39). The study provides a structured framework for integrated water quality and fish health monitoring to support effective management and safe utilisation of Kibomet Dam.
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