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Waste management practices and groundwater quality in dairy buffalo farms in two cities of Nueva Ecija, Philippines
Thesis Abstract:
Water is an essential nutrient required by all humans and animals to survive but is prone to contamination by different sources such as livestock wastes. The waste management practices of dairy buffalo farmers in the cities of San Jose and Muñoz, Nueva Ecija were documented. The groundwater quality of wells in these farms during the rainy season and mid-dry season was assessed using water quality index (WQI) and Geographic Information System (GIS) in relation to waste management.
On manure management, 80% of the respondents stockpile the manure near the dairy animal shed. For this composted manure, they apply it as fertilizer for their rice farm, forage area or vegetable farm during the land preparation for planting season, sell it, or give it to their neighbors and relatives. Only 12% practice vermi-composting. Most of them (56%) pile their feed refusals with the manure while some of them (17%) burn it and a few of them (7%) pile it near the shed to decompose. On the other hand, they dispose the animals’ liquid wastes via open channel going to rice fields, river or creek, irrigation canals, forage areas, or vacant lots. They either bury, burn, throw in a vacant area, reuse, sell or give to garbage collectors their non-biodegradable dairy farm wastes. The number of adult buffaloes being raised was the only significant predictor of waste management practices among the dairy buffalo farmers.
The EC, total coliform and E. coli of the wells were beyond the PNSDW and WHO standard limit while the pH, TDS, temperature, salinity, and nitrate were within the prescribed limit. The computed WQI showed that majority of the wells have WQI rating of >300 or unfit quality for drinking especially during the mid-dry season when water recharge was very slow.
The factors that significantly contributed to the groundwater quality during the rainy season and mid-dry season were EC and cement-tube type of well, while manure and wastewater managements of the dairy farms were not statistically significant due to the small scale of the dairy farms under study and the respondents’ practice of diverting liquid wastes to different disposal site. Despite the statistically not significant result, the concerned agencies must revisit and evaluate the policies and programs related to dairy farm waste and water managements towards protection of the environment and attainment of sustainable dairy buffalo production.