Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Climate Action (SDG 13)
Sources and spatiotemporal variations of microplastics in surface water, sediments, and fish from Lake Victoria, Ugandan side, East Africa Christine Kyarimpa 1* , Simon Ocakacon 2 , Faith Atukwase 3 1 Department of Chemistry, Kyambogo University, Kampala, Uganda 2 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Makerere University, Kampala-Uganda 3 Department of Zoology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda The preference for plastics over other materials has led to increased challenges with plastic waste management in the environment. Microplastics (plastic debris in sizes ˂ 5 mm) have recently received global attention due to their perceived harmful effects posed to humans and ecological biodiversity. Microplastics (MPs) have been extensively investigated in marine environments when compared to freshwater ecosystems. In this study, MPs were quantified in water samples along Nakivubo channel which pours into the Ugandan part of Lake Victoria, during the wet and dry seasons of the year. The samples were subjected to peroxide digestion followed by density separation method. All membranes were inspected under a stereomicroscope and images were captured using an AxioCam digital camera. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy was used for polymer identification. MPs ranged from 961.5 ± 813.2 particles/m 3 during dry season to 2140.4 ± 3670.1 particles/m 3 during the wet season. Different shapes of MPs were quantified and filaments (71.3–94.3%) were found to be the most abundant followed by fragments, foam, films, and granules, suggesting multiple sources of origin. Furthermore, surface water, sediments, and fish samples from the selected fish breeding areas on the shores of Lake Victoria were collected and are currently being investigated in our laboratory.
P09
© The Author(s), 2023
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