This project intends to investigate the quality and health of water resources in and around the quarry using members of the class Odonata as bio-indicators. Quarry operations impact the environment in several ways, for instance quarry dust can change the chemistry of water resources by dissolving in them. Noise and mechanical shakes from blasting disturbs biodiversity and even humans who live nearby.

 

Dust from quarry activities has been known to be the cause of many respiratory diseases and conditions. Effects to biodiversity occurs in diverse ways, it can disturb plant growth by settling on leaves and hinder photosynthesis thus disrupting food chains. It can also settle in water bodies and cause pollution.

Members of the Order Odonata comprising the dragonflies and Damselflies are a group of carnivorous insects. They are known to be aquatic or semi-aquatic as juveniles and are mostly found near water bodies. Odonates are very sensitive to changes in their habitat thus their use as bioindicatros of water and land quality.
Project activities include;
1. Capture and identification of Odonates using an aerial net and collection of larvae or nymphs using a hand net. Diversity indices would be calculated and inferences drawn.
2. Measurement of Physicochemical and chemical properties of the water bodies and comparison with World Health Organization (WHO) standards.