River Kaduna is a major river in Nigeria, which transverses five states in the northern parts of Nigeria and various activities such as industrial, domestic and non-domestic activities channel their wastes into the river. This causes heavy pressure to the waterbody. The characteristic of the river water quality will affect pollution degradation process. This research was conducted to examine the biodegradation capacity of the River. Water quality data were collected from fifteen locations along the river channel for the period of three months. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) concentrations were used to calculate the biodegradation capacity of the river. The calculation results show that during the period the ratio ranges between 0.41 and 0.74, which indicates that the rivers have average biodegradation capability, relatively high capability in biodegradation capacity and self-purification capability.
Keywords: BOD5/COD ratio, Kaduna, biodegradation capacity, industrial, self-purification
