Methods of Abattoir Waste Management and its Effects on the Surrounding Community in Hawassa City, Sidama Region, Ethiopia

Authors: Mebeza Mohammed; Kinfe Kibebew

Abstract: Tis study assessed the methods of abattoir waste management and evaluated their environmental and socio-economic impacts on the surrounding community in Hawassa City. Using a community-based cross-sectional descriptive design, primary data were collected from 109 respondents through structured questionnaires, interviews, and field observations between March and August 2021. The findings revealed that the Hawassa Municipal Abattoir relied on rudimentary, hazardous disposal practices, primarily utilizing burial for wastewater (78%), feces (67.9%), and blood (45%), and open dumping for solid wastes, including hooves (85.3%) and inedible offal (79.8%). Statistical analysis identified significant public health and environmental consequences resulting from these practices. A strong association was observed between waste disposal methods and disease occurrence (χ² = 14.82, p = 0.001), as well as between proximity to the abattoir and respiratory health issues (χ² = 12.45, p = 0.005). Furthermore, correlation analyses demonstrated that improper dumping contributed to soil degradation (r = 0.54, p = 0.012) and that waste-related nuisance negatively impacted the living conditions of the surrounding population (r = -0.72, p < 0.001). These results underscored a critical failure in the existing waste management system to protect human health and environmental integrity. The study concluded that the continued reliance on unmanaged dumping and burial was unsustainable, necessitating an urgent transition toward modern, controlled waste treatment technologies and stricter regulatory oversight to mitigate these socio-economic and public health burdens in the Monopol sub-city.