Impacto de los desechos generados por la población sobre la calidad del agua del Río La Villa (Panamá)

Abstract

This research consisted of measuring the impact caused by the management of solid, organic, and inorganic waste caused by the population of the Municipality of La Villa de Los Santos, present on the banks of the La Villa River. The methodology was based on classifying organic and inorganic waste, through a checklist; in three points, the Los Olivos spa, with Lat coordinates: 7°55'22.3680” Long .: 80°26'36.0960”, in the vicinity of the bridge over the La Villa River, with Lat coordinates: 7°56 '23 .5680” Long: 80°25'19.4880” and the town of El Higuerón, with Lat coordinates: 7°56'58.0200” Long: 80°24'50.5800”, behind the San Juan de Dios polyclinic. Collected data was tabulated and plotted using descriptive statistics using the Microsoft Excel 2010© program. The investigated areas yielded the following results, aluminum cans (26%) and plastic bags (29%) are the inorganic waste with the highest quantity, and organic waste including dead plants (42%) and cardboard (29%). It is deduced that the populations of the studied areas negatively influence the water quality of La Villa River in the middle and lower basin, indicating that deforestation to a large extent caused loss of vegetation cover. To mitigate this situation, it is necessary to empower and instruct society, implementing environmental education activities at all educational levels to reduce the scarce environmental culture regarding the disposal of organic and inorganic waste disposal.