GIS Mapping and Sludge-Wastewater Effluent Assessment of

Aquaculture Ponds in Kiamba, Sarangani Province

INTRODUCTION

With increasing population, the world has more mouth and stomach to feed. In order to

combat food insecurity, producers come up with innovations. As the demand for seafood has

increased, technological advancement has made it possible to grow food in coastal marine waters

and the open ocean (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2021). Aquaculture, the

aquatic counterpart of agriculture, has grown rapidly in recent decades. Today, it produces

almost as much fish and shellfish as fisheries (Troell, et al., 2013). In aquaculture, business

owners breed and harvest plants and animals in water and prepare them for human consumption.

According to Aquaculture Stewardship Council, aquaculture is the world’s fastest-growing food-

producing sector. The industry already provides over half of all the fish product that we eat in the

world.

Aquaculture in the Philippines has a long history and involves many species and farming

practices in diverse ecosystems. At present, the Philippines ranked 8th among the top fish-

producing countries in the world with its total production of 4.35 million metric tons of fish,

crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants (Bureau Of Fisheries And Aquatic Resources, 2020).

According to Food and Agriculture Organization, the production constituted 2.06% of the total

world production of 211.87 million metric ton.

Kiamba is a coastal municipality with a coastal land area of 262.6 square kilometers, that

belongs to the Sarangani Province. Because of Kiamba being situated in a coastal area, along

with the 6 coastal municipalities of Sarangani Province, aquaculture is practiced in the area. The

aquaculture industry in the Sarangani province is concentrated in the culture of milkfish (Chanos
chanos), tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), and prawn (Penaeus monodon) (De Jesus, Diamante-

Fabunan, Nañola, White, & Cabangon, 2001).

However, along with the development of the aquaculture industry, wastewater sludge and

effluent produced in operating aquaculture ponds are becoming a major environmental concern,

both on productivity inside the aquaculture system and on the ambient aquatic ecosystem (Ling

& Weimin, 2010). Obsolete technologies and incomplete arrangement of waste management

systems in aquaculture contribute a lot to the deterioration of aquaculture environment, which

has caused a great economic loss, destroyed the aquatic biodiversity to some extent, and hindered

the sustainable development in aquaculture.

The objective of this study is to determine the quantity and quality of the sludge and

wastewater effluent of the aquaculture ponds in Kiamba, Sarangani Province in terms of different

parameters such as volume of sludge per batch production and per year, color, pH, ammonia,

nitrate, fecal coliform, total carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorous, metals, etc. It also aims to

generate a map of the location and area of the ponds using GIS mapping and geotagging.

Moreover, this study also aims to determine the effects of the quantity and quality of sludge and

wastewater effluent to the marine waters and provide inferences and recommendations that could

help the aquaculture industry. This study will be conducted on February 2023.

Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the research is to sludge and wastewater effluent of the aquaculture

ponds in Kiamba, Sarangani Province.

Specifically, it aims the following:

1. To generate an output for geotagging and GIS mapping of the location and the area of the

ponds that will serve as sampling sites

2. To determine the quantity of the sludge in terms of:

a. Volume of sludge per batch production and per year

b. Consistency of sludge or % solids

3. To determine the quality of sludge in terms of:

a. Color

b. pH

c. Ammonia

d. Nitrate

e. Fecal Coliform

f. Total Carbon

g. Total Nitrogen

h. Total Phosphorous

i. Metals

4. To determine the quantity of wastewater effluent in terms of:

a. Volume of wastewater per batch production and per year

5. To determine the quality of sludge in terms of:

a. Color

b. pH

c. Biochemical Oxygen Demand

d. Total Suspended Solids

e. Dissolved Oxygen
 6. To determine the effects of the quantity and quality of sludge and wastewater effluent to

the marine waters.

Process flowchart

Determining location and

actual area covered by
ponds, per aquaculture
species

Gathering of secondary data

(municipal office, BFAR)

Determining permits, licenses,

and clearance to operate

Data Sampling and Gathering

Geotagging and GIS Mapping
(effluent and sludge of the
(location, area, etc.)
wastewater)

Laboratory Testing (Physico-

chemical and Chemical
Parameters)

Statistical Analysis

Inferences and
recommendations