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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 11, No. 1
Publication Date: January 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/aivp.111.13747.
Tegu, T. B., Ekemube, R. A., Ebenezer, S. O., & Atta, A. T. (2023). Monitoring the Variability of the Pollutants Level in Urban Water
Front during Dry and Wet Seasons. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 11(1). 60-69.
.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Monitoring the Variability of the Pollutants Level in Urban Water
Front during Dry and Wet Seasons
Tuebi Benson Tegu
Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,
Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State, Nigeria.
Raymond Alex Ekemube
Department of Value Addition Research, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria,
Ibadan, Nigeria.
Suru Olusegun Ebenezer
Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,
Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State, Nigeria.
Adekunle Temidayo Atta
Kenaf and Jute Improvement Program, Institute of Agricultural Research and Training,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Moore Plantation, Ibadan, Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
The variability of the physicochemical properties of River water during the dry
season (DS) and rainy season (RS) were carried out using Bonny Water Front Creek
(BWFC) as case study. The levels of physicochemical properties including: pH,
temperature (T), electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, salinity, biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved oxygen (DO),
total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), iron
(Fe), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr) and mercury (Hg), vanadium (V), magnesium (Mg),
cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni) were analyzed. Water samples were collected along
the coastal line in the direction of flow of the water at intervals of 10m from the
pollution source up to 100 meters on the water surface with the aid of boat moving
from the upstream to downstream in the direction of water flow. The experimental
results showed the average concentration of pH (7.52), EC (22355.00μs/cm),
T(30.14OC), turbidity (11.64NTU), Salinity (18.91mg/l), B0D(18.07mg/l), COD
(55.10mg/l), DO (4.29mg/l), TDS (16.26mg/l), The pH values were within
acceptable range, EC, turbidity, TDS, and salinity were above WHO acceptable limit
of 1000s/cm, 5NTU, 24-28, N/S, respectively. Also, BOD and COD concentration
equally indicated that the Creeks were polluted. Similarly, the concentrations of
some heavy metals in the creeks during both seasons were higher than limits given
by World Health Organization for river water. Therefore, suggesting for continuous
assessment and remedial techniques or treatment process must be applied to
ascertain pollutant levels in the creeks to inhabit aquatic life.
Keywords: Physicochemical properties, Pollutant level, River water, Seasonal variability.
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Tegu, T. B., Ekemube, R. A., Ebenezer, S. O., & Atta, A. T. (2023). Monitoring the Variability of the Pollutants Level in Urban Water Front during Dry
and Wet Seasons. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 11(1). 60-69.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.111.13747
INTRODUCTION
Water is very vital to the life of all living organisms and the sustainability of terrestrial and
aquatic lives. Hence, the protection and conservation of water resources becomes necessary to
keep it clean, and as well, ensuring that aquatic lives are safe. Of course, there are innumerable
vertebrates and invertebrates in water that rely on water for survival. This does not take into
account the billions of fish and aquatic species that rely on water as their home. This valued
resource is been increasingly threatened as human population grows, and the demand of high- quality water for domestic, aquatic life and economic activities has increased [1]. Along with
air, water is an essential natural resource whereby, man cannot survive without it. In fact, were
it not for water, no organic matter would exist as water is the most abundant element in the
protoplasm; the essential material of which plants and animals are composing. It is obvious that
water is vital to human existence as over 90 percent of what is eaten comes in contact with
water in some form, and more than 70 percent of water-borne diseases live a fraction of their
life cycles in water [2].
Water is important for human beings but anthropogenic activities have resulted in a significant
impairment of its quality. Pollution of the aquatic environment directly or indirectly, results to
the damaging effects to living organisms, which include hazard to human health, hindrance to
aquatic activities including fishing, impairment of water quality with respect to its use in
agricultural, industrial and other economic activities [3].
The water fronts in Niger Delta Basin of Nigeria have suffered Environmental degradation and
pollution from human activities that have led to the deposition of heavy metals and all sorts of
environmental contaminants [4]. In the same vein Studies have shown that the water quality of
water bodies is constantly threatened, affecting the health of the ecosystem due to settlement
of sediments and growth of water hyacinth, runoff from lands into surface water is not free
from pathogenic organism and toxic substance, minerals, organic materials and turbidity.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are equally found in water located near to
hydrocarbon processing plant [5, 6] as in the case of rivers in Port Harcourt. Contamination of
aquatic ecosystems by PAHs has been recognized as a major public health risk [7]. Onojake and
Sikoki [4] had observed that the prolong degradation and pollution of water bodies in the Niger
Delta due to activities such as oil industry operation, manufacturing and municipal discharges
resulted in the deposition of heavy metals.
Water quality is a term used to describe the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of
water in respect to its suitability for a particular purpose and related to a set of standards. The
knowledge of water quality and its content are essential to track influx of water pollutants that
are detrimental to human and ecosystem. Water quality is a factor of the source and the activity
of man. The quality of water is however dependent on various chemical constituents and their
concentration, which are generally derived from the geological data of a particular region [8].
Water quality assessment is the overall process of evaluation of physical, chemical, and
biological nature of the water, whereas water monitoring, survey, and surveillance are all based
on data collection, of which these data are principally collected at a given geographical location
in the water body which variables are often described as by longitudinal and latitudes of
sampling or measurement site (x and y coordinates) and further characterized by the depth at
which the sample was taken [9, 10].
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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 11, Issue 1, January-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Surface water monitoring is a helpful tool in evaluation of base line surface water quality, it
helps in identification and evaluation of upstream and downstream impacts, it also helps in
identification of the extent, sources, and transport of salt, nutrients, pesticides, and other
contaminants. Monitoring helps in the control of surface water in large water bodies. It also
helps in analysing all data and give information on potential constrains developed based on the
results. This helps to notify if there are any water quality concerns that may need to be
addressed based on the results. Water quality monitoring has become a subject of concern in
marine, stream, and river water due to uncontrolled disposal of urban effluents, runoff,
atmospheric deposition, municipal, and industrial effluent into these water bodies [11].
Pollution of water can be from chemical, physical or biological sources. Various degrees of
health implication can arise from the consumption of water contaminated by any of these
sources. For instance, the consumption of heavy metals, even in traces, could lead to many
health challenges [12 – 14]. There are factors that influence the surface water pollution, ranging
from natural to anthropogenic activities. One of such activities is urban runoff, which is most
significant during rainy and flooding period [15]. Oil content in water affect the reproduction
and development of marine organisms, as well as increase susceptibility to disease, it also
causes gastrointestinal irritation, liver, and kidney damage, and also damage nervous system
[16].
The Bonny/Nembe River, also known as Bonny/Neme water front creek (BWFC) in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State of the Niger Delta province of Nigeria, like most water bodies are exposed
to activities that could easily lead to contamination. These Rivers serve as jetty for local
transport in and out of Port Harcourt. Diesel and petrol are often released from the boats used
for transportation into the river. The rivers are often characterized by huge population of
humans due to marketing activities, fishing and transportation, which also has resulted to
indiscriminate disposal of food, fish and many other wastes directly into the rivers. Okparanma
et al. [17] in their study of the New Calabar River indicated high population density and
increased industrial activities in areas along the water are also receptacle for all genera of waste
as industries along the stretch of river discharge their effluents into the river. Despite the
benefits of surface water assessment, monitoring and evaluating, there is lack of information
on pollutants level variability in this river. There is need for this study to assess the contribution
of river water physicochemical variability in Bonny/Nembe water front creek in Port Harcourt
metropolis to determine the pollution levels. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess
the variability of pollutant levels during dry and rainy seasons in Bonny/Nembe water front.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Description of Study Area
Bonny/Nembe waterside is located on Lat 04o 45’25” N and Long. 07o 27’ 7” E. This water front
receives wastewater from its metropolis, market, dockyard of the Ibeto cement factory
discharge from clinical and domestic wastes, agricultural wastes from runoff, bunkering
operations, with heavy soot from the local refining process of crude (kpo fire) in local place, and
from transportation of timber and other goods using speed boat. It also receives waste water
from the heavily dense creek road market were lots of buying and selling is done. The sample
point was located at Bonny/Nembe water side which is a jetty used as ferry terminal for local