Surface water quality of a tropical river in north-central Nigeria using physicochemical characteristics

Abstract

Water is one of the most precious natural resources and it is essential for all form of life, despite the importance of water to human, anthropogenic activities have result to significant pressure on water bodies around the world. This study was aimed to check the water quality status of River Wanzum using physicochemical characteristics. Samples were collected and analyzed using standard methods and procedure for a period of 24 month (December 2021 to November 2023). The result of the study showed mean air temperature (24.62±0.20°C to 25.98±0.28°C), water temperature (23.99±0.42°C to 24.90±0.50°C), water depth (49.50±4.78 to 57.16±4.52cm), flow velocity (0.07±0.01 to 0.10±0.01m/s), turbidity (124.75±1.37 to 141.33±3.75 NTU), pH (6.83±0.10 to 7.01±0.11), Conductivity (68.16±6.05to 76.50±7.22 µS/cm), total alkalinity (23.50±0.83 to 24.75±1.50mg/L), total hardness (31.00±1.51 to 33.75±2.26 mg/L), dissolved oxygen (5.80±0.91 to 6.45±0.12mg/L), biochemical oxygen demand (3.70±0.18 to 4.22±0.30 mg/L), chemical oxygen demand (4.59 ± 0.14mg/L to 4.94±0.21mg/L), nitrate (0.98±0.23 to 1.17±0.28 mg/L) and phosphate (0.33±0.09 to 0.55±0.13 mg/L). Out of all the measured values, only the dissolved oxygen and air temperature indicated a significant difference (p<0.05), with the remaining parameters demonstrating no discernible variation between the examined stations. With the exception of dissolved oxygen, every parameter examined in this study varied considerably (p<0.05) between the sampling months. The year-round farming practices along the River Wanzum have resulted in a shift in physicochemical factors, which may eventually hinder the effectiveness of using river water for residential purposes.