IIARD International Institute of Academic Research and Development

IIARD INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (IJGEM )

E-ISSN 2504-8821
P-ISSN 2695-1878
VOL. 11 NO. 6 2025
DOI: 10.56201/ijgem.vol.11.no6.2025.pg73.85

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Determination of the Factors Associated with Surface Water Quality Variations in a Sub-Sahara African City: Case of Enugu City, Nigeria

Okoye Veronica, Ubani Obinna, Obuka Esther Njideka

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Abstract

s In Nigeria, most cities contain a number of water bodies together with a small network of streams. Enugu urban is among the cities that have many surface water, these rivers are linked to one another across neighborhoods. Most of these freshwater ecosystems have been subjected to an increasing pollution load from contaminated urban run-off water. Unfortunately, studies that determine the factors associated with surface water quality variations in surface waters have been lacking in the body of literature. This study therefore sought to determine the factors associated with surface water quality variations. 12 surface water samples were collected from the six major rivers in Enugu urban. The six surface water in Enugu urban include- Ekulu river, Asata River, Aria River, Ikiriki river, Idaw River and Ogbete river. This study adopted the experimental research method. Being a monitoring of surface water quality, a number of water samples were collected bi-monthly from determinate sampling sites along the six rivers sampled for the study and sent to the laboratory for related physical-chemical-microbiological analysis. 21 selected physico-chemical and microbiological parameters were investigated in the study. Principal Component Analysis was used compress the perceived factors associated with surface water quality variability. The study found that six factors influenced surface water quality variability in Enugu urban and they were: Salinity (29.82%); trophicity (23.57%); organic pollution (13.05%); oxide-related (9.97%); erosion, (7.19%); and bacterial factors (6.10%). The knowledge of these factors will make for proper management and conservation of the surface water which is necessary to any living organism in the aquatic environment and preservation of biodiversity.

keywords:

Seasonal, parameters, quality, component, river

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