Investigating the Variation in Water Quality from Various Sources in the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

Orajaka; C. V.; Ubong; I. U.; Dollah; O. C; Gobo; A. E

doi:10.56201/ijgem.vol.12.no7.2026.pg127.141

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Investigating the Variation in Water Quality from Various Sources in the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

Orajaka, C. V., Ubong, I. U., Dollah, O. C , Gobo, A. E

Abstract

The study investigated the variation in the quality of surface water, direct rain water, hand roof top rain water and hand dug water in the Niger Delta. Water samples were collected from the four afore-mentioned sources during the wet and dry seasons from the sampling into clean labelled bottles that have been pre-washed and rinsed with distilled water and properly sealed to prevent contamination of the samples. pH and temperature were determined in situ while other physico-chemical properties were determined in the laboratory using standard methods. Relative to pH values, rainwater collected from roofs was more acidic compared to rainfall from open areas whereby the mean pH value was lowest for Port Harcourt at 4.3 ± 0.4, then 4.5 ± 0.3 for Delta, 4.8 ± 0.4 for Abia, 5.4 ± 0.4 for Ondo, and 5.5 ± 0.3 for Cross River. Overall, the quality of rooftop-collected rainwater in the Niger Delta shows clear degradation compared to rainwater collected directly from open spaces. Although it remained acidic, Cross River and Ondo had far superior water quality than Port Harcourt and Delta. The rivers in Port Harcourt and Delta are the most impacted, showing the highest acidity, ion concentration, and lowest oxygen levels, while those in Cross River and Ondo remain comparatively less affected. Findings revealed that the acidity of water in the Niger Delta varies significantly across both spatial locations and water sources (F=12.147; p=0.000). The study concluded that generally the Niger Delta groundwater and surface water have been negatively impacted by acid rain and its accompanying anthropogenic emissions with much effects being felt in Port Harcourt and Delta States. Moreover, the quality of rooftop-collected rainwater showed a clear degradation compared to rainwater collected directly from open spaces. This study therefore recommended that policymakers should adopt spatially targeted environmental management plans. States like Port Harcourt and Delta should be prioritized for pollution control interventions, while cleaner states such as Ondo and Cross River should maintain their low-emission profiles through sustainable industrial practices and routine environmental assessments.

Keywords

QualityRainwaterRoof topHand dugNiger DeltaEmissionsPollution

References

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Investigating the Variation in Water Quality from Various Sources in the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

Abstract

Keywords

References

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