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Assessment of Anthropogenic Activities on Water Quality of Benin River
AYOBAHAN, S.U.; EZENWA, I.M.; OROGUN, E.E.; URIRI, J.E. & WEMIMO, I.J.
Abstract
Assessment of water quality was conducted from June to December, 2011 in
five stations along the stretch of the Benin River between Ajimele and Koko town in attempt
to assess and determine the source of anthropogenic activities affecting the river. Twentyfour
parameters have been monitored on 5 sampling stations on a monthly-day-trip. Inter
station comparisons and locations of significant differences were carried out using
parametric ANOVA and Duncan multiple range tests. Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
and Water Quality Index (WQI) were used to establish relationship among water quality
parameters and determine the water quality status. First six components of PCA accounted
for 90.96% of observed variations and showed similarity between the sampling stations
indicating different anthropogenic activities and pollution levels of sampled sites. Factors
identified as responsible for variability in the sampling stations are organic pollution,
industrial effluent, soil erosion, nutrient loading and human activities, especially in station 4
and 5. WQI for sampling stations 1 and 3 was very poor for drinking (201 - 300) and stations
2, 4 and 5 was unsuitable (> 301) for human consumptions. In the final analysis, this
investigation presents the usefulness of PCA and WQI in assessing complex datasets of
surface water quality and as well as a call to action for the state and federal ministry of
environment to take this issue of water quality degradation in Benin River into consideration,
by reducing organic pollution and effluent discharge into the river. An intense and
continuous water quality monitoring is highly recommended.
Keywords
Organic pollution; Industrial effluent; Water Quality Index (WQI); Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
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