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Flowing Through Change: Investigating the Impacts of Human Activities on Urban River Water Quality in the Kumba River, South West Region of Cameroon

Received: 15 January 2024     Accepted: 26 January 2024     Published: 5 February 2024
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Abstract

This study seeks to examine the relationship between the different urban land use activities in the Kumba metropolis and the related implications on the Kumba river water quality. This involved collection of water samples from the Kumba river as well as performing laboratory tests to determine variations in the river's Physical, chemical and bacteriological properties. The parameters analyzed were temperature, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, Electrical Conductivity, odour, colour, turbidity, nitrite, nitrate, pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia, phosphorus, chlorine, nitrates, nitrites and some heavy metals like copper, phosphate, iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and Faecal Coliform. Water samples were collected from five sampling points in the month of February 2023(peak dry season) and in the month of April 2023(for the rainy season). The data from the analysis of the water samples were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, on both Microsoft Excel and SPSS. The study found that the p values were less than 0.05 at a confidence level of 95%, which suggests that the Kumba River is polluted due to the effects of different urban land use activities in the city. The water quality parameters of the collected samples showed that areas with high dependence on the river for urban activities registered significantly poor water quality, compared to samples with limited dependence on the river for urban land uses. Based on these findings, it is recommended that anthropogenic activities within the area be closely monitored as urbanization continues to rapidly occur and its effects continue to pollute the river, making it harmful not only to ecosystems but also rendering it unfit for river channel crop cultivation. Additionally, the study concluded that changes in Land Use Land Cover (LULC) between 2007 and 2023 have statistically significant effects on the physicochemical and microbial water quality of the Kumba River. Therefore, it is vital to address the rate at which forests are being converted to agricultural lands and the intense use of agrochemicals on these farms and plantations.

Published in International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (Volume 9, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13
Page(s) 14-23
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Activities, Implications, Land Use, Pollution, River, Water Quality

References
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[2] Gule, T. T., B. Lemma, and B. T. Hailu, Implications of land use/land cover dynamics on urban water quality: Case of Addis Ababa city, Ethiopia. Heliyon, 2023. 9(5): p. e15665.
[3] Solihu, H. and S. O. Bilewu, Assessment of anthropogenic activities impacts on the water quality of Asa river: A case study of Amilengbe area, Ilorin, Kwara state, Nigeria. Environmental Challenges, 2022. 7: p. 100473.
[4] Donkor, F. K., Adaptive Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Management: Resilient Governance Systems, in Clean Water and Sanitation, W. Leal Filho, et al., Editors. 2022, Springer International Publishing: Cham. p. 1-12.
[5] UN-Water. Nature-based Solutions for Water 2018: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2018. 2018.
[6] African Cities, in Clean Water and Sanitation, W. Leal Filho, et al., Editors. 2022, Springer International Publishing: Cham. p. 35-35.
[7] Bhunia, G. S., et al., An Introduction to Anthropogeomorphology and Geospatial Technology, in Anthropogeomorphology: A Geospatial Technology Based Approach, G. S. Bhunia, et al., Editors. 2022, Springer International Publishing: Cham. p. 1-24.
[8] Bressane, A., et al., Spatiotemporal Effect of Land-Use on Water Quality in a Peri-Urban River Basin: A Case Study at Metropolitan Region of Southeastern Brazil. 2022.
[9] Leite, M. E., et al., Land use and environmental impacts: Flood model in a medium-sized Brazilian city as a tool for urban sustainability. Environmental Science & Policy, 2024. 151: p. 103613.
[10] Obiora-Okeke, O., O. Ojo, and T. Olabanji, Impacts of Land Use on the Quality of Ala River in Akure Metropolis, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Technology, 2022. 41: p. 623-631.
[11] Council, k. c., location of the kumba metropolis T. planning, Editor. 2021, KCC: kumba.
[12] Farah, M. A., et al., Microbial Analysis of Drinking Water from Randomly Selected Boreholes and Shallow Wells around Hargeisa, Somaliland. Advances in Microbiology, 2022.
[13] Locher, M., Characterization of Physicochemical Parameters in Toxicology, in Regulatory Toxicology, F.-X. Reichl and M. Schwenk, Editors. 2021, Springer International Publishing: Cham. p. 99-106.
[14] Olaleye, A., T. M. Ilésanmí, and O. O. Oladipo, Physicochemical and Microbiological Analysis of Ikogosi Warm Water Spring. Asian Journal of Advanced Research and Reports, 2022.
[15] Ding, J., et al. Impacts of Land Use on Surface Water Quality in a Subtropical River Basin: A Case Study of the Dongjiang River Basin, Southeastern China. Water, 2015. 7, 4427-4445 DOI: 10.3390/w7084427.
[16] Lama, S. and R. Maiti, An Appraisal to Anthropogeomorphology of the Chel River Basin, Outer Eastern Himalayas and Foreland, West Bengal, India, in Applied Geomorphology and Contemporary Issues, S. Mandal, et al., Editors. 2022, Springer International Publishing: Cham. p. 19-52.
[17] Soltani-Gerdefaramarzi, S., et al., The effect of land use change on surface water quality under the wet and dry years in a semi-arid catchment (case study: the Godarkhosh catchment). Environment, Development and Sustainability, 2021. 23(4): p. 5371-5385.
[18] Camara, M., N. R. Jamil, and A. F. B. Abdullah, Impact of land uses on water quality in Malaysia: a review. Ecological Processes, 2019. 8(1): p. 10.
[19] Bakume, Q. B., A. T. Valentine, and U. Essia. Abattoir Waste Management and Its Potential Effects on Humans and Surface Water Quality: South West Region, Cameroon. 2019.
[20] Nfi, A. N. and D. O. Alonge, An economic survey of abattoir data in Fako division of the south west province, Cameroon (1978-1980). Bulletin of animal health and production in Africa, 1987. 35: p. 239-242.
[21] Sop Sop, M. D. and B. D. Njumba, Poor discharge of slaughterhouses wastes and pollution of water bodies in kumba municipality. International Journal for Advanced Studies and Research in Africa, 2022.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Niba, M. L. F., Njumba, B. D. (2024). Flowing Through Change: Investigating the Impacts of Human Activities on Urban River Water Quality in the Kumba River, South West Region of Cameroon. International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, 9(1), 14-23. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13

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    ACS Style

    Niba, M. L. F.; Njumba, B. D. Flowing Through Change: Investigating the Impacts of Human Activities on Urban River Water Quality in the Kumba River, South West Region of Cameroon. Int. J. Nat. Resour. Ecol. Manag. 2024, 9(1), 14-23. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13

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    AMA Style

    Niba MLF, Njumba BD. Flowing Through Change: Investigating the Impacts of Human Activities on Urban River Water Quality in the Kumba River, South West Region of Cameroon. Int J Nat Resour Ecol Manag. 2024;9(1):14-23. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13,
      author = {Mary Lum Fonteh Niba and Besende Didien Njumba},
      title = {Flowing Through Change: Investigating the Impacts of Human Activities on Urban River Water Quality in the Kumba River, South West Region of Cameroon},
      journal = {International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management},
      volume = {9},
      number = {1},
      pages = {14-23},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnrem.20240901.13},
      abstract = {This study seeks to examine the relationship between the different urban land use activities in the Kumba metropolis and the related implications on the Kumba river water quality. This involved collection of water samples from the Kumba river as well as performing laboratory tests to determine variations in the river's Physical, chemical and bacteriological properties. The parameters analyzed were temperature, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, Electrical Conductivity, odour, colour, turbidity, nitrite, nitrate, pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia, phosphorus, chlorine, nitrates, nitrites and some heavy metals like copper, phosphate, iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and Faecal Coliform. Water samples were collected from five sampling points in the month of February 2023(peak dry season) and in the month of April 2023(for the rainy season). The data from the analysis of the water samples were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, on both Microsoft Excel and SPSS. The study found that the p values were less than 0.05 at a confidence level of 95%, which suggests that the Kumba River is polluted due to the effects of different urban land use activities in the city. The water quality parameters of the collected samples showed that areas with high dependence on the river for urban activities registered significantly poor water quality, compared to samples with limited dependence on the river for urban land uses. Based on these findings, it is recommended that anthropogenic activities within the area be closely monitored as urbanization continues to rapidly occur and its effects continue to pollute the river, making it harmful not only to ecosystems but also rendering it unfit for river channel crop cultivation. Additionally, the study concluded that changes in Land Use Land Cover (LULC) between 2007 and 2023 have statistically significant effects on the physicochemical and microbial water quality of the Kumba River. Therefore, it is vital to address the rate at which forests are being converted to agricultural lands and the intense use of agrochemicals on these farms and plantations.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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Author Information
  • Department of Geography, Higher Teachers Training College Bambili, University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon

  • Department of Geography and Planning, The University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon

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