Preliminary Study on the Pollution Level of the Niger-Benue/Imo River Systems, Nigeria

Abstract

A study on the pollution level of the Niger-Benue/Imo River Systems was carried out to investigate the concentration of pollutants in May and July, 2015. Water and sediment samples were collected from five locations along the river systems. The data obtained revealed that the mean metals for the surface water (Na, Mn, Mg, Zn, Pb, Cr, Cd, Cu, K, Ag, Ni, and Ca) were below the limits set by WHO, Federal Ministry of Environment (FME) and Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS); while Fe was slightly above the limit, ranging from 0.34 to 0.39g/ml. Some mean physicochemical parameters (COD 49.9mg/l; Turbidity 41.2NTU; and Total Organic Content - TOC 226mg/l) were also above the set standards. The sediment had the highest mean value of trace metal concentration of Fe - 17,375mg/kg, next to Barium at 430mg/kg. This is indicative of environmental perturbation due to increased industrial activities and perhaps disregard for environmental rules and regulations.