A comprehensive review of water quality monitoring and assessment in Nigeria

Evaluating the knowledge, attitude, perception, and readiness of caregivers of under 5-year-old children to accept malaria vaccine in Nigeria

Purpose

The global burden of disease and mortality is greatly influenced by malaria, particularly in children. Nigeria alone accounts for about 25% of global malaria cases and fatalities. Despite efforts to control and eliminate malaria, conventional treatments have limitations, prompting the need for a vaccine. However, while efforts have focused on researching and developing malaria vaccines, less attention has been given to public acceptance and preparedness for vaccination.

Materials and Methods

The study employed a cross-sectional approach to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and readiness of caregivers towards the malaria vaccine. Data were collected through a physical and online survey among a representative sample of caregivers across the six geopolitical regions of Nigeria. The data was analyzed using principal component analysis and percentages.

Results

Out of 347 respondents, 180 (51%) men, 165 (46.6%) women, 2 (0.5%) transgender, 156 (45%) rural settlers, and 191 (55%) urban settlers were identified in this study. The study reported an overall acceptance rate of 78.4% and 21.6% resistance rate. The age group between 21-30 years recorded the highest 207 (59.6%). A significant number of participants, 252 (59.6%), held at least a higher or post-secondary certificate, out of which 193 (55.6%) demonstrated strong readiness to accept the malaria vaccine. The study showed that fear of adverse effects was the main reason for malaria vaccine resistance among caregivers.

Conclusion

This study's findings offer valuable insights into caregivers' knowledge about the malaria vaccine, highlighting the factors that impact the acceptance of the malaria vaccine.

Neurobehavioral deficits, histoarchitectural alterations, parvalbumin neuronal damage and glial activation in the brain of male Wistar rat exposed to Landfill leachate

Concerns about inappropriate disposal of waste into unsanitary municipal solid waste landfills around the world have been on the increase, and this poses a public health challenge due to leachate production. The neurotoxic effect of Gwagwalada landfill leachate (GLL) was investigated in male adult Wistar rats. Rats were exposed to a 10% concentration of GLL for 21 days. The control group received tap water for the same period of the experiment. Our results showed that neurobehavior, absolute body and brain weights and brain histomorphology as well as parvalbumin interneurons were severely altered, with consequent astrogliosis and microgliosis after 21 days of administrating GLL. Specifically, there was severe loss and shrinkage of Purkinje cells, with their nucleus, and severe diffused vacuolations of the white matter tract of GLL-exposed rat brains. There was severe cell loss in the granular layer of the cerebellum resulting in a reduced thickness of the layer. Also, there was severe loss of dendritic arborization of the Purkinje cells in GLL-exposed rat brains, and damage as well as reduced populations of parvalbumin-containing fast-spiking GABAergic interneurons in various regions of the brain. In conclusion, data from the present study demonstrated the detrimental effects of Gwagwalada landfill leachate on the brain which may be implicated in neuropsychological conditions.

Environmental effects from petroleum product transportation spillage in Nigeria: a critical review

Nigeria has struggled to meet sustainable development goals (SDGs) on environmental sustainability, transportation, and petroleum product distribution for decades, endangering human and ecological health. Petroleum product spills contaminate soil, water, and air, harming humans, aquatic life, and biodiversity. The oil and gas industry contributes to environmental sustainability and scientific and technological advancement through its supply chain activities in the transport and logistics sectors. This paper reviewed the effects of petroleum product transportation at three accident hotspots on Nigeria highway, where traffic and accident records are alarming due to the road axis connecting the southern and northern regions of the country. The preliminary data was statistically analysed to optimise the review process and reduce risk factors through ongoing data monitoring. Studies on Nigeria's petroleum product transportation spills and environmental impacts between the years 2013 and 2023 were critically analysed to generate updated information. The searches include Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Five hundred and forty peer-reviewed studies were analysed, and recommendations were established through the conclusions. The findings show that petroleum product transport causes heavy metal deposition in the environment as heavy metals damage aquatic life and build up in the food chain, posing a health risk to humans. The study revealed that petroleum product spills have far-reaching environmental repercussions and, therefore, recommended that petroleum product spills must be mitigated immediately. Furthermore, the study revealed that better spill response and stricter legislation are needed to reduce spills, while remediation is necessary to lessen the effects of spills on environmental and human health.

Impact of Human Management of Hand-Dug Well Facility and Its Accessories on Groundwater Quality

Hand-dug well facility is susceptible to pollution by natural and anthropogenic sources but pollution associated with human handling and management of hand-dug well facility and its accessories has been rarely discussed. A structured questionnaire was administered among 260 respondents cutting across the 5 quarters in Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria. The data collected was subjected to both descriptive and inferential analysis. Descriptive analysis showed that majority of the respondents were of female gender who relied largely on manual mode of fetching water in their respective hand-dug well facilities. Apart from this, different kinds of ropes of varying qualities were attached to their respective water fetchers, 72.69% of which are tyre-tube containers. Data factorability and its adequacy tests showed KMO value of 62.0% and its significance at P < .05, indicating that the data can be processed through Factor Analysis (FA). FA revealed that the pollution of well water attributed to human-handling of hand-dug well facility is associated with 8 variables with a total explanation of 75.55% namely; vicinity of the facility, the side wall quality of the hand-dug well, facility utilisation frequency, facility management authorities, maintenance of the associated facilities, quality of the lid, quality of water drawers and preference for the use of drawer at a time whether single or multiple. The findings suggest that stakeholders should make uptight effort to take the management of hand-dug well facility more conscientiously for sustainable human health. Further research is suggested to extend the frontiers of knowledge on pollutants associated with hand-dug water facility.

Starch-Based Polymer Materials as Advanced Adsorbents for Sustainable Water Treatment: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Over the past three decades, chemical and biological water contamination has become a major concern, particularly in the industrialized world. Heavy metals, aromatic compounds, and dyes are among the harmful substances that contribute to water pollution, which jeopardies the human health. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to locate methods for the cleanup of wastewater that are not genuinely effective. Owing to its non-toxicity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility, starch is a naturally occurring polysaccharide that scientists are looking into as a possible environmentally friendly material for sustainable water remediation. Starch could exhibit significant adsorption capabilities towards pollutants with the substitution of amide, amino, carboxyl, and other functional groups for hydroxyl groups. Starch derivatives may effectively remove contaminants such as oil, organic solvents, pesticides, heavy metals, dyes, and pharmaceutical pollutants by employing adsorption techniques at a rate greater than 90%. The maximal adsorption capacities of starch-based adsorbents for oil and organic solvents, pesticides, heavy metal ions, dyes, and pharmaceuticals are 13,000, 66, 2000, 25,000, and 782 mg/g, respectively. Although starch-based adsorbents have demonstrated a promising future for environmental wastewater treatment, additional research is required to optimize the technique before the starch-based adsorbent can be used in large-scale in situ wastewater treatment.

A multi-model study for understanding the contamination mechanisms, toxicity and health risks of hardness, sulfate, and nitrate in natural water resources

Several water quality contaminants have attracted the attention of numerous researchers globally, in recent times. Although the toxicity and health risk assessments of sulfate and water hardness have not received obvious attention, nitrate contamination has gained peculiar research interest globally. In the present paper, multiple data-driven indexical, graphical, and soft computational models were integrated for a detailed assessment and predictive modeling of the contamination mechanisms, toxicity, and human health risks of natural waters in Southeast Nigeria. Majority of the tested physicochemical parameters were within their satisfactory limits for drinking and other purposes. However, total hardness (TH), SO₄, and NO₃ were above stipulated limits in some locations. A nitrate health risk assessment revealed that certain areas present a chronic health risk to children, females, and males due to water intake. However, the dermal absorption route was found to have negligible health risks. SO₄ in some locations was above the 100 mg/L Nigerian limit; thus, heightening the potential health effects due to intake of the contaminated water resources. Most samples had low TH values, which exposes users to health defects. There are mixed contamination mechanisms in the area, according to graphical plots, R-mode hierarchical dendrogram, factor analysis, and stoichiometry. However, geogenic mechanisms predominate over human-related mechanisms. Based on the results, a composite diagrammatic model was developed. Furthermore, predictive radial basis function (RBF) and multiple linear regression (MLR) models accurately predicted the TH, SO₄, and NO₃, with the RBF outperforming the MLR models. Insights from the RBF and MLR models were useful in validating the results of the hierarchical dendrogram, factor, stoichiometric, and graphical analyses.

Water Hyacinth’s Extent and Its Implication on Water Quality in Lake Victoria, Uganda

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) degrades and obstructs the integrity of freshwater ecosystems. However, little attention has been paid to monitoring water hyacinth’s spatial extent, its determinants, and its effects on water quality in Lake Victoria, Uganda. The specific objectives of this paper are to (i) assess the spatial extent and distribution of water hyacinth; (ii) examine the determinants of water hyacinth distribution, and (iii) assess its impact on water quality. High-resolution satellite images (2016–2019) were obtained and used to monitor the spatial extent of the water hyacinth, a household survey was conducted to examine the determinants of the water hyacinth’s extent and patterns while water samples were drawn and analysed for physicochemical properties. Results show that the coverage and distribution of water hyacinth varied over space and time. Water hyacinth coverage primarily increased with a decrease in water surface area. The perceived factors that triggered the water hyacinth spread included the morphology of the Bay, effluent discharge, strong winds, speed of water current, water-level changes, ferry navigation, and construction activities at the shore. Water parameters significantly impacted by hyacinth were pH, TP, BOD, COD, DO, turbidity, and transparency. This study recommends the strict development and implementation of integrated weed control measures, catchment management plans, and point and nonpoint pollution source control.

Effect of crude oil exploration and exploitation activities on soil, water and air in a Nigerian community

The continuous degradation of environmental ecosystems (land, water and soil) resulting from crude oil exploration and exploitation activities continues to gain global attention. This study investigates the effects of crude oil exploration and exploitation activities on soil, water and air in the study area. Soil samples were collected in three replicates at depths of 0-15 and 15-30 cm at sampling distances of 20, 100 and 200 m a from core oil exploitation operation area and a control point. Water samples were also taken from within the study area and analyzed using standard procedures. Major pollutants concentrations of particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) of the air were also measured using Air Quality Index (AQI). The results reveal that the soil, water and air parameters measured mostly at 20 m from the core oil operation area compromise the allowable standards provided for healthy living. In the same manner, some results at 100 and 200 m were slightly higher than the recommended values in some cases of heavy metals and bacteria activities in the soil. The AQI at 20 m was far above the permissible limit provided by the Environmental Protection Agency while others are gradually drawing towards the limit given for each pollutant. To safeguard the health of the residents of the host community and oil field workers, there is a need for proper and frequent environmental monitoring and assessment by authorized regulatory bodies in Nigeria. This will prevent any future exposure which may endanger the lives of the dwellers.

Source apportionment and ecological health risks assessment from major ions, metalloids and trace elements in multi-aquifer groundwater near the Sunan mine area, Eastern China

Evaluating the ecological health risks created by major ions, metalloids and trace elements concentrations in groundwater and pollution sources were essential to effectively protect groundwater resources. For this study, A total of 93 samples were collected from multiple aquifers in the Sunan mining area, eastern China. The Positive matrix factorization (PMF) model results revealed the following sources, in percentages. The Quaternary loose aquifer (QLA) water includes CaMg mineral dissolution (30.3 %), salinity (28.2 %), metal industrial wastewater (26.3 %), iron and manganese minerals (8.0 %) and coal gangue (7.2 %). The Permian fractured sandstone aquifer (PFA) water includes CaMg mineral dissolution sources (29.8 %), mine wastewater (28.6 %), aluminosilicate (21.6 %) and pyrite source (20.0 %). The Carbonifer fractured limestone aquifer (CFA) water includes and mine wastewater (34.2 %), CaMg mineral dissolution (25.4 %), pyrite (22.6 %) and aluminosilicate (17.7 %). The Ordovician fractured limestone aquifer (OFA) water includes manganese and aluminum metal minerals (27.9 %), halite dissolution materials (24.9 %), industrial and agricultural waste water (24.0 %) and calcium‑magnesium minerals (23.2 %). A PMF-based assessment of ecological health risk indicates that the concentrations of elements As and Co are the dominant elements impacting non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks; and As, Cr, and Cu are the dominant elements impacting potential ecological risks. These mainly originate from geological sources, coal gangue sources, mine drainage sources and agricultural sewage discharge sources. The study showed the sources of groundwater pollution in multiple aquifers and their priority treatment areas, providing a basis for groundwater management and protection.

Analysis of contaminant dispersion in open channel with two streambank-absorption boundaries

Boundary absorption intensity can affect the contaminant depletion capacity within rivers, and the process of spatial contaminant cloud expansion is complicated with the consideration of irreversible absorption boundaries at riverbanks. Nonuniformity of concentration distribution appears in spatial concentration distribution, especially in the transverse direction, which is caused by the absorption capacity difference between two riverbanks. A model for illustrating the performance of environmental dispersion with two irreversible absorption banks in 2D space is given in this work. Furthermore, the position of the maximum concentration distributions shifts within the transverse directions with the change of the absorption intensities at two boundaries. The overall absorption capacity would also be affected by the ratio of two absorption intensities at the left and right riverbanks. The residual mass is left with a greater variation in the two bank-absorption intensity ratios. A detailed analysis of the spatial concentration distribution and contaminant depletion capacity with two bank-absorption boundaries would contribute to the construction of a wetland for water treatment. With a certain absorption capacity in total, the transverse distribution of concentration gets more heterogeneous as the ratio deviates from 1gradually, and the transverse concentration distribution appears to be symmetric to the center (0.5W) when the ratios of absorption intensities at two stream-banks are in accord with β₀ : β₁ = β₁ : β₀. The novelty of this work is to provide the analytical solution of two-dimensional concentration distribution with the ratio of two stream-bank absorptions, furthermore, a linear fitting equation([Formula: see text]) for crest position of transverse concentration distribution is given to show the shifting process of spatial contaminant cloud with the change of two stream-bank absorption ratios, and the correlation coefficients are all above 0.99, illustrating a good fit for the results.

Quality and hydrochemical assessment of groundwater in geological transition zones: a case study from N.E. Nigeria

Sustainable management of groundwater resources in geological transition zones (GTZ) is essential due to their complex geology, increasing population, industrialization, and climate change. Groundwater quality monitoring and assessment represent a viable panacea to this problem. Therefore, there is a great need to investigate groundwater resources in terms of their chemistry and pollution to ascertain their quality and implement robust pollution abatement strategies. This study focused on the characterization of groundwater in a typical geological transition zone in northeastern Nigeria. Eighty-seven (87) groundwater samples were collected from dug wells and boreholes during the 2017 dry season. pH, conductivity, and total dissolved solids (TDS) were measured in situ using a multiparameter probe, while major cations and anions were measured using atomic absorption spectrometry and ion chromatography, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, principal component analysis (PCA), water quality index, and standard hydrochemical plots. TDS ranged between 95 and 1154 mg L^-1 in basement terrains and between 49 and 1105 in sedimentary areas. pH ranged between 6.8 and 7.7 mg L^-1 in basement terrains and between 5.0 and 6.5 in sedimentary areas, suggesting a moderately acidic to alkaline low mineralized groundwater. Calcium (2.6-128.0 mg L^-1) was the dominant cation in the basement areas, suggesting silicate weathering/dissolution, while sodium (1.9-106.0 mg L^-1) dominated the sedimentary zones due to base exchange reactions. The PCA analysis suggests that mineral dissolution (mostly silicate weathering) controls the hydrochemistry of the basement aquifers, while ion exchange and albite weathering, with some influence of anthropogenic factor, control the sedimentary aquifers. The water quality index revealed that the basement setting was predominated by poor to unsuitable groundwater, while the sedimentary terrain was characterized by potable groundwater. The dominant hydrochemical facie in the basement areas was Ca²⁺-(Mg²⁺)-HCO₃^- characteristic of recharge meteoric water. The Na⁺- (K⁺)-HCO₃^- facie characterized the sedimentary zones, indicative of cation exchange reactions, while the mixed water facie typifies the geological contact zones. The shallow nature of the basement groundwaters makes them more susceptible to geogenic and anthropogenic pollution compared to the sandstone aquifers. However, the basement aquifers have better irrigation indices (Kelly ratio and soluble sodium percent) as compared to the sandstone aquifers, which exhibit poor Kelly ratios (< 1) and soluble sodium percent (> 50) ratings. Results from the study clearly highlight the poor-unsuitable groundwater quality in parts of the studied GTZ and can be very instrumental to the policymakers in implementing sustainable water treatment strategies and cleaner production technologies in GTZ to forestall the incidence of water-related diseases.

Evaluation of the effects of abattoir effluent on the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of River Benue, Nigeria

This study investigated the impact of continual discharge of untreated abattoir effluents on the water quality of River Benue. Three major abattoirs (Wurukum, Wadata and Northbank) in Makurdi, Nigeria, and their polluting strength in river upstream and downstream were measured and compared. Two water quality parameters: physicochemical and bacteriological were investigated. Water quality index (WQI) was computed for all sampling sites. Results revealed that some of the physiochemical parameters were above recommended limits, especially in downstream river, in particular, the turbidity (24.0-55.5 mg/l), TSS (62.6-92.0 mg/l), DO (8.0 mg/l), and total hardness (160-240 mg/l). All sampling sites indicated an increased bacterial population while Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli were the predominant bacteria among the ten genera identified in water upstream and downstream. Faecal coliforms increased from upstream to downstream in two sampling sites (Wurukum and Wadata). Strong positive correlations were observed between upstream and downstream samples for pH, EC, turbidity, TSS, DO, COD, SO₄^2-, TC, and Shigella spp. WQI revealed that all sampling locations were heavily polluted and unsuitable for drinking purposes (WQI > 300) based on both the physicochemical and bacterial parameters. The sampling sites, however, showed excellent water quality based only on physicochemical properties especially upstream at both Wurukum and Northbank sampling sites (WQI < 50). It was suggested that anthropogenic activities around the river may be responsible for the high concentration of some physiochemical parameters and bacterial loads observed in the river downstream. Moreover, it was concluded that microbial loads should be fully considered in WQI computation in terms of water quality. Our results are useful for water resource and waste management in terms of practices and policy guidance, especially for developing countries.

Concentrations, bioaccumulation, and health risk assessments of heavy metals in fishes from Nigeria's freshwater: a general overview

Heavy metals (HMs) have attracted global attention due to their toxicity, persistence, and accumulation in aquatic fish in the polluted water environment. The consumption of these fishes exposed humans to a higher risk of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. In this study, we provided a critical overview of the potential sources and concentration of HMs in Nigeria's freshwater. Furthermore, we reported their pollution level in widely eaten fish species in the country. Our findings show that effluent from anthropogenic and industrial activities is one of the major sources HMs in the country. The mean concentration of Zn (9.02 mg/L), As (7.25 mg/L), Cu (4.35 mg/L), Fe (1.77 mg/L), and Pb (1.46 mg/L) in Nigeria's freshwaters were found to be high than Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality permissible limit. This study demonstrated considerable health risks associated HMs via dietary consumption of different fishes from polluted waters. Therefore, we recommended an urgent need for effective management HMs in water bodies in order to protect the lives of people living in the country.

Catalytic ozonation of antibiotics by using Mg(OH)2 nanosheet with dot-sheet hierarchical structure as novel nanoconfined catalyst

Antibiotic pollution has caused important concern for international and national sustainability. Catalytic ozonation is a quick and efficient technique to remove contaminants in aquatic environment. This study firstly developed a nanosheet-growth technique for synthesizing Li-doped Mg(OH)₂ with dot-sheet hierarchical structure as catalyst to ozonize antibiotics. Metronidazole could be totally removed through ozonation catalyzed by Li-doped Mg(OH)₂ in 10 min. Approximately 97% of metronidazole was eliminated in 10 min even the catalyst was used for 4 times. Reaction rate constant of Li-doped Mg(OH)₂ treatment was about 3.45 times that of nano-Mg(OH)₂ treatment, illustrating that the dot-sheet hierarchical structure of Li-doped Mg(OH)₂ exhibited nano-confinement effect on the catalytic ozonation. Approximately 70.4% of metronidazole was mineralized by catalytic ozonation using Li-doped Mg(OH)₂. Temperature of 25 °C was more suitable for catalytic ozonation of metronidazole by Li-doped Mg(OH)₂. Ions generally inhibited the catalytic ozonation of metronidazole while only 0.005 mol L^-1 of Cl^- slightly enhanced the ozonation rate, illustrating complicated mechanisms existed for ozonation of metronidazole catalyzed by Li-doped Mg(OH)₂. The possible mechanisms of the ozonation of metronidazole using Li-doped Mg(OH)₂ included direct ozonation and ozonation catalyzed by radical ·O₂^-, reactive oxygen species ¹O₂ and intermediate (H₂O₂). The synthesized Mg(OH)₂ nanosheet with dot-sheet hierarchical structure is a novel nanoconfined material with excellent reusability and catalytic performance.

Heavy metal analysis of drinking water supply, wastewater management, and human health risk assessment across secondary schools in Badagry coastal community, Lagos State, Nigeria

This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate drinking water and wastewater management facilities, as well as the health risk associated with heavy metal contamination of available water sources among Badagry schools. According to Joint Monitoring Program classification, majority (60%) of the schools provided basic water service, 10% limited service, whereas 30% provided no service. Water quality parameters such as pH, Pb, Cr, Cd, and E. Coli count were above the permissible limits in both public and private schools. None of the schools had wastewater management facilities, thereby leading to ponding. Pb and Cr posed a carcinogenic risk to the consumers as they exceeded the permissible 10^-5. Even though majority of the schools provided basic water service, the contamination of majority of the water sources and the absence of structured-drainage channels in all the schools was bothersome. Prompt intervention is required to safeguard and maintain the integrity of the students' health.

Recent advances in starch-based magnetic adsorbents for the removal of contaminants from wastewater: A review

Considerable concern exists regarding water contamination by various pollutants, such as conventional pollutants (e.g., heavy metals and organics) and emerging micropollutants (e.g., consumer care products and interfering endocrine-related compounds). Currently, academics are continuously exploring sustainability-related materials and technologies to remove contaminants from wastewater. Magnetic starch-based adsorbents (MSAs) can combine the advantages of starch and magnetic nanoparticles, which exhibit unique critical features such as availability, cost-effectiveness, size, shape, crystallinity, magnetic properties, stability, adsorption properties, and excellent surface properties. However, limited reviews on MSAs' preparations, characterizations, applications, and adsorption mechanisms could be available nowadays. Hence, this review not only focuses on their activation and preparation methods, including physical (e.g., mechanical activation treatment, microwave radiation treatment, sonication, and extrusion), chemical (e.g., grafting, cross-linking, oxidation and esterification), and enzymatic modifications to enhance their adsorption properties, but also offers an all-round state-of-the-art analysis of the full range of its characterization methods, the adsorption of various contaminants, and the underlying adsorption mechanisms. Eventually, this review focuses on the recycling and reclamation performance and highlights the main gaps in the areas where further studies are warranted. We hope that this review will spark an interdisciplinary discussion and bring about a revolution in the applications of MSAs.

Smart Rainwater Harvesting for Sustainable Potable Water Supply in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas

This paper presents a smart rainwater harvesting (RWH) system to address water scarcity in Palestine. This system aims to improve the water harvesting capacity by using a shared harvesting system at the neighborhood level and digital technology. The presentation of this system is organized as follows: (i) identification of the challenges of the rainwater harvesting at the neighborhood level, (ii) design of the smart RWH system architecture that addresses the challenges identified in the first phase, (iii) realization of a simulation-based reliability analysis for the smart system performance. This methodology was applied to a residential neighborhood in the city of Jenin, Palestine. The main challenges of smart water harvesting included optimizing the shared tank capacity, and the smart control of the water quality and leakage. The smart RWH system architecture design is proposed to imply the crowdsourcing-based and automated-based smart chlorination unit to control and monitor fecal coliform and residual chlorine: screens, filters, and the first flush diverter address RWH turbidity. Water level sensors/meters, water flow sensors/meters, and water leak sensors help detect a water leak and water allocation. The potential time-based reliability (Re) and volumetric reliability (Rv) for the smart RWH system can reach 38% and 41%, respectively. The implication of the smart RWH system with a dual water supply results in full reliability indices (100%). As a result, a zero potable water shortage could be reached for the dual water supply system, compared to 36% for the municipal water supply and 59% for the smart RWH system. Results show that the smart RWH system is efficient in addressing potable water security, especially when combined with a dual water supply system.

Variation of Water Quality in Ningxia Section of the Yellow River in Recent 5 Years

The Yellow River is very important for human health and social development in China to require good water quality. This study selected the Ningxia section of the Yellow River as the study area to investigate the water quality variation in 2016–2020. A total of 9 water quality parameters were monitored, and 8 parameters including pH, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total phosphate, fluoride, ammonia-nitrogen, and permanganate index were in the range of Class II standard requirement. Dissolved oxygen concentrations ranged from 7.5 to 9.4 mg/L. However, total nitrogen concentrations in 2018–2020 ranged from 1.87 to 2.8 mg/L to cause the pollution. Both the Nemerow index method and the contamination degree method showed that total nitrogen with high concentration exerted the water pollution. Principal component analysis also proved this. Stricter environmental management strategies for controlling total nitrogen should be taken in the future. The findings provided some useful information for water pollution of the Ningxia section of the Yellow River.

Hydrochemical characteristics and identification of groundwater pollution sources in tropical savanna

Groundwater pollution of the watershed is mainly influenced by the multifaceted interactions of natural and anthropogenic processes. In this study, classic chemical and multivariate statistical methods were utilized to assess the groundwater quality and ascertain the potential contamination sources affecting the groundwater quality of Galma sub-watershed in a tropical savanna. For this purpose, the data set of 18 groundwater quality variables covering 57 different sampling boreholes (BH) was used. The groundwater samples essentially contained the cations in the following order of dominance: Ca²⁺  > Na⁺  > Mg²⁺  > K⁺. However, the anions had HCO₃^- > Cl^- > SO₄^-2 > NO₃^- respectively. The hydrochemical facies classified the groundwater types of the sub-watershed into mixed Ca-Mg-Cl type of water, which means no cations and anions exceeds 50%. The second dominant water type was Ca-Cl. The Mg-HCO₃ water type was found in BH 9, and Na-Cl water type in BH 29 of the studied area. The weathering of the basement rocks was responsible for the concentrations of these ions in the groundwater chemistry of the sub-watershed. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) grouped the groundwater samples (boreholes) into five clusters that are statistically significant regarding the similarities of groundwater quality characteristics. The principal component analysis (PCA) extracted two major principal components explained around 65% of the variance and suggested the natural and anthropogenic processes especially the agricultural pollutants including synthetic fertilizers, and leaching of agricultural waste as the main factors affecting the groundwater quality. The integrated method proved to be efficient and robust for groundwater quality evaluation, as it guaranteed the precise assessment of groundwater chemistry in the sub-watershed of the tropical savanna. The findings of this investigation could be useful to the policy makers for developing effective groundwater management plans for the groundwater resources and protection of the sub-watershed.

Evaluating the potability and human health risk of sachet water in Wukari, Nigeria

This study assessed physiochemical and biological properties of sachet waters. In general, sachet waters were within standards for all parameters except lead in batch A & B, iron in batch E, and E. coli in all water brands. Human health risk showed the order of THI as NO₃^- > Pb > F^- > Fe for batch A & B samples and NO₃^- > F^- > Pb > Fe for batch C, D & E. This showed nitrate constituting over 50% of the THI while batch B water samples showed THI above the acceptable limit for all age groups. The THI for infants suggests moderate risk. This indicates infants are more likely to be impacted even though water parameters were within standards. Hence, there is a need to monitor sachet water companies to protect public health.

Water Quality Predictive Analytics Using an Artificial Neural Network with a Graphical User Interface

Since clean water is well known as one of the crucial sources that all living things need in their daily lives, the demand for clean freshwater nowadays has increased. However, water quality is slowly deteriorating due to anthropogenic and natural sources of pollution and contamination. Therefore, this study aims to develop artificial neural network (ANN) models to predict six different water quality parameters in the Langat River, Malaysia. Moreover, an application (app) equipped with a graphical user interface (GUI) was designed and developed to conduct real-time prediction of the water quality parameters by using real-time data as inputs together with the ANN models. As for the results, all of the ANN models achieved high coefficients of determination (R2), which were between 0.9906 and 0.9998, as well as between 0.8797 and 0.9972 for training and testing datasets, respectively. The developed app successfully predicted the outcome based on the run models. The implementation of a GUI-based app in this study enables a simpler and more trouble-free workflow in predicting water quality parameters. By eliminating sophisticated programming subroutines, the prediction process becomes accessible to more people, especially on-site operators and trainees.

Miners’ experiences and perceptions of environmental and safety regulations: Statistical evidence from Ebonyi State, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Concerns have been raised about compliance with environmental and safety regulations during mining activities. OBJECTIVE: The study assessed miners’ experiences and perceptions of environmental and safety regulations, in addition to comparing their experiences and regulatory perceptions. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted for data collection from field miners in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. RESULTS: Findings show that miners still experience environmental pollution and serious injuries during mining activities, notwithstanding regulatory visits. Miners’ perceptions of environmental regulatory requirements and their perceptions of safety regulatory requirements had more non-significant correlations, while miners’ environmental and safety experiences had significant relationships with their perceptions of environmental and safety regulatory requirements. Nonetheless, environmental and safety regulations were perceived in different ways by miners based on important regulatory requirements. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates the importance of using a practical approach in managing environmental and safety issues during mining activities in a developing country like Nigeria.

Modeling the impact of potentially harmful elements on the groundwater quality of a mining area (Nigeria) by integrating NSFWQI, HERisk code, and HCs

With excess potentially harmful elements (PHEs), drinking water is marked unsuitable and could pose some health risks when ingested or absorbed by humans. Different age groups are exposed to varied risk levels of PHEs. Analyzing the health risks of PHEs for several age groups could provide detailed insights for effective water resources management. No known study in Ameka Pb-Zn mine province (Nigeria) investigated the health risks of PHEs in water resources for several age groups. Therefore, in this paper, the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks (due to ingestion and dermal contact) of PHEs in groundwater resources of this area were investigated for nine age groups. To achieve its aim, this study integrated novel HERisk code, NSFWQI (national sanitation foundation water quality index), and hierarchical clusters (HCs) in modeling the groundwater quality. Standard elemental composition analysis revealed that the groundwater is polluted with PHEs. The NSFWQI indicated that 15% of the analyzed water samples have moderate water quality whereas 85% are unsuitable for drinking. The HERisk code, which considered nine age groups (1 to < 2 years, 2 to < 3 years, 3 to < 6 years, 6 to < 11 years, 11 to < 16 years, 16 to < 18 years, 18 to < 21 years, 21 to < 65 years, and > 65 years), revealed that all the samples pose high chronic and cancer risks to all the age groups due to oral ingestion. However, it was realized that age groups 1 to < 16 and > 65 are posed with higher risks than age groups 18 to < 65. Overall, it was realized that all the age groups are far more exposed to ingest or absorb Se, Co, Cd, Se, As, Ni, and Pb than Cu, Fe, and Zn. Nevertheless, the health risks due to dermal absorption are far lower than the risks due to oral ingestion. Conclusively, children and aging people are more predisposed to the health threats than middle-aged populations. HCs and geospatial maps aided the spatiotemporal analysis of the groundwater quality.

A Model-Based Approach for Improving Surface Water Quality Management in Aquaculture using MIKE 11: A Case of the Long Xuyen Quadangle, Mekong Delta, Vietnam

This study utilized MIKE 11 to quantify the spatio-temporal dynamics of water quality parameters (Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and temperature) in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle area of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. Calibrated for the year of 2019 and validated for the year of 2020, the developed model showed a significant agreement between the observed and simulated values of water quality parameters. Locations near to cage culture areas exhibited higher BOD5 values than sites close to pond/lagoon culture areas due to the effects of numerous point sources of pollution, including upstream wastewater and out-fluxes from residential and tourism activities in the surrounding areas, all of which had a direct impact on the quality of the surface water used for aquaculture. Moreover, as aquacultural effluents have intensified and dispersed over time, water quality in the surrounding water bodies has degraded. The findings suggest that the effective planning, assessment and management of rapidly expanding aquaculture sites should be improved, including more rigorous water quality monitoring, to ensure the long-term sustainable expansion and development of the aquacultural sector in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle in particular, and the Vietnamese Mekong Delta as a whole.

Priority Pollutants Monitoring and Water Quality Assessment in the Siret River Basin, Romania

The Integrated Water Resources Management regulations aim to ensure a good status of surface water quality and its sustainable use. Water quality monitoring of various water users supports the identification of pollution sources and their environmental impacts. The priority pollutants generated by wastewater discharges from municipal, industrial wastewater treatment plants or agricultural areas are of great interest due to their eco-toxicological effects and bio-accumulative properties. The aim of this study was to monitor the priority organic and inorganic pollutants from the Siret River basin, in Romania, with the purpose of assessing the surface water quality status and evaluating it by the Water Quality Index (WAWQI) method. The monitoring of inorganic priority pollutants (e.g., As, Cd, Hg, Ni, Pb) and organic priority pollutants (e.g., Naphthalene, Anthracene, Phenanthrene, Fluoranthene, Benzo(a)anthracene, Benzo(b)fluoranthene, Benzo(k)fluoranthene, Benzo(a)pyrene, Benzo(ghi)perylene, Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, α, β, and γ-Hexachlorocyclohexane, and Di-2-ethyl-hexyl-phthalate) was conducted within the Siret River basin, during the period 2015–2020. With this purpose, 21 sampling points (18 river sections and 3 lakes) were considered to assess the water quality. The results of this study proved that the water quality within the Siret River basin is generally classified in the 2nd or 3rd class. The spatial distribution of the water quality index values, using ARCGIS, also highlighted the fact that the water quality is mostly unsuitable for drinking water supplies, being influenced by the quality of its main tributaries, as well as by the effluent of wastewater treatment plants.

An appraisal of data collection, analysis, and reporting adopted for water quality assessment: A case of Nigeria water quality research

The appropriate acquisition and processing of water quality data are crucial for water resource management. As such, published articles on water quality monitoring and assessment are meant to convey essential and reliable information to water quality experts, decision-makers, researchers, students, and the public. The implication is that such information must emanate from data obtained and analysed in an up-to-date, scientifically sound manner. Thus, inappropriate data analysis and reporting techniques could yield misleading results and mar the endeavours of achieving error-free conclusions. This study utilises the findings on water quality assessment in Nigeria over the last 20 years to reveal the likely trends in water quality research regarding data collection, data analysis, and reporting for physicochemical, bacteriological parameters, and trace organics. A total of 123 Web of Science and quartile ranked (Q1-Q4) published articles involving water quality assessment in Nigeria were analysed. Results indicated shortcomings in various aspects of data analysis and reporting. Consequently, we use simulated heatmaps and graphs to illustrate preferred ways of analysing, reporting, and visualising some regularly used descriptive and inferential statistics of water quality variables. Finally, we highlight alternative approaches to the customarily applied water quality assessment methods in Nigeria and emphasise other areas of deficiency that need attention for improved water quality research.

Health Risk and Environmental Assessment of Cement Production in Nigeria

The cement manufacturing industry has played a fundamental role in global economic development, but its production is a major facilitator to anthropogenic CO2 release and solid waste generation. Nigeria has the largest cement industry in West Africa, with an aggregate capacity of 58.9 million metric tonnes (MMT) per year. The Ministry for Mines and Steel Development asserts that the nation possesses total limestone deposits of around 2.3 trillion MT with 568 MMT standing as established reserves and 11 MMT used. Cement industries are largely responsible for releasing air pollutants and effluents into water bodies with apparent water quality deterioration over the years. Air pollution from lime and cement-producing plants is seen as a severe instigator of occupational health hazards and work-related life threats, negatively affecting crop yields, buildings, and persons residing in the vicinity of these industries. World Bank observed in 2015 that 94% of the Nigerian populace is susceptible to air pollutants that surpass WHO guidelines. In 2017, World Bank further reported that 49,100 premature deaths emanated from atmospheric PM2.5, with children beneath age 5 having the greatest vulnerability owing to lower respiratory infections, thereby representing approximately 60% of overall PM2.5-induced deaths. Cement manufacturing involves the significant production of SO2, NOx, and CO connected to adverse health effects on humans. Sensitive populations such as infants, the aged, and persons having underlying respiratory ailments like asthmatics, emphysema, or bronchitis are seen to be most affected. Consequently, in addressing this challenge, growing interests in enacting carbon capture, usage, and storage in the cement industry is expected to alleviate the negative environmental impact of cement production. Still, no carbon capture technology is yet to achieve commercialization in the cement industry. Nonetheless, huge advancement has been made in recent years with the advent of vital research in sorption-enhanced water gas shift, underground gasification combined cycle, ammonium hydroxide solution, and the microbial-induced synthesis of calcite for CO2 capture and storage, all considered sustainable and feasible in cement production.

Removal of ibuprofen from aqueous media by adsorption: A comprehensive review

Ibuprofen (IBP) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug released into the environment through hospital and medical effluents, pharmaceutical wastewater and veterinary use. The aim of this paper is to review the empirical findings on the adsorption of IBP from aqueous media. A preliminary ecotoxicological assessment confirmed the environmental risk of IBP in the aqueous environment. Open literature works considered in this review were for the past decade (2010-2020). Carbon-based adsorbents are the best class of adsorbent for the uptake of IBP and the highest reported maximum adsorption capacity (q_max) for IBP is 496.1 mg/g by SWCNTs. The range of adsorption capacities for IBP uptake in this review is between 0.0496 and 496.1 mg/g. The mechanism of uptake is majorly by hydrophobic interactions, π - π stacking, hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions and dipole-dipole interaction. IBP uptake was best fit to a wide variety of isotherm models but was well suited to the pseudo-second order kinetics model. The thermodynamics of IBP uptake depends majorly on the nature of the adsorbent and desorption from the solid phase is based on an appropriate choice of the eluent. Knowledge gaps were observed in used adsorbent disposal and process improvement. In the future, interest would increase in scale-up, industrial applications and practical utilisation of the research findings which would help in sustainable water resource management.

Prediction modeling of potentially toxic elements' hydrogeopollution using an integrated Q-mode HCs and ANNs machine learning approach in SE Nigeria

Machine learning techniques have proven to be very useful in environmental and engineering assessments, including water quality studies. This is because they have flexible linear and nonlinear forecasting functions that can efficiently and reliably estimate measurable and continuous variables. The aim of this paper was to classify the water quality and also predict potentially toxic anions (PTAs; e.g., Cl, SO₄, HCO₃, and NO₃) and potentially toxic heavy metals (PTHMs; e.g., Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr, and Pb) in water resources in Ojoto and its surroundings, Nigeria. Q-mode hierarchical clusters (HCs) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) were integrated to achieve the research objectives. Prior to the HCs and ANNs modeling, correlation-, unrotated principal component-, and varimax-rotated factor analyses were performed to flag the level of associations between the input water quality variables. With respect to pH, two water quality cluster groups were identified. However, three and four cluster groups were identified based on the PTAs and PTHMs concentrations, respectively. Four ANN models (two for each group) were used for predicting the PTAs and PTHMs in the waters resources. Using coefficient of determination (R²) and AUC (area under curve) values and direct comparison of parity plots, the performance and accuracy of the ANN models were substantiated. Overall, the results obtained reveal that the proposed ANN models suitably predicted the concentrations of the PTAs and PTHMs. Thus, this paper provides useful information for better monitoring, management, and protection of the water resources. However, more modeling studies are encouraged to validate and/or improve the findings of the current work.

Molecular detection of some toxogenic cyanobacteria in Tigris River in Baghdad-Iraq

Cyanobacteria and their pollution are being increasingly commonly reported worldwide that cause a serious hazard to environmental and human health. Cyanotoxin was the most algal toxin reported to be produced by several orders of cyanobacteria. This study aimed to provide a technique to detect cylindrosprmopsin and saxitoxin biosynthesis genes in the river. In November, December 2019, and January 2020. Cyanobacteria were isolated from freshwater of Tigris River and identified by compound microscope also conventional PCR. Five isolates of cyanobacteria that successfully amplified a gene fragment from the phycocyanin were found in all cyanobacteria (Microcystis flosaquae, Microcystis sp, anabaena circinalis, nostoc commune and westiellopsis prolifica) and all isolates successfully amplified aoaC gene to detecting the cylidrospemopsin and the saxitoxin. Our results concluded that PCR assay can be used for early detection of cylidrospemopsin and the saxitoxin producing cyanobacteria in river water that useful to stations responsible for the preparation of drinking water to public.

Accumulation and health effects of metals in selected urban groundwater

The contamination of water sources as a result of man’s activities is of concern because of its potential impact on the health of humans. Samples of groundwater were collected from four households within metropolitan Lagos between the months of April and August, 2019. The samples were analyzed for cadmium, calcium, iron, lead, manganese and zinc using atomic absorption spectrometry. Structured questionnaire was administered to the residents in households where the water samples were collected. Results obtained were compared with global background values and WHO guidelines for drinking water. The pH values ranged from 5.16 ± 0.26 to 5.29 ± 0.44, whereas, the control pH values were within the WHO guidelines of 6.5–8.5. The concentrations (mg/L) ranged from 2.04 ± 1.01–23.48 ± 8.81 (calcium); 3.35 ± 1.94–3.60 ± 2.25 (iron); 0.31 ± 0.42–0.47 ± 0.51 (manganese) and 0.27 ± 0.04–0.77 ± 0.69 (zinc), respectively. Cadmium and lead were not detected. The health risk indices (HRI) values were found to be in the order of Fe > Zn > Mn and were below the threshold value of 1. Statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to ascertain statistical significant differences of metal concentrations in the four locations. Metal pollution source control and periodic water quality monitoring is recommended.

A global systematic review, meta-analysis, and risk assessment of the concentration of vanadium in drinking water resources

The presence of toxic metals such as vanadium in water resources has attracted considerable attention as a new concern in international health. Systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to assess the concentration of vanadium in water resources along with the relevant ecological risk assessment. Databases of Scopus, PubMed, and Embase were investigated to retrieve the related articles from January 01, 1974 to December 25, 2019. Twenty-eight articles containing 152 samples from 24 countries were included. Furthermore, the meta-analysis was conducted by the approach of z-score to estimate differences in the effect size. In addition, the mean of concentrations of vanadium was applied to calculate the risk assessment only to the water surface and choose the maximum environmental concentration (MEC) for demonstrate a worst-case scenario. Here, the risk assessment approach was used to show that the MEC of vanadium confirm the risk it for aquatic ecosystems, being fish (e.g., Danio rerio) our model organism due to their sensibility. According to findings, the MEC of vanadium in surface water varied from 0.010 μg L^-1 (USA) and 68 μg L^-1 (China), with an overall mean of 6.21 ± 13.3 μg L^-1 (mean ± standard deviation). The ecological risk assessment demonstrated that people living in some countries such as China and Japan were at an adverse ecological risk of vanadium in the water resources. Hence, essential control plans besides adequate removal techniques must be implemented for significant deracination of heavy metals like vanadium.

Ecotoxicology of glyphosate and recent advances in its mitigation by adsorption

Glyphosate (N-[phosphonomethyl]glycine) is one of the most popular herbicides now used in agricultural practice. The aim of this paper was to discuss the research progress and innovations in recent years on the mitigation of glyphosate (GLY) from aqueous media by adsorption. The ecotoxicology of GLY was discussed in the domain of its chronic and sub-chronic toxicity, genotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, and carcinogenicity, and potential risks of food contamination were discussed. It was observed that polymers and resins are the best class of adsorbents for GLY adsorption from aqueous media. GLY adsorption was best fit to either Freundlich or Langmuir isotherm depending on the nature of the adsorbent. The pseudo-second-order kinetics was also the best fit for modelling the kinetics of GLY adsorption. A review of the thermodynamics revealed that GLY adsorption was usually spontaneous and exothermic. Research trends and knowledge gaps are in the area of chemical mobility in environmental systems (especially in the presence of other chemical species), the use of heavy metal-laden adsorbent and molecular modelling. Furthermore, it was observed that the ecotoxicology of GLY still has some contentious areas where there is no conclusive stance.

Assessment of socioeconomic inequality based on virus-contaminated water usage in developing countries: A review

Water is an essential resource required for various human activities such as drinking, cooking, and other recreational activities. While developed nations have made significant improvement in providing adequate quality water and sanitation devoid of virus contaminations to a significant percentage of the residences, many of the developing countries are still lacking in these regards, leading to many death cases among the vulnerable due to ingestion of virus-contaminated water and other waterborne pathogens. However, the recent global pandemic of COVID-19 seems to have changed the paradigm by reawakening the importance of water quality and sanitation, and focusing more attention on the pervasive effect of the use of virus-contaminated water as it can be a potential driver for the spread of the virus and other waterborne diseases, especially in developing nations that are characterized by low socioeconomic development. Therefore, this review assessed the socioeconomic inequalities related to the usage of virus-contaminated water and other waterborne pathogens in developing countries. The socioeconomic factors attributed to the various waterborne diseases due to the use of virus-contaminated water in many developing countries are poverty, the standard of living, access to health care facilities, age, gender, and level of education. Some mitigation strategies to address the viral contamination of water sources are therefore proposed, while future scope and recommendations on tackling the essential issues related to socioeconomic inequality in developing nations are highlighted.

Assessment of socioeconomic inequality based on virus-contaminated water usage in developing countries: A review

Water is an essential resource required for various human activities such as drinking, cooking, and other recreational activities. While developed nations have made significant improvement in providing adequate quality water and sanitation devoid of virus contaminations to a significant percentage of the residences, many of the developing countries are still lacking in these regards, leading to many death cases among the vulnerable due to ingestion of virus-contaminated water and other waterborne pathogens. However, the recent global pandemic of COVID-19 seems to have changed the paradigm by reawakening the importance of water quality and sanitation, and focusing more attention on the pervasive effect of the use of virus-contaminated water as it can be a potential driver for the spread of the virus and other waterborne diseases, especially in developing nations that are characterized by low socioeconomic development. Therefore, this review assessed the socioeconomic inequalities related to the usage of virus-contaminated water and other waterborne pathogens in developing countries. The socioeconomic factors attributed to the various waterborne diseases due to the use of virus-contaminated water in many developing countries are poverty, the standard of living, access to health care facilities, age, gender, and level of education. Some mitigation strategies to address the viral contamination of water sources are therefore proposed, while future scope and recommendations on tackling the essential issues related to socioeconomic inequality in developing nations are highlighted.