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

Mary Lum Fonteh Niba; Besende Didien Njumba

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13

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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

Mary Lum Fonteh Niba, Besende Didien Njumba^*

Published in International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (Volume 9, Issue 1)

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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[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.
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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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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Flowing Through Change: Investigating the Impacts of Human Activities on Urban River Water Quality in the Kumba River, South West Region of Cameroon
AU  - Mary Lum Fonteh Niba
AU  - Besende Didien Njumba
Y1  - 2024/02/05
PY  - 2024
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13
T2  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
JF  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
JO  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
SP  - 14
EP  - 23
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-3061
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13
AB  - 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.

VL  - 9
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Mary Lum Fonteh Niba

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

Contact Email
Besende Didien Njumba

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

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

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

Copy | Download

@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}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Flowing Through Change: Investigating the Impacts of Human Activities on Urban River Water Quality in the Kumba River, South West Region of Cameroon
AU  - Mary Lum Fonteh Niba
AU  - Besende Didien Njumba
Y1  - 2024/02/05
PY  - 2024
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13
T2  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
JF  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
JO  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
SP  - 14
EP  - 23
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-3061
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20240901.13
AB  - 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.

VL  - 9
IS  - 1
ER  -

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