Assessment of anthropogenic sources of pollution along Mazai and Matsheumhlope streams in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe using GIS and Remote Sensing tools

Year 2020, Volume: 3 Issue: 3, 83 - 103, 30.09.2020

Cinderrella Ndlovu Canisius Mpala

Abstract

In recent years, global water pollution has been largely attributed to anthropogenic activities such as mining, agriculture, industrial activities and domestic effluent. In the case of Mazai and Matsheumhlope streams in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, manufacturing industries in the surrounding areas are known to discharge partially treated effluent into the two streams. These two streams are tributaries to Umguza River, which is used by local communities for irrigation and domestic purposes. Pollutants carried by these two streams negatively affect the quality of the streams causing a deterioration in the health of Umguza River and Dam. This study aimed at investigating anthropogenic sources of pollution along the two streams. Water samples were collected from May 2016 to April 2017 and tested for permanganate value, chemical oxygen demand, nitrates, ammonia, phosphates, electrical conductivity, pH, total dissolved solids and suspended solids. The results were compared to EMA SI 6 Regulations on Effluent and Solid Waste Disposal. Results were divided into the wet and dry season. The physico-chemical parameters of the two streams were analysed for Analysis of Variance. The results showed that the streams had no significant influence on all the parameters except for pH (p<0.05). The seasons had a significant influence on the levels of ammonia, suspended solids, nitrates and pH. A GIS application QGIS, was used to generate maps using the selected parameters to display levels of pollution. The results showed that the industrial and sewage effluent significantly affect the water quality of the two streams. The study recommends that pollution hotspots indicated by the study be further investigated and given more attention to curb the release of pollutants in the two streams.

Keywords

Urban streams, anthropogenic activities, pollution, GIS

References

• [1] Baig, S.A., Qaisar, M., Bahadar, N., Altaf, H. and Muhammad, N., (2010). Assessment of seasonal variations in surface water quality of Chitral River, North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan. World Applied Sciences Journal, 9(6), pp.674-680.
• [2] Cunningham, W.P., Saigo, B.W. and Cunningham, M.A., 2001. Environmental science: A global concern (Vol. 412). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
• [3] Day, J., (2000). Biomonitoring: appropriate technology for the 21st century. In Symposium Sustainable Use of Water Resources; Advances in Education and Research, 1. WARFSA.
• [4] Deekae, S.N., Abowei, J.F.N. and Alfred-Ockiya, J.F., (2010). Seasonal variation of some physical and chemical parameters of Luubara Creek, Ogoni Land, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Research journal of environmental and earth sciences, 2 (4), pp.208-215.
• [5] Dias, J., Martin, R., Ferreira, C., Esteves, T., Soares, M., Costa, M.L. and Costa, M.C., (2006). Application of GIS Database tool to surface water quality at ESAC. The Quest for Sustainability: the role of Environmental Management Systems and Tools, ECAS, Coimbra, Portugal, pp.27-29.
• [6] Dondo, P.N., (2016). The effects of pollution on the physico-chemical parameters of water and diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates: a case study of the Khami Dam.
• [7] Dube, T., Makaka, C. and Sibanda, Z., (2010). An assessment of the effect of industrial and sewage effluent on aquatic invertebrates: A case study of a southern urban stream, Zimbabwe. Journal of Sustainable Development, 3 (2), p.210.
• [8] Johnson, D.L., Ambrose, S.H., Bassett, T.J., Bowen, M.L., Crummey, D.E., Isaacson, J.S., Johnson, D.N., Lamb, P., Saul, M. and Winter-Nelson, A.E., (1997). Meanings of environmental terms. Journal of environmental quality, 26 (3), pp.581-589
• [9] Lawson, E.O., (2011). Physico-chemical parameters and heavy metal contents of water from the Mangrove Swamps of Lagos Lagoon, Lagos, Nigeria. Advances in Biological Research, 5(1), pp.8-21.
• [10] Masere, T.P., Munodawafa, A. and Chitata, T., (2012). Assessment of human impact on water quality along Manyame River. International Journal of development and sustainability, 1(3), pp.754-765.
• [11] Mehrdadi, N., Ghobadi, M., Nasrabadi, T. and Hoveydi, H., (2006). Evaluation of the quality and self-purification potential of Tajan River using QUAL2E model.
• [12] Merbt, S.N., Auguet, J.C., Blesa, A., Martí, E. and Casamayor, E.O., (2015). Wastewater treatment plant effluents change abundance and composition of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in mediterranean urban stream biofilms. Microbial ecology, 69(1), pp.66-74.
• [13] Meyer, J.L., Paul, M.J. and Taulbee, W.K., (2005). Stream ecosystem function in urbanizing landscapes. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 24(3), pp.602-612.
• [14] Moyo, A., (2015). An assessment of the effects of socio-economic activities on the diversity of aquatic macro-invertebrates. a case study of Umguza River in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (Doctoral dissertation, BUSE).
• [15] Moyo, N.A. (1997). Lake Chivero: A polluted lake.
• [16] Nhapi, I., and H. Gijzen. (2002). Wastewater Management in Zimbabwe. Proceedings of the 28th WEDC Conference on sustainable environmental sanitation and water services. Kolkata, India.
• [17] Nhapi I, Tirivarombo S, (2004). Sewage discharges and nutrient levels in Marimba River, Zimbabwe. Water SA 2004;30 (1):107–13.
• [18] Nyenje, P.M., Foppen, J.W., Uhlenbrook, S., Kulabako, R. and Muwanga, A., (2010). Eutrophication and nutrient release in urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa—a review. Science of the Total Environment, 408 (3), pp.447-455.
• [19] Ouyang, Y., Nkedi-Kizza, P., Wu, Q.T., Shinde, D. and Huang, C.H., (2006). Assessment of seasonal variations in surface water quality. Water research, 40 (20), pp.3800-3810.
• [20] Potter, J.D., McDowell, W.H., Helton, A.M. and Daley, M.L., (2014). Incorporating urban infrastructure into biogeochemical assessment of urban tropical streams in Puerto Rico. Biogeochemistry, 121(1), pp.271-286.
• [21] Potter, J.D., McDowell, W.H., Merriam, J.L., Peterson, B.J. and Thomas, S.M., (2010). Denitrification and total nitrate uptake in streams of a tropical landscape. Ecological Applications, 20(8), pp.2104-2115.
• [22] Ramírez, A., De Jesús-Crespo, R., Martinó-Cardona, D.M., Martínez-Rivera, N. and Burgos-Caraballo, S., (2009). Urban streams in Puerto Rico: What can we learn from the tropics? Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 28(4), pp.1070-1079.
• [23] Teta, C., Ncube, M. and Naik, Y.S., (2017). Heavy metal contamination of water and fish in peri-urban dams around Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. African Journal of Aquatic Science, pp.1-8.
• [24] Thebe, T.A. and Mangore, E.N., (2012). Wastewater production, treatment, and use in Zimbabwe. Department of Civil and Water Engineering, National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo.
• [25] Vörösmarty, C.J., McIntyre, P.B., Gessner, M.O., Dudgeon, D., Prusevich, A., Green, P., Glidden, S., Bunn, S.E., Sullivan, C.A., Liermann, C.R. and Davies, P.M., (2010). Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity. Nature, 467 (7315), p.555.