Urbanizing with or without nature: pollution effects of human activities on water quality of major rivers that drain the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana

Abstract

The effects of urbanization such as population upsurge, increased industrialization, urban agriculture, and rural–urban migration of persons exert pressure on the limited water resources in most cities. This study investigated the impact of human activities on the water and sediment quality of the three main rivers (Wiwi, Subin, and Suntre) in Kumasi, the second-largest city in Ghana. The physicochemical parameters and the concentrations of contaminants, including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticide residues, and microbial loads in the rivers, were linked to the specific human activities at the riverbanks. While all the 37 pesticide residues investigated in river sediments had concentrations below the detection limits (0.005 mg/kg for organochlorines, 0.010 mg/kg for organophosphates, and 0.010 mg/kg for synthetic pyrethroids), the study showed that the sediments are polluted with petrogenic and pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. River Subin, the most polluted among the three rivers, recorded benzo[e]pyrene concentrations up to 47,169 µg/kg. The geoaccumulation index and concentration factors show that the rivers are highly contaminated with metals such as cadmium, chromium, mercury, and arsenic and are related to human activities. The microbial quality of the rivers was poor, recording specific microbial loads of 6.8, 4.1, and 1.5 × 10⁷ counts/100 mL respectively for Wiwi, Subin, and the Suntre Rivers. The three water bodies are therefore not suitable for recreational and irrigational purposes.

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09686-8
Urbanizing withorwithout nature: pollution effects
ofhuman activities onwater quality ofmajor rivers
thatdrain theKumasi Metropolis ofGhana
GodfredDarko · SethObiri‑Yeboah· StephenAppiahTakyi·
OwusuAmponsah· LawrenceSheringhamBorquaye·
LydiaOtooAmponsah· BenedictaY.Fosu‑Mensah
Received: 6 February 2021 / Accepted: 6 December 2021
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
kg for organochlorines, 0.010mg/kg for organophos-
phates, and 0.010 mg/kg for synthetic pyrethroids),
the study showed that the sediments are polluted with
petrogenic and pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydro-
carbons. River Subin, the most polluted among the
three rivers, recorded benzo[e]pyrene concentrations
up to 47,169µg/kg. The geoaccumulation index and
concentration factors show that the rivers are highly
contaminated with metals such as cadmium, chro-
mium, mercury, and arsenic and are related to human
activities. The microbial quality of the rivers was
poor, recording specific microbial loads of 6.8, 4.1,
and 1.5 × 107 counts/100mL respectively for Wiwi,
Subin, and the Suntre Rivers. The three water bodies
are therefore not suitable for recreational and irriga-
tional purposes.
Keywords Water pollution· Contamination·
Industrialization· Urbanization· Environmental
impact· Rural–urban migration
Introduction
Water is a basic need for all life forms on the earth
and is an essential component in human activities in
agricultural, domestic, industrial, and recreational set-
tings. Without access to fresh water, all the sustain-
able development goals planned for poverty reduction
and securing the general well-being of populations
(UNEP, 2020) would not be attained. However, in
Abstract The effects of urbanization such as pop-
ulation upsurge, increased industrialization, urban
agriculture, and rural–urban migration of persons
exert pressure on the limited water resources in
most cities. This study investigated the impact of
human activities on the water and sediment qual-
ity of the three main rivers (Wiwi, Subin, and Sun-
tre) in Kumasi, the second-largest city in Ghana. The
physicochemical parameters and the concentrations
of contaminants, including heavy metals, polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticide residues, and micro-
bial loads in the rivers, were linked to the specific
human activities at the riverbanks. While all the 37
pesticide residues investigated in river sediments had
concentrations below the detection limits (0.005mg/
Supplementary information The online version
contains supplementary material available at https:// doi.
org/ 10. 1007/ s10661- 021- 09686-8.
G.Darko(*)· S.Obiri-Yeboah· L.S.Borquaye·
L.O.Amponsah
Department ofChemistry, Kwame Nkrumah University
ofScience andTechnology, Kumasi, Ghana
e-mail: gdarko.sci@knust.edu.gh
S.A.Takyi· O.Amponsah
Department ofPlanning, Kwame Nkrumah University
ofScience andTechnology, Kumasi, Ghana
B.Y.Fosu-Mensah
Institute forEnvironment andSanitation Studies, College
ofBasic andApplied Science, University ofGhana,
Legon,Accra, Ghana
/ Published online: 21 December 2021
Environ Monit Assess (2022) 194: 38
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