UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON SURFACE WATER CONTAMINATION OF RIVERINE AREAS IN ABIA STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

An assessment of the impact of climate change on surface water contamination of riverine areas in Abia State where rural dwellers solely depend on as water sources for domestic and agricultural purpose was examined in this research. Five (5) selected Local Government Areas in Abia State with two (2) communities each from the same Local Government Area was used for this study. Composite sample of surface water to a depth of 30cm were collected. Physico-chemical parameters of water- Temperature, pH, Alkalinity, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Hardness, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Degradable Organic Matter (COD), Ammonium – Nitrogen (NH₄-N), Nitrite (NO₃-), Phosphate (PO4), Heavy metals [Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg), Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), and Total Hydrocarbon (THC)] were determined using standard analytical methods. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation and t-test at P= 0.05 values obtained were compared with recommended World Health Organization and Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) guidelines. Results of the study showed that each location had unique water parameters that were different from each other. Some values were higher than recommended standards, while some values fell below the recommended standards. The impact of climate change from the study showed that there was contamination of water sources from the five selected Local Government Areas, the impact affecting fish population, their abundance, economic wellbeing, and the community’s livelihood. This research revealed that water quality varied significantly due to impact from climate change and anthropogenic activities which made most of the rural dwellers vulnerable. From the research, it is recommended that the selected communities should be exposed to several adaptive capacities to climate change impacts and reduce contribution to pollution into the water bodies from activities that promote the impact of climate change.

Keywords: Climate change, Sustainability, water quality, pollution, surface water