Qualitative assessment of the impact of waste littering and dumping on surface water quality in Nigeria

doi:10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100194

Abstract

Abstract:

Water resources are vital for all living beings and should be managed properly to ensure the safety and well-being of humankind. Surface water bodies are constantly faced with serious contamination risks generated primarily by human activities and urbanization. The problem of waste littering and dumping in developing countries like Nigeria is increasingly affecting environmental resources such as air and water. Several studies have revealed alarming levels of heavy metals that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Plastic waste represents a substantial portion of litter, affecting water quality. Pollution results in the depletion of aquatic ecosystems and an increase in water-related diseases. This review aims to assess the impact of waste littering and dumping on surface water quality in Nigeria. In this review, the findings of various studies on surface water bodies in Nigeria, particularly those under the influence of urbanization and waste disposal, were compiled. This review compared numerous physical and chemical parameters like pH, dissolved oxygen, and heavy metals, and microbiological properties such as total coliforms. The water quality index (WQI) was also computed in these studies to ascertain the suitability of the water samples for human consumption. Review results showed that numerous water bodies in Nigeria have significantly diverse water quality levels, with some samples meeting or exceeding the WHO guidelines for microbiological, chemical, and physical characteristics. Notably, levels of heavy metals, turbidity, and pH frequently exceeded permissible limits, pointing to contamination from agricultural and industrial sources. The WQI results for multiple locations revealed that the majority of surface water sources were classified as “bad” to “very bad”, meaning they were unfit for human consumption. The results emphasized the critical need for immediate action to prevent further harm and deterioration of surface water bodies in Nigeria. Recommendations include strengthening waste management policies, promoting recycling initiatives, fostering collaborations among stakeholders, developing littering penalties and enforcing fines to curb the challenge, and raising educational awareness from the primary level. This review emphasizes the need for proactive measures to protect the environment and surface water quality in Nigeria.

Key words: Waste littering and dumping, Surface water quality, Water quality index (WQI), Heavy metals, Nigeria

Gloria FAYOMI, Ednah ONYARI, Onyeka NKWONTA. Qualitative assessment of the impact of waste littering and dumping on surface water quality in Nigeria[J]. Regional Sustainability, 2025, 6(1): 100194.

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Source	Parameter			Method of analysis
Source	Physical	Chemical	Biological	Method of analysis
Mbajiorgu (2020)	Temperature and turbidity	pH, DO, phosphates, nitrate, BOD, pesticides, herbicides, EC, and salinity	None	In situ measurement
Urooj et al. (2019)	Temperature and turbidity	pH, TDS, and EC	None	Calibrated instruments for turbidity, EC, temperature, and TDS
Ken-Onukuba et al. (2021)	Temperature and turbidity	pH, TDS, and heavy metals	Bacteria and total coliforms	Turbidimeter, gravimetric method, EC meter, membrane filtration method, and multiple-tube fermentation
Franca et al. (2019)	Temperature, color, and odour	BOD, COD, EC, heavy metals, TOC, and TOD	Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, microscopic plants and animals, viruses, and helminths	In situ measurement
Coker et al. (2019)	Temperature, turbidity, color, odour, hardness, and taste	pH, TDS, nitrate, sulphate, and EC	None	Calibrated instruments for turbidity, EC, pH, temperature, and TDS
Ibe et al. (2019)	Hardness	pH, EC, TDS, calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, chloride, sulphate, and nitrate	None	Spectrophotometer and flame photometer
Acholonu et al. (2023)	Turbidity and temperature	pH, TDS, EC, DO, BOD, heavy metals, and CaCO₃	None	Preservatives and undisclosed special test method
Ismail et al. (2023)	Temperature	pH, EC, and heavy metals	Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus	Selective agar media and in situ analysis

Canadian WQI	Rating of water quality	Canadian WQI	Rating of water quality
0-25	Very bad	71-90	Good
26-50	Bad	91-100	Excellent
51-70	Medium

Parameter	Weight of the Canadian WQI	Weight of the CETESB WQI
Temperature	-	0.10
DO	0.17	0.17
BOD	0.10	0.10
Turbidity	0.08	0.08
Total solid	-	0.08
Match	-	0.10
Nitrate	0.10	0.10
Fecal coliform	-	0.15
Total coliforms	0.15	-
pH	0.10	0.15
Municipal solid waste	0.08	-
Phosphorus	0.08	-
Nitrogen	-	-

Parameter	WHO	CCME
Temperature (ᵒC)	25	15
pH	6.5-8.5	8.5
DO (mg/L)	-	5
Turbidity (NTU)	5	5
TDS (mg/L)	500	500
Ammonia (mg/L)	0.20	1.37
Nitrate (mg/L)	50.00	48.20
Lead (mg/L)	0.01	0.01
Iron (mg/ L)	0.30	0.30
Chromium (mg/L)	0.05	0.05