Department of Chemistry, NNRI/GAEC, PO Box LG 80, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Fianko, J.R., Department of Chemistry, NNRI/GAEC, PO Box LG 80, Legon, Accra, Ghana; Osae, S., Department of Chemistry, NNRI/GAEC, PO Box LG 80, Legon, Accra, Ghana; Achel, D., Department of Chemistry, NNRI/GAEC, PO Box LG 80, Legon, Accra, Ghana
A detailed study has been carried out on the Densu River and its tributaries to identify the chemical characteristics of the water, examine the hydrological connections among the land cover types and evaluate the relative contributions of anthropogenic activities to the river's pollution. The results indicate that sites closer to the most urbanized, industrialized and agricultural areas are severely impaired. The river water was found to vary considerably in terms of chemical and physical properties. The water was slightly alkaline, brackish to fresh and of mixed Ca-Na-HCO3 and Ca-HCO3 types. Nutrient and organic matter were found to be the most frequent cause of pollution of the river. Pollution has reached such a proportion that it has destroyed the aquatic ecosystem in most exposed sections of the river. © 2008 The Author. Journal compilation © 2008 CIWEM.
Agricultural areas; Anthropogenic activity; Aquatic ecosystem; Chemical characteristic; Densu River; Ghana; Land-cover types; Organic matter; Physico-chemical analysis; Relative contribution; River water; Calcium; Chemicals; Organic compounds; Pollution; Rivers; Sodium; River pollution; bicarbonate; calcium; chloride; magnesium; nitrate; organic matter; phosphate; potassium; sodium; sulfur; agricultural land; aquatic ecosystem; human activity; hydrology; land cover; organic matter; physical property; physicochemical property; river water; water pollution; agriculture; alkalinity; article; electric conductivity; Ghana; industrial area; meteorological phenomena; pH; priority journal; river; urban area; water analysis; water content; water hardness; water pollution; water quality; water temperature; Africa; Densu River; Ghana; Sub-Saharan Africa; West Africa