Assessment of the Spatio-temporal environmental parameters of surface water in Gurara reservoir, Kaduna state, Nigeria

Abstract

Water is one of the main concerns in developing countries. In order to deal with this problem, an assessment of the spatio-temporal environmental parameters of surface water of Gurara Reservoir in Kaduna State was studied for twelve months from (March 2017-February, 2018). The physico-chemical parameters were determined monthly using standard methods. They includes water and air temperature, pH, Dissolved oxygen (DO), biological Oxygen demand (BOD), Nitrate (No3 -N), phosphorus (Po4 -P), Total Hardness (TH), Potassium (K), Sodium (Na), Total dissolved Solid (TDS) and depth. All results were analyzed using descriptive analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Principal component analysis (PCA) was use to correlate the physico-chemical variables among the stations and months. All the parameters fluctuate between the stations. These was mostly noted within the seasons and most of the values increase as a results of influx of municipal waste, runoff from agricultural fields, herbicides and pesticides, deforestation and other chemicals. Although most of the environmental variable values recorded were within the standard permissible limits set by Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS, 2007) and (WHO, 2014), few stations within the reservoir are inclined toward eutrophication, therefore, the conservation and management of this water body is very much required