Exploring Water Quality in Southern Nigeria: A Seasonal Tale

Hey there, did you know how much human activities and the rocks around rivers can affect water quality? Well, let's dive into a study about this in southern Nigeria. Researchers looked at river water during both the wet and dry seasons to see what's up with the chemistry and quality. They collected 20 water samples, ran some math on them, and found some interesting stuff. In the wet season, the water's pH was around 4. 8, and in the dry season, it was 5. 3. Now, compare that to the World Health Organization's (WHO) standards. During the dry season, they found too much dissolved solids, magnesium, lead, and cadmium. Not good! The water had different amounts of ions, like bicarbonate, calcium, and magnesium. The main type of water here was calcium bicarbonate. That means the water's chemistry comes mostly from it interacting with rocks through a process called weathering. The total cations (positive ions) in the water were between 43-57% in both seasons, and the total anions (negative ions) were 37. 3-62. 7%. In the dry season, anions were more common. The study said the river's overall quality was good because it flows quickly and cleans itself. But, they warned that this could change in the future if we don't watch out for human activities near the river.