Water Quality Assessment in the Pangani River Basin, Tanzania: Natural and Anthropogenic Influences on the Concentrations of Nutrients and Inorganic Ions

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dc.contributor.authorHellar-Kihampa, Harieth
dc.contributor.authorDe Wael, Karolien
dc.contributor.authorLugwisha, Esther H. J.
dc.contributor.authorVan Grieken, René
dc.date.accessioned2016-06-16T18:32:10Z
dc.date.available2016-06-16T18:32:10Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.descriptionFull text can be accessed at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15715124.2012.759119en_US
dc.description.abstractThe ongoing rapid expansions of human activities and population dynamics have a potential impact on the environmental quality of the Pangani River basin, one of the largest water resources in Tanzania, including possible loadings of different kinds of micro-contaminants. However, the specific extent of the impacts is not well investigated. In this work, we assessed the environmental quality of the basin, based on the seasonal characterization of physicochemical water and sediment parameters, dissolved inorganic ions and nutrient loads. The contributions of geochemical processes and land-use practices were evaluated by multivariate correlations and principal component analysis (PCA). Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to classify similar water quality stations and identify the most and least enriched ones. Surface waters were slightly alkaline, characterized by low total dissolved solids (48–652 mg/L). Extremely low oxygen concentration (2.0 mg/L) was also a cause of concern at one station. The Na+ and HCO− 3 ions provided the dominant cation and anion, respectively. The PCA identified the weathering of carbonate- and Na+-bearing rocks, gypsum dissolution and atmospheric deposition of sea salt as the major factors controlling the ionic composition, contributing more than 60% of the spatial variance. The concentration profiles of the chemical species showed a generally low level of anthropogenic inputs, except at a few locations where nitrate and nitrite were significantly enriched above the limits of safe exposure, with patterns indicating influences of farming and livestock-keeping. A seasonal difference was observed, with lower ion concentrations during the rainy season, likely due to the dilution effect of increased water discharge. This study provides new insights into the environmental quality of the basin and indicates the need for continuous monitoring and assessment of the chemical species in the area.en_US
dc.identifier.citationHellar-Kihampa, H., De Wael, K., Lugwisha, E. and Van Grieken, R., 2013. Water quality assessment in the Pangani River basin, Tanzania: natural and anthropogenic influences on the concentrations of nutrients and inorganic ions. International journal of river basin management, 11(1), pp.55-75.en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/15715124.2012.759119
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11810/2530
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherTaylor and Francisen_US
dc.subjectWater qualityen_US
dc.subjectSediment qualityen_US
dc.subjectDissolved ionic speciesen_US
dc.subjectNutrientsen_US
dc.subjectPangani River basinen_US
dc.subjectTanzaniaen_US
dc.titleWater Quality Assessment in the Pangani River Basin, Tanzania: Natural and Anthropogenic Influences on the Concentrations of Nutrients and Inorganic Ionsen_US
dc.typeJournal Article, Peer Revieweden_US
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