Water Quality Status of Nigeria Surface Water through Physicochemical Parameters: An Empirical Review

Abstract

The importance of water to man and aquatic organisms cannot be overemphasized. Neither aquatic animals nor plants can survive outside water. Despite this, many water bodies, especially surface water are unfit for domestic use because of water pollution as a result of several factors such as, anthropogenic activities, discharge of untreated industrial waste into the water bodies, run off of agricultural waste and chemical into the water bodies. Polluted water has a serious effect of aquatic organism as they require healthy environment for growth, development and productivity. Drinking polluted water can also lead to several diseases which can eventually lead to death. One of the key ways to determine the quality of water is through their physicochemical properties, the physicochemical properties of water is a pointer to the water quality standard. This review was conducted to determine the current status of Nigeria surface water by synthesizing current knowledge on research done on the physicochemical properties of the water in Nigeria water bodies between 2015 and 2025. Based on the finding from this work, it was discovered that most of the Nigeria surface water is polluted as most of the physicochemical parameters were above the WHO limit. By synthesizing recent knowledge this review aims to guide future research on the necessary remediation processes and decision making that help reduce the pollution levels of these water bodies.