The Impact of Seasonal Changes on the Trends of Physicochemical, Heavy Metal and Microbial Loads in Water Resources of Southeastern Nigeria: A Critical Review

Abstract

The quality of water consumed by humans has a direct impact on their health and life span. Globally, seasonal changesSeasonal change have been identified as one of the major factors influencing water qualityWater quality. Southeastern NigeriaSoutheastern Nigeria is a rapidly developing region, experiencing an increase in human activities. The current review article analysed works that studied surface and groundwater resources in Southeastern NigeriaSoutheastern Nigeria during the rainy and dry seasons. An in-depth literature analysis was employed to achieve the objectives of this study. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first article to review the impacts of seasonal changesSeasonal change on the quality of water resourcesWater resources in Southeastern Nigeria. The findings of the literature review revealed that seasonal variationsSeasonal variation have a significant impact on water resources in the region. Variations in rainfallRainfall and temperature influenced the levels of physicochemical parameters, heavy metals, and microbial loads in surface and groundwater resources of the study region. Moreover, seasonal changesSeasonal change also influenced anthropogenic activities (particularly mining and farming) in the region, which in turn altered the water qualityWater quality. Studies in the region revealed that the wet season is usually the peak of farming activities. Prolonged rainfallRainfall and an increase in rainy days during the wet season led to runoff from farms and a decline in mining activities. Seasonal variationsSeasonal variation in natural processes and anthropogenic activities resulted in different water qualityWater quality patterns in the region. The findings of this review study is significant to policymakers, water managers and academics interested in public health, water quality, climate change and risk assessment.