Assessment of water quality index in an afrotropical stream impacted by palm oil mill effluents Fatimah Adenike Ajadi, Henry Adefisayo Adewole, Oluwadamilare Emmanuel Obayemi, Oluwaseun Oyebisi Odetola, Victor Folorunso Olaleye, et al. Plos Water, 2025 This study evaluated the impact of palm oil mill effluents (POME) on the water quality of the Agbogbo stream by analysing physicochemical parameters and calculating the Water Quality Index (WQI) across five sampling stations (A–E), including upstream, discharge, and downstream points, over a twenty-month period. Parameters such as temperature, pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), nitrate, sulphate, and conductivity were measured using standard methods. Results showed that the WQI values ranged from 60.1 to 65.5, with the lowest observed at the effluent discharge point, and an overall average WQI of 64.04, indicating poor water quality unsuitable for potable use. The consistent degradation in water quality across all sites highlights the adverse impact of untreated POME on aquatic ecosystems and community health. Practical implications include the urgent need for effective wastewater treatment prior to discharge, stricter enforcement of environmental regulations for palm oil mills, and continuous water quality monitoring. Future efforts should involve treating of the palm oil mill effluents before discharging it into the nearby waterbody, stakeholder engagement and sustainable practices in palm oil processing to safeguard water resources.
Limnological variables as a determinant of fish parasites abundance in the Esa-Odo reservoir, Esa-Odo Southwestern Nigeria Oluwadamilare Emmanuel Obayemi, Olaniyi Olusola Komolafe, Edith Ediseimokumoh Onana Journal of Water and Health, 2023 This study investigated fish parasites in relation to limnological variables of the Esa-Odo reservoir since the quality of the aquatic environment might influence parasitic infestation in fish. The purpose of this study was to provide information on the parasite species of the reservoir due to their public health concern and their relationship with selected water quality parameters. The water quality and parasite examinations were analyzed based on standard protocols in the laboratory. The results showed that water quality parameters were not significantly different (p > 0.05) across the zones. Seasonally, mean water temperature, pH, TDS, DO, organic matter, COD and turbidity were significantly different (p < 0.05) across the different zones of the reservoir while electrical conductivity, alkalinity, NO3-, and PO43- were not significantly different (p > 0.05). Clinostomum tilapiae, Clinostomum sp., Euclinostomum heterostomum, Procamallanus laevionchus, and Lytocestus sp. were recovered in all the fish sampled. The overall prevalence of the fish parasites was 9.8% with an intensity of 2.13. The result indicated fish parasites had a strong positive correlation with certain water quality properties and parasite abundance which suggested that water quality could determine parasitic loads in fishes of the Esa-Odo reservoir.
