Tropical watershed management: understanding the relationship between land use and pesticide pollution in Chanchaga River

Freshwater ecosystems are vulnerable to various land use impacts, resulting in concern for aquatic biota and humans. Understanding the occurrence of pesticide contamination is necessary to safeguard aquatic biodiversity and human health. We hypothesize that sub-catchments with a higher proportion of...

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Main Authors: Eunice O. Ikayaja, Nenibarini Zabbey, Raphael M. Tshimanga, Gilbert Ndatimana, Twaha A. Basamba, Francis O. Arimoro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Journal of Freshwater Ecology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02705060.2025.2494811
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author Eunice O. Ikayaja
Nenibarini Zabbey
Raphael M. Tshimanga
Gilbert Ndatimana
Twaha A. Basamba
Francis O. Arimoro
author_facet Eunice O. Ikayaja
Nenibarini Zabbey
Raphael M. Tshimanga
Gilbert Ndatimana
Twaha A. Basamba
Francis O. Arimoro
author_sort Eunice O. Ikayaja
collection DOAJ
description Freshwater ecosystems are vulnerable to various land use impacts, resulting in concern for aquatic biota and humans. Understanding the occurrence of pesticide contamination is necessary to safeguard aquatic biodiversity and human health. We hypothesize that sub-catchments with a higher proportion of agricultural activities have a higher concentration of pesticides in the water sample. Our study assessed the nexus between land uses and pesticide contamination in three zones of the Chanchaga River, namely, a control site, an agricultural area (S1), and an urban area (S2). Various classes of land use around the catchment were determined using ArcGIS 10.8 GIS software. At the same time, analysis of pesticide residues was carried out using the liquid–liquid extraction method, followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. A total of 10 herbicides and 12 insecticides were recorded in each sampled sub-catchments, with a statistically significant difference across the sampled sub-catchments. Sampled sites in agricultural and urban areas had higher concentrations of pesticide residues than the control zone, with less anthropogenic influence. Redundancy analysis revealed farming and urbanized land use were the main sources of pesticide contamination in the waterbody. Pesticides may have chronic or acute impacts on aquatic biodiversity and a higher trophic effect on human health. It was evident that all sampled sub-catchments had pesticide concentrations exceeding the WHO permissible limit for human consumption. Prioritizing alternative methods to pesticides for managing pests and weeds is crucial for sustainable agriculture and environmental sustainability.
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spelling doaj-art-1f844371bf93479d8b15061ee3ddeae32025-08-20T02:29:03ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Freshwater Ecology0270-50602156-69412025-12-0140110.1080/02705060.2025.2494811Tropical watershed management: understanding the relationship between land use and pesticide pollution in Chanchaga RiverEunice O. Ikayaja0Nenibarini Zabbey1Raphael M. Tshimanga2Gilbert Ndatimana3Twaha A. Basamba4Francis O. Arimoro5Ecology and Environmental Biology Unit, Animal Biology Department, Federal University of Technology, Minna, NigeriaHydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), Port Harcourt, NigeriaRegional School of Water and Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center (CRREBaC), University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, CongoCenter of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resources Management (CoEB), University of Rwanda, Kigali, RwandaCollege of Agricultural and Environmental Science, Makerere University, Kampala, UgandaEcology and Environmental Biology Unit, Animal Biology Department, Federal University of Technology, Minna, NigeriaFreshwater ecosystems are vulnerable to various land use impacts, resulting in concern for aquatic biota and humans. Understanding the occurrence of pesticide contamination is necessary to safeguard aquatic biodiversity and human health. We hypothesize that sub-catchments with a higher proportion of agricultural activities have a higher concentration of pesticides in the water sample. Our study assessed the nexus between land uses and pesticide contamination in three zones of the Chanchaga River, namely, a control site, an agricultural area (S1), and an urban area (S2). Various classes of land use around the catchment were determined using ArcGIS 10.8 GIS software. At the same time, analysis of pesticide residues was carried out using the liquid–liquid extraction method, followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. A total of 10 herbicides and 12 insecticides were recorded in each sampled sub-catchments, with a statistically significant difference across the sampled sub-catchments. Sampled sites in agricultural and urban areas had higher concentrations of pesticide residues than the control zone, with less anthropogenic influence. Redundancy analysis revealed farming and urbanized land use were the main sources of pesticide contamination in the waterbody. Pesticides may have chronic or acute impacts on aquatic biodiversity and a higher trophic effect on human health. It was evident that all sampled sub-catchments had pesticide concentrations exceeding the WHO permissible limit for human consumption. Prioritizing alternative methods to pesticides for managing pests and weeds is crucial for sustainable agriculture and environmental sustainability.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02705060.2025.2494811Afrotropical riveraquatic healthecotoxicologypesticidesNigeriaLand use
spellingShingle Eunice O. Ikayaja
Nenibarini Zabbey
Raphael M. Tshimanga
Gilbert Ndatimana
Twaha A. Basamba
Francis O. Arimoro
Tropical watershed management: understanding the relationship between land use and pesticide pollution in Chanchaga River
Journal of Freshwater Ecology
Afrotropical river
aquatic health
ecotoxicology
pesticides
Nigeria
Land use
title Tropical watershed management: understanding the relationship between land use and pesticide pollution in Chanchaga River
title_full Tropical watershed management: understanding the relationship between land use and pesticide pollution in Chanchaga River
title_fullStr Tropical watershed management: understanding the relationship between land use and pesticide pollution in Chanchaga River
title_full_unstemmed Tropical watershed management: understanding the relationship between land use and pesticide pollution in Chanchaga River
title_short Tropical watershed management: understanding the relationship between land use and pesticide pollution in Chanchaga River
title_sort tropical watershed management understanding the relationship between land use and pesticide pollution in chanchaga river
topic Afrotropical river
aquatic health
ecotoxicology
pesticides
Nigeria
Land use
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02705060.2025.2494811
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