Impact of anthropogenic activities on the Densu River in Ghana

A detailed study has been carried out on the Densu River and its tributaries to identify the chemical characteristics of the water, examine the hydrological connections among the land cover types and evaluate the relative contributions of anthropogenic activities to the river's pollution. The results indicate that sites closer to the most urbanized, industrialized and agricultural areas are severely impaired. The river water was found to vary considerably in terms of chemical and physical properties. The water was slightly alkaline, brackish to fresh and of mixed Ca-Na-HCO3 and Ca-HCO3 types. Nutrient and organic matter were found to be the most frequent cause of pollution of the river. Pollution has reached such a proportion that it has destroyed the aquatic ecosystem in most exposed sections of the river.