Environmental monitoring reveals elevated organic load and microbial contamination in river reaches receiving wastewater effluent, highlighting the need for enhanced treatment efficiency.
Key Points
To evaluate the environmental and social impacts of domestic wastewater discharges from a treatment plant on the receiving river ecosystem and adjacent communities.
Conducted 2025 water monitoring campaigns across three strategic locations: upstream, at the effluent discharge point, and downstream of the wastewater treatment plant.
Measured physicochemical and microbiological parameters, including biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, and total coliforms, alongside community surveys.
Wastewater discharges drove marked spatial increases in organic load and microbial contamination downstream from the treatment plant.
Environmental impact assessment identified persistent ecological stress on aquatic biodiversity and elevated risks to surrounding human communities despite compliance in select parameters.