Environmental health impacts and controlling measures of anthropogenic activities on groundwater quality in Southwestern Nigeria

Groundwater is the major source of drinking water in virtually all the regions of Nigeria, including the southwestern region. It is an indispensable source of drinking water that many individuals are dependent upon for daily activities in Nigeria. However, the spontaneous rise in various forms of industrialization and other anthropogenic activities of man within the southwestern region has immensely polluted these water sources. This calls for tremendous and actionable concern because of the health implications associated with the intake of contaminated water. This study aims to thoroughly disentangle the major impacts of anthropogenic activities on the quality of groundwater in the southwestern region of Nigeria through extensive reviews of literature and conceptualization of scientific and research data on the field. Unlike previous reviews, the major sources of groundwater pollution in the region were discussed extensively to set the tone for the x-raying of the subject. The study also showed major long-standing pollution cases in the region with graphical, tabular, and pictorial illustrations of some of the groundwater parameters and at the same time proposed controlling measures to enable eidetic understanding of the concepts and contribution to knowledge. In the last part of the work, we recommend improving the existing groundwater assessment techniques in Southwestern Nigeria. Regular monitoring of groundwater in Nigeria should also be encouraged to establish its quality status. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]