Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Impact of anthropogenic activities on urban stream water quality: a case study in Guangzhou, China

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities are increasingly impacting the quality of urban surface water, particularly in regions undergoing intensive urbanization, such as Guangzhou of South China with a large urban stream network. To examine such impacts, we conducted field sampling on December 24, 2010, May 24, 2011, and August 28, 2011, representative of the low-, normal-, and high-flow periods, respectively. The first sampling was timed immediately after the closing of the 16th Asian Games (November 12–27, 2010) and the 10th Asian Para Games (December 12–19, 2010) held in Guangzhou. Assessments based on a pollution index method showed that the urban streams under investigation were extremely polluted, with direct discharge of untreated domestic sewage identified as the main pollution contributor. In addition, stream water quality around urban villages with high population densities was worse than that within business districts away from the urban villages. Pollution control measures implemented in preparation for the Asian Games were effective for urban streams within the business districts, but less effective for those adjacent to the urban villages. However, short-term efforts may not be able to achieve sustainable urban water quality improvements. In the case of Guangzhou, minimizing or even eliminating direct point-source inputs to the urban streams is perhaps the best option.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahuja S (2014) Comprehensive water quality and purification. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Al Shami SA, Rawi CSM, Ahmad AH, Hamid SA, Nor SAM (2011) Influence of agricultural, industrial, and anthropogenic stresses on the distribution and diversity of macroinvertebrates in Juru River Basin, Penang, Malaysia. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 74(5):1195–1202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Azrina MZ, Yap CK, Ismail AR, Ismail A, Tan SG (2006) Anthropogenic impacts on the distribution and biodiversity of benthic macroinvertebrates and water quality of the Langat River, Peninsular Malaysia. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 64(3):337–347

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bu HM, Tan XA, Li SY, Zhang QF (2010) Temporal and spatial variations of water quality in the Jinshui River of the South Qinling Mts., China. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 73(5):907–913

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chang HJ (2005) Spatial and temporal variations of water quality in the Han River and its tributaries, Seoul, Korea, 1993-2002. Water Air Soil Pollut 161(1–4):267–284

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chinese State Environment Protection Bureau (2002) Water and Wastewater Monitoring Analysis Methods (4th edition). Chinese Environment Science Press, Beijing, China (in Chinese)

  • Da Silva AMM, Sacomani LB (2001) Using chemical and physical parameters to define the quality of Pardo River water (Botucatu-SP-Brazil). Water Res 35(6):1609–1616

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Debels P, Figueroa R, Urrutia R, Barra R, Niell X (2005) Evaluation of water quality in the Chillan River (Central Chile) using physicochemical parameters and a modified Water Quality Index. Environ Monit Assess 110(1–3):301–322

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dong YJ, Mei YD (2008) The influence of urbanization on the surface water quality in Guangzhou. China Rural Water Hydropower 2:48–50 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Duha JD, Shandas V, Chang HJ, George LA (2008) Rates of urbanisation and the resiliency of air and water quality. Sci Total Environ 400(1–3):238–256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan XY, Cui BS, Zhao H, Zhang ZM, Zhang HG (2010) Assessment of river water quality in Pearl River Delta using multivariate statistical techniques. Procedia Environ Sci 2:1220–1234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furlan N, Esteves KE, Quinaglia GA (2013) Environmental factors associated with fish distribution in an urban neotropical river (Upper Tiete River Basin, Sao Paulo, Brazil). Environ Biol Fish 96(1):77–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao F (2007) Ecological security assessment of urban water environment in the Pearl River Delta—a case study in Guangzhou. Dissertation, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • Ghadouani A, Coggins LX (2011) Science, technology and policy for water pollution control at the watershed scale: current issues and future challenges. Phys Chem Earth Parts A/B/C 36(9–11):335–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang JL, Ho MH, Du PF (2011) Assessment of temporal and spatial variation of coastal water quality and source identification along Macau peninsula. Stoch Env Res Risk A 25(3):353–361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang YL, Zhu WB, Le MH, Lu XX (2012) Temporal and spatial variations of heavy metals in urban riverine sediment: an example of Shenzhen River, Pearl River Delta, China. Quat Int 282:145–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kazi TG, Arain MB, Jamali MK, Jalbani N, Afridi HI, Sarfraz RA, Baig JA, Shah AQ (2009) Assessment of water quality of polluted lake using multivariate statistical techniques: a case study. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 72(2):301–309

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lau JCY, Chiu CCH (2013) Dual-track urbanization and co-location travel behavior of migrant workers in new towns in Guangzhou, China. Cities 30:89–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin YL, De Meulder B (2012) A conceptual framework for the strategic urban project approach for the sustainable redevelopment of “villages in the city” in Guangzhou. Habitat Int 36(3):380–387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu YT, He SJ, Wu FL, Webster C (2010) Urban villages under China’s rapid urbanization: unregulated assets and transitional neighbourhoods. Habitat Int 34(2):135–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo JH (2011) Study on the characteristic analysis and control model of river’s pollution in Tianhe district, Guangzhou city. Dissertation, Jinan University

  • Müller B, Berg M, Yao ZP, Zhang XF, Wang D, Pfluger A (2008) How polluted is the Yangtze river? Water quality downstream from the Three Gorges Dam. Sci Total Environ 402(2–3):232–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moglia M, Sharma AK, Maheepala S (2012) Multi-criteria decision assessments using subjective logic: methodology and the case of urban water strategies. J Hydrol 452:180–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ni HG, Lu FH, Luo XL, Tian YH, Wang JZ, Guan YF, Chen SJ, Luo XJ, Zeng EY (2008) Assessment of sampling designs to measure riverine fluxes from the Pearl River Delta, China to the South China Sea. Environ Monit Assess 143(1–3):291–301

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ouyang TP, Zhu ZY, Kuang YQ (2006) Assessing impact of urbanization on river water quality in the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, China. Environ Monit Assess 120(1–3):313–325

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Owen RB, Sandhu N (2000) Heavy metal accumulation and anthropogenic impacts on Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong. Mar Pollut Bull 40(2):174–180

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pei YS, Zuo H, Luan ZK, Gao SJ (2013) Rehabilitation and improvement of Guilin urban water environment: function-oriented management. J Environ Sci 25(7):1477–1482

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pekey H, Karakaş D, Bakoğlu M (2004) Source apportionment of trace metals in surface waters of a polluted stream using multivariate statistical analyses. Mar Pollut Bull 49(9–10):809–818

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pekey H (2006) The distribution and sources of heavy metals in Izmit Bay surface sediments affected by a polluted stream. Mar Pollut Bull 52(10):1197–1208

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu W, Wang CX, Ruan XY (2009) Problems and countermeasures on sewage interception systems for rivers in Guangzhou City. China Water Wastewater 25(2):10–12 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen JF, Feng ZQ, Wong KY (2006) Dual-track urbanization in a transitional economy: the case of Pearl River Delta in South China. Habitat Int 30(3):690–705

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shrestha S, Kazama F (2007) Assessment of surface water quality using multivariate statistical techniques: a case study of the Fuji river basin, Japan. Environ Model Softw 22(4):464–475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh KP, Malik A, Sinha S (2005) Water quality assessment and apportionment of pollution sources of Gomti River (India) using multivariate statistical techniques—a case study. Anal Chim Acta 538(1–2):355–374

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith VH (2003) Eutrophication of freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems a global problem. Environ Sci Pollut Res 10(2):126–139

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spring ÚO (2011) Aquatic systems and water security in the Metropolitan Valley of Mexico City. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 3(6):497–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statistical Bureau of Guangzhou (2013). Guangzhou Statistical Yearbook, Guangzhou (in Chinese)

  • Su SL, Zhi JJ, Lou LP, Huang F, Chen X, Wu JP (2011) Spatio-temporal patterns and source apportionment of pollution in Qiantang River (China) using neural-based modeling and multivariate statistical techniques. Phys Chem Earth Parts A/B/C 36(9–11):379–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vega M, Pardo R, Barrado E, Deban L (1998) Assessment of seasonal and polluting effects on the quality of river water by exploratory data analysis. Water Res 32(12):3581–3592

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Wang P, Bai YJ, Tian ZX, Li JW, Shao X, Mustavich LF, Li BL (2013) Assessment of surface water quality via multivariate statistical techniques: a case study of the Songhua River Harbin region, China. J Hydro Environ Res 7(1):30–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang FF (2004) Services and metropolitan development in China: the case of Guangzhou. Prog Plan 61(3):181–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Y, Yang ZF, Li YX (2010) Investigation of water pollution in Baiyangdian Lake, China. Procedia Environ Sci 2:737–748

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the Science and Information Technology Bureau of Guangzhou (No. 2010GN-H00081), Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2012ZX07503-003-002), and Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIGCAS 135 project Y234081001). We greatly thank Yong-Qiang Yang, Shi-Jun Wu, Zhu-Li Liu, He-Fa Cheng, and Xue-Ping Liu for laboratory supports, and Pei-Tong Ni for technical inputs. This is contribution No. IS-XXXX from GIGCAS.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Jin-Song Liu, Ling-Chuan Guo, Fan-Rong Chen & Eddy Y. Zeng

  2. School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China

    Xian-Lin Luo

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Jin-Song Liu & Ling-Chuan Guo

Authors
  1. Jin-Song Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ling-Chuan Guo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xian-Lin Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fan-Rong Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Eddy Y. Zeng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eddy Y. Zeng.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Céline Guéguen

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(DOCX 2387 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Liu, JS., Guo, LC., Luo, XL. et al. Impact of anthropogenic activities on urban stream water quality: a case study in Guangzhou, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 13412–13419 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3237-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3237-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation