MUSAMI1, Bawu., IGBORO2, Sunday Bamidele, MUHAMMAD2, Muhammad Mujahid, SANNI2, Muhammad Ismail, ISMAIL3 Haruna Yahaya, USMAN1*, Yunusa Mamza
1Department of Agricultural and Bio-Environmental Engineering, Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri, Nigeria
2Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
3Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
The Niger Delta, one of the world’s most hydrocarbon-intensive regions, continues to experience extensive environmental degradation due to prolonged oilfield operations and inadequate regulatory oversight. An integrative environmental fingerprinting approach, combining physicochemical assessment, pollutant profiling, and chromatographic analysis, was applied to characterise oilfield water contamination in the Bodo oil-producing community of Ogoniland, Nigeria. Water samples collected from three impacted sites (WLA, WLB, and WLC) were analysed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), nutrients, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and trace metals (Pb, Cd, As, Cr). All sites exhibited pronounced contamination, with EC values exceeding 9300 µS/cm, BOD reaching 38.76 ppm, and TPH levels as high as 5533.16 ppm, exceeding local and international regulatory limits. GC–MS analysis identified a broad spectrum of hydrocarbons, including low- and high-molecular-weight PAHs and VOCs, such as benzene, toluene, and benzo[a]pyrene, many of which are classified as EPA priority pollutants with recognised carcinogenic and ecotoxicological risks. Distinct site specific signatures were observed: WLC showed elevated organic loading, suspended solids and petroleum residues dominated WLB, while WLA was enriched in nitrates and VOCs. Multivariate contamination patterns reflect the combined influence of point-source discharges and environmental partitioning processes. These findings highlight significant ecological and public health concerns, demonstrating the value of comprehensive fingerprinting frameworks for environmental forensics and monitoring in oil-impacted regions.
Environment,
Fingerprinting,
Oilfield water,
Contamination.
.

