title: Human factors and tidal influences on water quality of an urban river in Can Tho, a major city of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
abstract: In this study, we focused on water quality in an urban canal and the Mekong River in the city of Can Tho, a central municipality of the Mekong Delta region, southern Vietnam. Water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, BOD5, CODCr, Na(+), Cl(-), NH4 (+)-N, SO4 (2-)-S, NO3 (-)-N, and NO2 (-)-N for both canal and river, and tide level of the urban canal, were monitored once per month from May 2010 to April 2012. The urban canal is subject to severe anthropogenic contamination, owing to poor sewage treatment. In general, water quality in the canal exhibited strong tidal variation, poorer at lower tides and better at higher tides. Some anomalies were observed, with degraded water quality under some high-tide conditions. These were associated with flow from the upstream residential area. Therefore, it was concluded that water quality in the urban canal changed with a balance between dilution effects and extent of contaminant supply, both driven by tidal fluctuations in the Mekong River.
authors.affiliation: Education Program for Field-Oriented Leaders in Environmental Sectors in Asia and Africa (FOLENS), Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan, ozakihr@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: Thi Kinh
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Co
authors.forename: Anh Kha
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Le
authors.forename: Viet Nu
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.forename: Van Be
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Mitsunori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tarao
authors.forename: Huu Chiem
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Viet Dung
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Le
authors.forename: Hieu Trung
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sagehashi
authors.forename: Sachi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ninomiya-Lim
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gomi
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosomi
authors.forename: Hideshige
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takada
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014744:Vietnam; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D014873:Water Pollutants