Recent Advances in Water Quality Assessment of Tropical Peri-Urban Rivers: Emerging Monitoring Technologies and Lessons from the Osun River Basin, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the influence of Workdays Lost to Presumptive Malaria (WLPM) on the Tropical peri-urban rivers are increasingly threatened by rapid urbanization, agricultural intensification, industrialization, climate change, and inadequate wastewater management, necessitating comprehensive water quality assessment frameworks. This review synthesizes advances in water quality assessment technologies and monitoring approaches using the Osun River Basin, southwestern Nigeria, as a case study. A PRISMA-informed literature review was conducted using inclusion and exclusion criteria to evaluate peer-reviewed articles and policy documents. The selected studies were synthesized into thematic areas comprising conventional physicochemical, microbiological, and heavy metal assessments, water quality indices, geospatial technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT)-based monitoring, predictive modelling, emerging contaminant surveillance, and integrated river basin management. The review shows that conventional monitoring remains indispensable for regulatory compliance and baseline environmental assessment but is constrained by limited spatial and temporal coverage. Integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, AI, IoT sensor networks, predictive models, pollution indices, and human health risk assessment substantially improves pollution source identification, real-time monitoring, environmental forecasting, and watershed-scale decision-making. However, significant challenges remain, including inadequate monitoring infrastructure, fragmented datasets, limited observations, insufficient validation of AI models under tropical conditions, and inadequate monitoring of emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, microplastics, antimicrobial resistance determinants, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Overall, the evidence indicates that multidisciplinary monitoring frameworks integrating conventional and advanced technologies provide the robust approach for sustainable watershed management. The review proposes an integrated assessment framework to strengthen climate-resilient water resources management, evidence-based environmental governance, and long-term protection of tropical peri-urban river ecosystems in rapidly developing regions.