Abstract
The pollution status of Qua Iboe River, Niger Delta, Nigeria, was studied between January 2020 and June 2021 at five sampling locations based on human activities. The indices used were PPI and HFBI for organic pollution. The identified phytoplankton comprised 44 taxa belonging to 5 taxonomic groups, 14 genera of pollution indicators out of 33 genera of the total population, among which Bacillariophyceae accounted for 48.25%, followed by Chlorophyceae (28.87%), and the least was Euglenophyceae with 3.16%. The macroinvertebrates identified comprised 25 taxa, 3 phyla, and 22 families of pollution indicators. Among them, phyla arthropoda accounted for 83.9%, while Mollusca was the lowest accounted for 6.6 %. The HFBI values ranged from 3.94 to 5.98, while PPI score ranged between 17 and 25.The values of HFBI obtained in locations 2, 3, and 5 reflected significant level of organic pollution, while the values of PPI obtained between locations 2 and 5 revealed higher level of organic pollution, which was unsafe for the sustenance of aquatic life; mostly intolerant species. The occurrence of pollution indicator species further proved that the river water was polluted owing to anthropogenic activities. The activities of humans within the watershed should be of concern to the relevant authorities; regulation of these activities should be enforced to minimize the situation of water deterioration and for regaining the natural water quality to support aquatic life and health and make it fit for domestic usage.