Evaluation of the state of riparian ecosystems in the city of Kinshasa by the quality of riparian strips: The case of the Bumbu River (DR Congo)

Abstract

The present study focused on the evaluation of the state of riparian ecosystems of the Bumbu River by the riparian strip quality index. The Riparian Quality Index (RQI) is a synthesis of information to assess the health of the riparian ecosystem along its course. Physical and chemical water quality analyses of this hydrosystem showed a slightly acidic pH (6.6 to 6.9), high conductivity (188 to 202µs/cm), a temperature around 26 °C and high turbidity (80 to 91 NTU), low dissolved oxygen (1.49 to 1.89 mg/l), nitrate, phosphates, BOD5 and COD had high average levels of 45.4 mg/l, 14.8 mg/l, 15.6 mg/l and 24.8 mg/l respectively. The examination of the spatial variation of this index according to the different stations shows that the quality of the riparian strips of the Bumbu River is weak to accomplish their ecological functions with an RBQI around 34.6 and 46.3. The herbaceous and cultivated strata occupied important proportions of the riparian strips of this hydrosystem.