A Literature Review on River Water Quality Degradation Due to Anthropogenic Activities

Abstract

The degradation of river water quality in Indonesia has intensified due to increasing anthropogenic activities, including population growth, urbanization, industrial development, and agricultural intensification. This study employed a literature review method by analyzing 15 scientific articles published between 2017 and 2026 that are relevant to river pollution and water quality degradation. The data were analyzed using a descriptive-comparative approach by classifying the findings based on major sources of anthropogenic pressure, namely domestic, industrial, agricultural, and mining activities, as well as their impacts on water quality parameters. The results indicate that domestic activities increase organic loads, as reflected in elevated BOD and COD values, which subsequently reduce dissolved oxygen levels. Industrial activities contribute to pollution through increased COD, TSS, heavy metals, and pH changes. Agricultural activities predominantly increase nutrient concentrations, particularly nitrate and phosphate, while mining activities raise TSS and heavy metal concentrations, causing turbidity and potential toxicity. The most frequently affected water quality parameters include BOD, COD, DO, TSS, nitrate, phosphate, Pb, and Fe. The ecological impacts consistently observed include decreased dissolved oxygen, increased turbidity, eutrophication, and heavy metal accumulation. Socio-economic impacts include limited access to clean water, increased water treatment costs, and the loss of river ecosystem services. This review confirms that anthropogenic activities are a dominant factor in river water quality degradation in Indonesia. The identified research gap lies in the limited number of integrative studies that simultaneously examine physical, chemical, biological, and socio-economic aspects.