Pollution-mediated Consequences of Anthropogenic Activities on the Coastal Town of Moanda, Central Kongo, Democratic Republic of Congo: Mitigation and Remediation Alternatives

Abstract

Aims: This study aims to evaluate anthropogenic activities and other sources due to natural factors likely to cause pollution on the coast of the city of Moanda in the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to analyze their negative impacts on the physical environment of this coastal zone with a view to proposing adequate mitigation and remediation measures. Study Design: This research consists of four parts, an introduction with literature review, a description of the materials and methods used, finally the results obtained and their discussion. Place and Duration of study: Research on the analysis of the anthropogenic activities was undertaken in the coastal zone of Muanda. This site is in the province of the Kongo-Exchange in Democratic Republic of Congo. This study covers the period going from the year 2016 to 2017. Methodology: The method of the direct observation (description, analyzes and synthesis) was used and supplemented by the technique of investigation per questionnaire. The methodological approaches deployed to collect the data on the ground and at the laboratory arise as follows: prospection of the site, information retrieval, sampling, investigation, data-gathering, identification of the nature of the anthropogenic activities in the coastal zone of Muanda, Results: These results show that the coast of Muanda is threatened by numerous anthropogenic activities and other sources of pollution including oil extraction industries (42%), waste drained by the sea current (22%), gas from Muanda flares. (15%), waste from cities bordering the Congo River (11%), illegal fishing by foreign trawlers (7%) and deballasting (3%) likely to lead or which already leads to its pollution as long as the mitigation or remediation measures would not be taken. Conclusion: The principal results obtained attest that many anthropogenic activities are carried out in the coastal zone of Muanda with the environmental risks. As a long time as measurements of attenuation or remediation would not be taken into account, the coast of Muanda will be always threatened by many likely anthropogenic activities of to lead or which already lead his pollution.