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Open research questions in Water Quality and Pollution Assessment

140 gap statements mined from Water Quality and Pollution Assessment papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 1,360 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • There is a lack of comparative studies on physiochemical parameters and organic contamination in multiple creeks. Prior work has not extensively studied the physical and chemical characteristics of water and organic pollution in multiple creeks.

    Comparison and Evaluation of Physicochemical and Organic Indicators of Pollution in Selected Creeks of Mumbai Western Coastal Region · 2026 · DOI

  • Future work should focus on improving the spatial and temporal resolution of water quality data, incorporating microbial and nutrient indicators in real time, and linking observed trends to socioeconomic and climatic drivers.

    Long-term quantitative evaluation of river water quality in Tokyo (1966–2023) based on the NSFWQI · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need for systematic and integrative assessments of river water quality in the Niger Delta region. There is a lack of comprehensive analysis of the sources of pollution in the Okpare Olomu River.

    Insights into the quality index of surface water from the Okpare Olomu River, Southern Nigeria · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need for improved monitoring and management of urban water bodies.

    Seasonal Dynamics of Organic Pollution and Oxygen Stress in an Urban Lake of Dhaka, Bangladesh · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of integrated hydrochemical characterization and water quality assessment of the Kibwe River. The need for a comprehensive understanding of the impact of natural and anthropogenic activities on the quality of the river water.

    Hydrochemical characterization and water quality indexing for sustainable agriculture: the case of Kibwe River, Karonga · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of research on the water quality of the Xingu River, particularly in the context of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant. The study aims to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive analysis of the limnological and microbiological parameters of the water.

    Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Water Quality in Municipalities Influenced by the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of effective treatment of effluents from food-processing industries. The need for regular monitoring of water quality to prevent microbial exposure.

    Microbial Quality and Ecotoxicological Effects of Treated and Untreated Industrial Effluents from Food-Processing Industries in Port Harcourt, Nigeria · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to study the environmental impact of the textile industry on the Chalawa River. There is a lack of effective wastewater treatment and management in the textile industry.

    ASSESSMENT OF TEXTILE INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENT IMPACTS ON CHALAWA RIVER WATER QUALITY USING DO SAG MODELING AND BIOREMEDIATION STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of proper treatment of abattoir wastewater before discharge into the environment. The lack of regular monitoring of the soil and water quality.

    Assessment of physicochemical and bacteriological parameters of soil and water receiving abattoir waste water in port Harcourt · 2026 · DOI

  • The safety and quality of borehole water are not inherently guaranteed due to potential contamination from human activities and natural factors. There is a need for regular monitoring and management of borehole water to ensure its safety and sustainability.

    LIMNOLOGICAL DETERMINANT OF SOME COMMERCIAL BOREHOLE WATER QUALITIES IN UYO, AKWA-IBOM STATE, NIGERIA. · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to evaluate the irrigation water quality of Kuzgun Dam. The study addresses the gap in knowledge regarding the suitability of the water for agricultural use.

    Evaluation of Irrigation Water Quality and Agricultural Suitability of Kuzgun Dam Water · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies should incorporate longer-term datasets and land-use correlation analysis. Future studies should conduct uncertainty estimation to strengthen inference reliability. Future studies should explore the application of the combined STORET and Pollution Index methods in other river systems.

    Assessment of the Quality of the Saddang River as A Water Resource in North Toraja Regency Using Storet and Pollution Index · 2026 · DOI

  • The study only considers the Water Quality Index and does not account for other factors that may affect groundwater quality. The study area is limited to Kanyakumari District, South India.

    Evaluation of groundwater quality using Water-Quality Index and Geographical Information System for human consumption and irrigation in Kanyakumari District, South India · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies can be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of sustainable irrigation practices in improving groundwater quality. The use of other approaches, such as machine learning algorithms, can be explored to evaluate groundwater quality.

    Evaluation of groundwater quality using Water-Quality Index and Geographical Information System for human consumption and irrigation in Kanyakumari District, South India · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of evaluation of spring water quality for irrigation purposes in the central part of Kosovo. The need for assessment of spring water suitability for irrigation using various physical and chemical parameters and indices.

    Evaluation of the quality of spring waters for their use for irrigation - case study: Central Part of the Republic of Kosovo · 2026 · DOI

  • Strengthening wastewater management for safe irrigation To reduce pollution from untreated municipal sewage and industrial effluents, city authorities and environmental regulators should expand both centralized and decentralized wastewater treatment facilities along major urban rivers, including the Akaki, Kebena, and Little Akaki.

    A Systematic Review of Irrigation Water Quality, Vegetable Contamination, and Food Safety Concerns in Peri-Urban Addis Ababa, Ethiopia · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on experimental validation of detector performance, quantitative assessment of public health risk reduction, optimization of alarm generation algorithms, and implementation of advanced data-fusion techniques capable of combining information from multiple monitoring stations in real time.

    Study of the Impact of Radioactivity Detection on the Water Distribution Network Versus the Installation of an Early Warning Network · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to evaluate the long-term legacy of tailings on water quality dynamics. Prior studies have focused on the immediate impacts of tailings dam failures, but there is a gap in understanding the persistent effects. The study aims to fill this gap by analyzing 3 years of seasonal variation of water quality and metal concentrations.

    A decade on: the tailings legacy in Rio Doce water quality · 2026 · DOI

  • Urbanization and industrialization are leading to increased pollution in rivers. Lack of adequate waste disposal and sewage treatment infrastructure is contributing to declining river health. Land use changes are affecting river water quality parameters such as BOD, fecal coliform levels, and nutrient levels.

    Land use and land cover change as a driver of river water quality degradation: a comparative review of global, Indian and Uttarakhand river systems · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to examine the relationship between land use changes and river water quality degradations at the global, national, and regional level. There is a lack of comprehensive and coordinated strategies to respond to the challenges facing the rivers of Uttarakhand.

    Land use and land cover change as a driver of river water quality degradation: a comparative review of global, Indian and Uttarakhand river systems · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need for a more reliable and effective approach for assessing salt-affected soil quality.

    Performance evaluation of soil quality indices in agricultural landscapes · 2026 · DOI

  • The study has a short two-week monitoring period. Statistical validation was limited to descriptive comparisons. The study does not incorporate longer-term datasets or land-use correlation analysis.

    Assessment of the Quality of the Saddang River as A Water Resource in North Toraja Regency Using Storet and Pollution Index · 2026 · DOI

  • The sampling effort was limited by the remote location and accessibility of the sampling sites. The study had to account for the variability in water quality parameters and trace elements over time and space.

    A decade on: the tailings legacy in Rio Doce water quality · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited awareness about the dangers of degraded river systems among community members.

    Community perceptions and environmental exposure pathways shaping children's vulnerability to degraded urban streams in Umlazi Township, South Africa · 2026 · DOI

  • Although ORA represents a major institutional advance for transboundary water governance, its actual scientific utility is severely limited…

    Overview of Systematic Monitoring Networks for Surface Water Quality in the Amazon River Basin · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Water Quality and Pollution Assessment

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) There is a lack of comparative studies on physiochemical parameters and organic contamination in multiple creeks (“Comparison and Evaluation of Physicochemical and Organic Indicators of…”, 2026); (2) Future work should focus on improving the spatial and temporal resolution of water quality data, incorporating microbial and nutrient indicators in real time, and linking observed trends to socioeconomic and climatic drivers (“Long-term quantitative evaluation of river water quality in Tokyo (1966–2023)…”, 2026); (3) There is a need for systematic and integrative assessments of river water quality in the Niger Delta region (“Insights into the quality index of surface water from the Okpare Olomu River,…”, 2026); (4) The lack of integrated hydrochemical characterization and water quality assessment of the Kibwe River (“Hydrochemical characterization and water quality indexing for sustainable…”, 2026); (5) There is a lack of research on the water quality of the Xingu River, particularly in the context of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant (“Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Water Quality in Municipalities Influenced by the…”, 2026). 140 gap statements have been mined from Water Quality and Pollution Assessment papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 1,360 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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