Assessment of groundwater quality in Bamenda–Cameroon for suitable applications

Abstract

Groundwater quality of the Bamenda metropolis (Northwest Region—Cameroon) was assessed for its suitability for possible uses. A total of 22 groundwater samples were collected from dug wells and boreholes within the Bamenda town during the wet and dry seasons. Hydrodynamics and physicochemical parameters were measured. Other parameters including, major ions, sodium percentage (Na %), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), and water quality index (WQI) were deduced from chemical analysis, and their distributions were demonstrated using spatial distribution contour maps. Durov’s plot, Gibbs diagram, and chloro-alkaline indices were used to deduce the source and detect the groundwater samples for different applications. The findings indicate that groundwater flows in the study area from shallow to deep aquifers. Piper’s plot shows Ca–Mg–CO3–HCO3 and Ca–Mg–Cl–SO4 as the main water types. WQI and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines show that all the groundwater samples have excellent water quality for drinking purpose. Electrical conductivity (EC), Na %, and SAR values indicate that all wet season water samples are of low-salinity class, whereas dry season samples are of low to medium salinity; hence, all the samples are suitable for irrigation. Though there is extensive use of agricultural fertilizers and intense urbanization in the metropolis, anthropogenic activities, for now, seem to have minimal impact on the quality of groundwater.