English

K Rowshon M,A Kawuyo U,M Dibal J,U Bashir A

doi:10.5897/ajar2017.12533

Abstract

Groundwater contamination is gaining more concerns due to its direct and/or indirect impact on public health. Groundwaters from various sources are commonly used to irrigate vegetables in Maiduguri, Borno State. In this study, the physicochemical qualities of groundwater collected from 20 randomly selected tube wells in Maiduguri were evaluated for their suitability or otherwise for irrigation purposes. Selected wells were extensively used as sources of irrigation water. Standard procedures were followed during the analysis. The results revealed that the mean values of  pH (6.6 to 8.0), calcium (2.6 to 5.2 meq/l), magnesium (2.6 to 5.0 meq/l), sodium (2.2 to 7.5 meq/l), carbonate (0.5 to 1.3 meq/l) , bicarbonate (1.8 to 5.2 meq/l), chloride ( 0.9 to 2.9 meq/l), sulphate (2.8 to 9.8 meq/l), potassium (0.3 to 0.9 mg/l), Boron (0.1 to 0.6 meq/l)  and nitrogen (1.9 to 4.8 mg/l) were all found to be within the acceptable limit for suitability of water for irrigation use based on Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommendations. The results further revealed that, the values of electrical conductivity (0.3 to 0.7 ds/m), total dissolved solids (192 to 448 mg/l), sodium adsorption ratio (0.40 to 3.62), residual sodium carbonate (-1.3 to -7.6 meq/l), magnesium adsorption ratio (35.80 to 49.06%) and Kelly ratio (0.10 to 0.90) of the samples were within the safe limit recommended for irrigation water use. The quality of tube well waters in the study area can thus be regarded as good, and suitable for irrigation purposes, but similar analysis should be conducted on a routine basis to monitor the qualities of the waters toward safeguarding public health. Key words: Tube well waters, physicochemical qualities, irrigation suitability, public health, Maiduguri.

Highlights

The rise in the global population has resulted in a larger increase in water demand in recent decades
The results revealed that the mean values of pH (6.6 to 8.0), calcium (2.6 to 5.2 meq/l), magnesium (2.6 to 5.0 meq/l), sodium (2.2 to 7.5 meq/l), carbonate (0.5 to 1.3 meq/l), bicarbonate (1.8 to 5.2 meq/l), chloride ( 0.9 to 2.9 meq/l), sulphate (2.8 to 9.8 meq/l), potassium (0.3 to 0.9 mg/l), Boron (0.1 to 0.6 meq/l) and nitrogen (1.9 to 4.8 mg/l) were all found to be within the acceptable limit for suitability of water for irrigation use based on Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommendations
The results further revealed that, the values of electrical conductivity (0.3 to 0.7 ds/m), total dissolved solids (192 to 448 mg/l), sodium adsorption ratio (0.40 to 3.62), residual sodium carbonate (-1.3 to -7.6 meq/l), magnesium adsorption ratio (35.80 to 49.06%) and Kelly ratio (0.10 to 0.90) of the samples were within the safe limit recommended for irrigation water use

Summary

Introduction

The rise in the global population has resulted in a larger increase in water demand in recent decades. The increasing water demand from domestic and agricultural uses has led to overexploitation of groundwater, in arid and semi-arid regions that are commonly characterized by poor availability of water resources (Ebrahimi et al, 2016). Irrigated agriculture is the largest water consuming sector accounting for more. In Nigeria, agriculture is the highest water consuming sector accounting for 69% of the total water withdrawal followed by the domestic sector with about 1.7 km (21%) and the industrial sector with 0.8 km (10%). Ground water are often contaminated due to human activities such as improper waste disposal, poor sanitation, seepage of agrochemicals and mining close to boreholes and shallow wells (Salifu et al, 2013; Fianko et al, 2010; Jain et al, 2009; Carpenter et al, 1998)

Methods

Results

Conclusion