Hydrochemistry and Quality assessment of Groundwater from Constituency Water Projects, Pategi Local Government Area

Abstract

Water is vital for life sustenance hence adequate, safe and accessible supply must be made available to all. The remote village of Tankpaful located in the town of Pategi has recently witnessed the installation of new boreholes to harness groundwater as an improved source of drinking water. However, there is no known information about the quality of these sources. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the quality of groundwater samples from these boreholes in terms of their physico-chemical, heavy metals and biological parameters and also provide baseline information about the nature of the underground aquifer in this community. Groundwater samples (n=20) were obtained from randomly selected boreholes in the study area and examined for their physicochemical, heavy metal and biological parameters following standard procedures recommended by the American Public Health Association and compared to guideline values. Pearson’s correlation test was done to examine the relationship between measured parameters. With the exception of pH (5.58) and total hardness (296.99mg/L), all physico-chemical parameters were within guideline values specified by the WHO and SON. For heavy metals, mean values for Iron (0.32mg/L), Chromium (0.22mg/L) and Nickel (0.4mg/L) were found to exceed the given standard limits as well. The findings revealed that boreholes were mainly acidic which could be of natural origin such as mineral dissolution. Based on correlation analysis, the major mineral groups contributing to total hardness is the K-Cl group (1.00). We recommend that regular monitoring should be done to ensure guideline values are not breached while residents should be educated on the need to maintain these water sources to prevent deterioration.