Abstract
Hydrochemical and groundwater quality of High Bandama watershed were investigated through thirty-five (35) samples composed of boreholes, hand pump wells and traditional wells. The analysis of physico-chemical parameters shows that groundwater is acidic with pH ranges from 3.2 to 6.9 and mean of 5.4. Electrical conductivity (EC) values were generally low and minimum and maximum were respectively 77 μS/cm and 553 μS/cm with an average of 250.3 μS/cm. Major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+) were also generally low. Ca2+ and Mg2+ are being the most dominants cations with concentration values ranges from 4 - 56 mg/l and 0 - 55 mg/l respectively with mean value of 18.11 and 15.31 mg/l. HCO3− is the most dominant anion with minimum and maximum values ranging from 5 to 215 mg/l. According to WHO guidelines, groundwater quality is good for drinking. Piper diagram classified the hydrogeochemical facies into Ca-HCO3 (48.57%), Ca-Mg-HCO3 (31.43%), Ca-Mg-Cl (17.14%) and Na-Cl (2.86%) water type with one sample for Na-Cl. Compositional relation with plot of Ca + Mg versus HCO3 + SO4 and Chloro Alkaline Indice (CAI) confirms that the majority of groundwater samples (66.67%) exchange their ions Ca and Mg with Na and K from aquifer materials. Gibbs diagram showed that the rock-water interaction or weathering is the dominant process responsible of water chemistry.
Highlights
The importance of water and groundwater is not to demonstrate
Ca2+ and Mg2+ are being the most dominants cations with concentration values ranges from 4 - 56 mg/l and 0 - 55 mg/l respectively with mean value of 18.11 and 15.31 mg/l
According to WHO guidelines, groundwater quality is good for drinking
Summary
The importance of water and groundwater is not to demonstrate. Accessibility to a safe and reliable source of water is essential for sustainable development. Groundwater has become the major source of water supply for domestic, industrial and agricultural sectors of many countries (Ghislain et al, 2012). Groundwater remains the only drinking water resource in most of the High Bandama Basin rural and urban parts through several boreholes and sometimes hand pump wells or traditional wells. Few sources of surface water exist in the rural area (rivers, dams, source point). Surface water is subject to variations and their sources deplete in dry period. For these reasons the authorities are focused on groundwater resources even though some boreholes levels decrease in dry season. Study hydrogeochemical and groundwater quality of basin become very important. This study will seek to understand the chemical evolution of the aquifers, groundwater quality and characterize the groundwater system using hydrochemical methods such as compositional relation, cation-exchange and Gibbs diagram
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