Abstract
Groundwater from hand dug wells and boreholes in Paiko, northcentral Nigeria were subjected to physico-chemical as well as microbiological analysis to determine their suitability for drinking purpose. The water from the hand dug wells are predominantly calcium magnesium chloride (Ca-Mg-Cl) water while those from boreholes are calcium magnesium bicarbonate water (Ca-Mg-HCO3) facies. The results showed elevated cations and anions concentration in the hand dug wells in addition to the water being slightly acidic. Also, the nitrate concentration in the hand dug wells is above the maximum permissible limit of 50mg/l postulated by World Health Organization (WHO) and Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDQ). Microbiological analysis revealed Total Coliform Count of 100cfu and 360cfu in the hand dug wells and borehole respectively signifying faecal contamination. The study revealed that improper sewage systems as well as poor waste disposal is responsible for the poor water quality as well as elevated concentration of nitrate in hand dug wells, and as such the shallow aquifer groundwater in the area are not safe for drinking purpose with respect to all the parameters taken together.
Highlights
Groundwater has been considered an important environmental and human resource for decades
The bulk of groundwater contamination cases are as a result of anthropogenic factors prominent among which are due to use of pesticides and fertilizers and industrial waste which are subsequently leached into the groundwater
Of the samples collected from boreholes, only BH 1 water has value higher than the maximum permissible limit of 15TCU (NSDQ, 2007)
Summary
Groundwater has been considered an important environmental and human resource for decades It is generally of desirable quality because in most cases, it is either filtered through permeable layers or it is protected by impermeable layers overlying it (De Giglio et al, 2015). Groundwater quality analysis is a very important aspect of groundwater studies. This reveals the water quality viz-a-viz its suitability for domestic and industrial purposes. Some of the characteristics are the soil condition at the surface, land use as well as the geology of the bed rock (lithology, mineralogy, chemical composition and structure) aquifers from where the water is drawn (Johnson et al, 2011). The bulk of groundwater contamination cases are as a result of anthropogenic factors prominent among which are due to use of pesticides and fertilizers and industrial waste which are subsequently leached into the groundwater
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