Abstract
The present work was conducted by monitoring the water from twelve major tin mine ponds water in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria (Bokkos, Barkin – Ladi and Jos – South) used for irrigation. Their quality was assessed in terms of physico-chemical parameters for dry and rainy seasons. The physico-chemical parameters such as; Turbidity, pH, Temperature, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total alkalinity (TA), Total Hardness (TH), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Phosphate (PO43-), Sulphate (SO42-), Chloride (Cl- ), Fluoride (F-), Sodium (Na+) and Potassium (K+) were investigated to ascertain the water quality for irrigation purposes. Water quality parameters with regards to its use for the purpose of irrigation such as FAO/WHO/FEPA standards satisfy the requirement for use in agriculture. However, turbidity which ranged from18.1 – 27.4 and 15.9 – 18.8, dissolved oxygen 20.9 – 26.3 and 20.2 – 27.4 mg/L, Total alkalinity 101 – 134 and 122 – 167mg/L, total phosphate 6.3 – 8.9 and 6.5 – 10.5 mg/L, BOD 7.4 – 23.8 and 7.2 – 29.2 mg/L, potassium 1.13 – 1.18 and 3.81 – 4.63 mg/L both in dry and rainy seasons, respectively were found to be above the irrigation water standard limits. The study therefore recommends that the mining pond water should be used with caution as some of the parameters are liable to be toxic to the irrigated crops. The positive correlation exhibited among some of the parameters examined is a clear indication of a common relationship between these sources of water.
Highlights
Water demand is remarkably increasing in many countries around the world for various reasons due to population expansion, economy's prosperity, and the improvement of living standards
Rapid population growth, increased urbanization, and a rising demand for drinking and irrigation water coupled with tightening regulatory restrictions on disposal of wastewater, all take the lead with discovery of Tin in 1903 and 1904 during the colonial era in which large mining ponds were dug in 1938 increasing use of tin mine pond water for irrigation in Plateau State (Mafuyai et al, 2019a)
Activities such as; the use of excavators, earth moving equipment, shovels and pick axe in the excavation of tin ores could enhance the dissolution and or washing of silt into the mining ponds, these are prone in Barkin – Ladi compared to other study areas because of the location of the pond which is very close to mechanical workshops and block industries
Summary
Water demand is remarkably increasing in many countries around the world for various reasons due to population expansion, economy's prosperity, and the improvement of living standards. Irrigation with tin mining pond water provides an economic and cost-effective option for the scarcity of water in central part of Nigeria. Rapid population growth, increased urbanization, and a rising demand for drinking and irrigation water coupled with tightening regulatory restrictions on disposal of wastewater, all take the lead with discovery of Tin in 1903 and 1904 during the colonial era in which large mining ponds were dug in 1938 increasing use of tin mine pond water for irrigation in Plateau State (Mafuyai et al, 2019a). Poor quality water in conjunction with other inorganic/organic fertilizers for a long time in irrigation can make the soil less productive or even barren depending on the amount and type of substances present in the water (Bixio et al, 2006). The quality of surface water is dependent on natural environmental processes such as weathering, erosion and precipitation, and on the influence of anthropogenic activities including urbanization, agricultural activities and mining (Khatri and Tyagi, 2015)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
