Abstract
The hydrogeochemical characteristics, water quality and health risk statuses of waters in Umunya district, southeastern Nigeria were studied, in attempt to evaluate their suitability for drinking and domestic purposes. Twelve groundwater and 3 surface water samples were analyzed for 26 physicochemical and hydrogeochemical parameters, using standard techniques. Results show that dominance of cations and anions is in the order Ca2+ > Na+ > K+ > Mg2+ and HCO3– > Cl– > NO3– > SO4–, respectively. Order of dominance of the heavy metals is Pb > Zn > Fe > Ni > Mn > Cr > Ba. Eight water types were identified, with Ca–Na–HCO3 (26.66%) and Na–Cl–HCO3 (20%) dominating the study area. All the water types characterize five major facies. Further, the result revealed that the physical properties and chemical ionic concentrations in the waters are well below standard maximum permissible limits, although majority of the samples have pH values off the allowable limits of 6.5–8.5, classing the waters as slightly acidic. Generally, the water quality in the study area is deteriorated due to the presence of high levels of heavy metals. Water quality index results show that 46.67% of the water samples are in excellent and good categories. 13.33% are in poor water category, whereas 40% are in category unsuitable for drinking purposes. A good percentage of the waters predispose users to health risks. Stoichiometric and statistical analyses revealed that the variations in chemistry and quality of the waters are due to combined influence of human activities and geogenic processes (silicate weathering and ionic exchanges). Treatment of contaminated waters before use is, therefore, recommended.
Highlights
Surface water and groundwater are the two major resources very important for sustainability of life and environment
The results revealed that about 46% of the water quality parameters possessed a wide range of standard deviation which indicates groundwater quality might be affected by a set of hydrogeochemical processes rather than one process (Rahman et al 2017)
The dominance of cations and anions is in the order Ca2+ > Na+ > K+ > Mg2+ and HCO3− > Cl− > NO3− > SO4−, respectively
Summary
Surface water and groundwater are the two major resources very important for sustainability of life and environment. It is generally believed that about 71% of Earth’s resources are water, access to quality water for drinking, domestic and industrial purposes is limited, especially in developing countries. The limited availability of quality water, both in rural and urban areas, is usually caused by anthropogenic factors more than natural processes. The anthropogenic factors which are eminent sources of water systems contamination span from domestic, agricultural and industrial activities to poor waste management In any attempt to sustain public health and the environment, continuous assessment and monitoring of the quality of water resources and adoption of appropriate measures for protection are inevitable. The determination of water quality is important to ascertain its suitability for a particular use.
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