Assessment of Groundwater Quality in Ankpa Urban Kogi State, Nigeria

摘要

This study was conducted to assess the physical, chemical and bacteriological quality of groundwater in Ankpa Urban Area of Kogi State. Ten water samples were collected in August 2013 from boreholes located across the five wards that make up the urban area for analysis using standard laboratory techniques. Twenty three water quality parameters; temperature, pH, Electrolytic Conductivity (EC), Turbidity, Total Solid (TS), Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen demand (COD), Calcium (Ca), Sulphate (SO4ˉ), Lead (Pb), Magnesium (Mg), Sodium (Na), Copper (Cu), Potassium (K), Nitrates (NO3ˉ), Cadmium (Cd), Alkalinity, Iron (Fe) and two microbiological parameters (E. coli and total coliform) were investigated and reported on. From the results, the water based on the parameters analyzed is relatively of good quality even though Cadmium, Iron and lead returned values which were above the WHO and Nigeria Standard for Drinking Water guidelines. Others parameters returned values which were either very low or closely approximated the limits recommended in the WHO and NSDWQ guidelines for drinking water. The bacteriological qualities of the water samples in the area were also within the recommended guidelines. The study advances appropriate recommendations to ensure that as Ankpa gets urbanized, groundwater resources within the area will remain properly managed to avoid pollution and in addition, meet the demands of the growing urban population.