Analysis of Physical, Chemical and Biological Characteristics of Borehole Water in Awka, Awka South LGA, Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study aims determine the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of borehole water in Awka. The Study Activities Include: Collection of borehole water samples, Identification of  physical, chemical and biochemical characteristics present in the borehole water samples, analyzing the characteristics, comparing the characteristics of the water samples to the World Health Organizations (WHO) standards, Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) and the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS), Identification of health effects of imbalance in the characteristic and development recommendation for improving the quality of borehole water. The study was carried out in Microbiology laboratory, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Uli, Anambra State, Nigeria (5.7699° N, 6.8361° E). It took six months to complete the study. The physical, chemical and biological characteristics were carefully analyzed with the right methodology which includes HANNA INSTRUCTIONS FOR pH, Electrical Conductivity and temperature, GALVERMETRIC METHOD for Total Dissolved Oxygen, ARGENTOMETRIC METHOD for chloride, molybdenum blue phosphorous method for phosphate, PHENATE SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD for ammonia, WINKLER'S TITRIMETRIC METHOD for Dissolved Oxygen, TITRIMETRIC METHOD for total acidity, alkalinity and hardness, ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY for heavy metals and MEMBRANE FILTERATION TECHNIQUE for total coliform and total E. Coli counts. This study presents results for these characteristics which ranges from: 28.3°C - 32°C for temperature which are all below WHO standards, 4.5 - 7.6 for pH, 0.02ms/cm - 1.355ms/cm for Electrical Conductivity, 19.5mg/L - 1020.75 mg/L for Total Dissolved Solids, 4.5mg/L - 8.6mg/L for Dissolved Oxygen, 64mg/L - 198mg/L for Chemical Oxygen Demand, 20mg/L - 138.8mg/L for Total Hardness, 25.2mg/L - 340.2mg/L for Chloride, 5.02ppm - 17.6ppm for phosphate, 0.27mg/L - 6.99mg/L, 2fcu/100ml - 130fcu/100ml for Total coliform count, 1fcu/100ml - 33fcu/100ml, 5.2mg/L - 17mg/L for total acidity, 10mg/L - 255mg/L for total acidity. Conclusion: Results of these characteristics were compared with World Health standards of drinking water, Nigeria Industrial Standards and Federal Environmental Protection Agency standards. The average values the parameters were as well compared to these standards and recommendations were developed for the maintenance and improvement of borehole water quality.