Water Quality Assessment of the Man-Made Jabi Lake, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

The quality of the water needs to be evaluated in order to guarantee that everyone has access to clean water which is both sustainable and available. The objective of this research is to evaluate the water quality in-terms of physicochemical characteristics of the Man-made Jabi Lake in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria using standard methods. Water samples were collected from three sites along the lake, and their pH, alkalinity, conductivity, total hardness, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, phosphate, and nitrate concentrations were analyzed. The ANOVA results showed that there was no significant difference (0.089 p-value for physical parameters, 0.135 p-value for chemical parameters and 0.530 p-value for metals) in the physicochemical characteristics among the three sites. The Pearson correlation coefficient revealed a high positive correlation (r = 0.999) among the sample points, indicating that a change in the concentration of these parameters in one site would lead to a similar change in the other locations. These findings suggest that pollutants in one part of the lake may impact the entire ecosystem, and management strategies should consider the interconnectedness of the lake's water quality. The study concludes that the stream has a moderate level of pollution and is not suitable for direct consumption or use in the home.