Spatial assessment of groundwater quality in Panteka Market Tudun Nupawa, Kaduna, Nigeria

Abstract

Water quality is inherently linked with human health, poverty reduction, gender equality, food security, livelihoods and the preservation of ecosystems, as well as economic growth and social development of our societies. Hence, this research work focuses on Spatial Assessment of Groundwater Quality in Panteka Market Tudun Nupawa, Kaduna, Nigeria. Ten (10) hand dug wells were sample from the study area. The microbial and physico-chemical parameters were analyzed in the laboratory and the data analysis was conducted using SPSS. The results of physiochemical revealed that; Total hardness (TD) ranged between 175-348, Total dissolved Solids (TDS) ranged between 225-645mg/L, Electrical Conductivity (EC) ranged between 451-1,292, Salinity ranged between 29-409. For heavy metals, Lead was higher than the limits given by WHO and Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ) in 8 sampled wells, and the remaining 2 wells were found 'not detected'. The physicochemical parameters of the samples examined when compared with the WHO standard indicate that some of the parameters are slightly below the WHO standard while others were within the permissible limits of WHO standard for drinking water. The study concluded that water in all the sampled hand-dug wells are not fit for consumption without treatment, because of the deteriorating state of the groundwater in respect to microbiological conditions found. It also recommend that Government should encourage and finance groundwater research by water chemist and scientists to detect areas that can easily pollute groundwater.