Physicochemical quality of drinking water from various water sources of Kaduna state, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was undertaken in six Local government areas (LGA) of Kaduna from  March 2014- February 2015, with the aim of determining some physicochemical parameters of water being used by residents in the study areas. The results were also  compared with the World Health Organization (WHO), Nigerian Institute of Standards (NIS) permissible limits for all the   parameters. A total of fifty samples from different water sources were analysed for the following parameters: Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD₅), Dissolved oxygen, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Nitrate, Electrical conductivity and pH using standard  methods. The values for conductivity (441.57 ± 107.13μhos/cm) and TDS (220.78 ± 53.56mg/l) were significantly higher for the borehole water samples (P<0.05), while the pH (7.27 ± 0.11) and nitrate (15.38 ± 1.29mg/l) values were significantly higher  during the rainy season (P<0.05). All the samples tested had their nitrate values less than the maximum level stipulated by both the NIS and WHO. Ninety-six percent of the samples had their pH and TDS within the recommended range (6.5-8.5 and 500mg/l  respectively). For the conductivity, the WHO standard differs from the NIS standard, and 60% met the WHO standard while 96% met the NIS standard.

Key words: Potable water, Physicochemical parameters, season, WHO, NIS