Variations in Water Supply and Quality in Selected Groundwater Sources in a Part of Southwest Nigeria

Authors: Samuel Olajide Babawale, O. O. Ogunkoya

Abstract:

The study mapped selected wells in Inisa town, Osun state, in the guinea savanna region of southwest Nigeria, and determined the water quality considering certain elements. It also assessed the variation in the elevation of the water table surface to depth of the wells in the months of August and November. This is with a view to determine the level of contamination of the water with respect to land use and anthropogenic activities, and also to determine the variation that occurs in the quantity of well water in the rainy season and the start of the dry season. Results show a random pattern of the distribution of the mapped wells and shows that there is a shallow water table in the study area. The temporal changes in the elevation show that there are no significant variations in the depth of the water table surface over the period of study implying that there is a sufficient amount of water available to the town all year round. It also shows a high concentration of sodium in the water sample analyzed compared to other elements that were considered, which include iron, copper, calcium, and lead. This is attributed majorly to anthropogenic activities through the disposal of waste in landfill sites. There is a low concentration of lead which is a good indication of a reduced level of pollution.

Keywords: Water quality, temporal changes, elevation, water table surface, land use, anthropogenic activities.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2363284

References:

[1] Adamu G. K, Rabi’u Tukur, Aliyu Ibrahim Kankara (2013). Ground Water Quality Assessment in the Basement Complex Areas of Kano State Nigeria. Department of Geography and Regional Planning Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State. Nigeria.
[2] Aghazadeh N, Mogaddam A. A (2010). Assessment of Groundwater Quality and its Suitability for Drinking and Agricultural Uses in the Oshnavieh Area, Northwest of Iran. J Environ Prot 1:30–40.
[3] A. O. Talabi, A. K. Ogundana (2014). Preliminary Quality and Potential Assessment of Groundwater in the Basement Complex Terrain of Ijero-Ekiti, Southwestern Nigeria. International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology. Vol. 3. Issue 8.
[4] Amadi, A. N., (2010). Effects of urbanization on groundwater quality: A case study of Port Harcourt, Southern Nigeria. Natur. Appl. Sci. J., ISSN: 1119-9296; www.naasjournal-ng.org., 11 (2): 143-152.
[5] Amadi, A. N., Olasehinde, P. I., Yisa, J., Okosun, E. A., Nwankwoala, H. O. and Alkali, Y. B. (2012). Geostatistical Assessment of Groundwater Quality from Coastal Aquifers of Eastern Niger Delta, Nigeria. Geosciences, 2 (3); 51-59.
[6] Amadi, A. N., Olasehinde, P. I., Dan-Hassan, M. A, Okoye, N. O. and Ezeagu, G. G., (2014). Hydrochemical Facies Classification and Groundwater Quality Studies in Eastern Niger Delta, Nigeria.
[7] Kulkarni P. S., Malik M. A. and Masoom S. M. (2014). Groundwater Quality of Pravara Sub Basin, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India.
[8] Muhammad M. Alhassan and Fanan Ujoh. (2012). Assessment of the Chemical Quality of Potable Water Sources in Abuja, Nigeria. British Journal of Applied Science & Technology 2(2): 146-172, 2012
[9] Ravikumar, P. and Somashekar, R. K (2011). A Geochemical Assessment of Coastal Groundwater quality in the Varahi River Basin, Udupi District, Karnataka State, India. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, June 2011.
[10] Tiwari, R. N., Shankar Mishra and Prabhat Pandey. (2013). Study of Major and Trace Elements in Groundwater of Birsinghpur Area, Satna District Madhya Pradesh, India. International Journal of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering.
[11] Water For Health: WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality (2010).