Assessment of Water Quality Index of Borehole and Well Water in Wukari Town, Taraba State, Nigeria

Abstract

Water samples collected from boreholes and hand dug wells located in two wards in Wukari town were assessedfor some physico-chemical parameters on collection and after one week of storage using standard analyticalmethods. Furthermore the quality indices were determined for the water samples on collection and after oneweek of storage. The parameters determined include temperature, turbidity, suspended solids, total dissolvedsolids, conductivity, pH, nitrate –nitrogen, phosphates, chlorides, alkalinity, COD and DO. The result showedthat some parameters like turbidity, conductivity and suspended solids exhibited a marked drop in valuefollowing their storage for one week in both borehole and hand dug well water samples. Mean values ofparameters like nitrate-nitrogen, phosphates and chlorides did not exhibit marked drop in concentration values inboth water sources. Turbidity and suspended solid values in the well water samples was more than that ofborehole waters however the mean conductivity values in borehole water is more than in well water. Water fromboth sources was found to exhibit hardness on collection and after one week of storage. The quality indices inborehole and well water on collection were found to be 26 and 136 respectively. After one week of storage thequality indices were determined and the values were found to be 15 and 89 respectively indicating improvementin the water quality after storage for one week. Borehole water in Wukari was found to possess better quality fordrinking than well water. The study provides baseline information on the quality of borehole and hand dug wellwaters in Wukari Town. In addition, the hardness of the water sources may be an indication of the presence ofunderlying minerals in the ground.

Keywords: Borehole, hand dug well, storage,water quality index