Emergency Approach: Cleaning and Rehabilitation of Hand- Dug Well in Civil Engineering Department, Federal Polytechnic Ede, Nigeria

Abstract

Water is one of the basic necessities of life and good drinking water is of paramount importance to health. This work was carried out as an emergency approach in cleaning and rehabilitating a hand dug well in Civil engineering department of The Federal Polytechnic Ede in order to ameliorate WASH operation during the COVID 19 pandemic. Also returning the hand dug well to its former condition before the man-made disaster. Four step approach was used which includes, Inventory of the existing well; Rehabilitation and cleaning of the well; Disinfection of the well and lastly, Dewater the well. The water quality parameters examined on the field were PH ( using a pocket size PH meter) and Turbidity ( using locally available materials like a clean oil drum with minimum depth of 50cm, a bucket, a copper coin with diameter of 2.5cm and a steel tape measure for estimation of a reasonable NTU ). However, other physico-chemical analysis were done under laboratory conditions to determine whether/ not the water sample conformed to the global (WHO) and (SON) standards requirement for potable (safe drinking) water. Consequent upon test, it was observed that the water sample showed conformity to the standards requirements with respect to the PH value and Turbidity both for field test and laboratory analysis. The PH for the field test is 7.2 while the Turbidity is less than 5NTU. In respect to the laboratory analysis, the PH, Turbidity, Colour, Temperature, Chlorine residual, Total hardness, Alkalinity, Chloride, Calcium ions, Total dissolved solids, Nitrate, Nitrite, Sulphate, Iron, Zinc, Nickel all conformed to the standards requirements. All the physico-chemical parameters gave a wholesome and reasonable permissible limit making the water good and acceptable for the emergency usage. Also the hand dug well was returned to its former condition. The institution and the department should support further measures for permanent rehabilitation of the hand dug well making it fit for consumption thereby facilitating more operation of WASH.

Keynote: Hand-dug well, Rehabilitation, Cleaning, WASH.

DOI: 10.7176/JEES/12-5-02

Publication date:May 31^st 2022