Assessment of drinking water quality in Akunakope and Dzogbedzi communities of Shai Osudoku district of Greater Accra region
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Date
NOVEMBER, 2018
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Abstract
Lack of potable drinking water and basic sanitation system is a severe concern in
Ghana, and as a result households without access to potable water are forced to use less
reliable and less hygienic water sources contributing to most water related diseases.
Investigations were conducted to assess the drinking water quality of boreholes and
surface water in the Akunakope and Dzogbedzi communities of the Shai Osudoku
District of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. The geographical locations of the
boreholes and the surface water were determined using global positioning satellite
(GPS). Water quality analyses of some physic - chemical and bacteriological
parameters were carried out on the water samples. The social survey revealed that 83%
of the respondents perceived their water sources for drinking as poor and attributed
farming along the banks of the water body, indiscriminate dumping of waste in and
around the water body and bathing/washing in the water body as the major contributing
causes.Turbidity, colour, EC, TDS, TSS, total alkalinity, total hardness, bicarbonates,
nitrates, chlorides, sulphate, fluoride, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium and total
iron values for the surface water samples were significantly higher as compared to
those in the boreholes. However, with the exception of EC, temperature, chloride and
turbidity whose levels in both surface water and borehole far exceeded the WHO
guideline values for drinking water, all other physico-chemical parameters were within
the WHO recommended limits. No total coliform or faecal coliform counts were
detected from the borehole water samples during the entire study period. The surface
water, however recorded total coliform counts which ranged from 630±20.8 –
1115±73.5cfu/100ml and faecal coliform (120±54.2 -292.5±10.5cfu/100ml) which far
exceeded the WHO recommended limit.This study therefore accentuates the need to
treat the water sources before drinking or using for domestic purpose because of the
high microbial counts.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Science,
Keywords
Drinking water, Akunakope, Dzogbedzi