Physico-Chemical Analysis of Well Water from Wells Sited Close to On-Site Sanitation Systems – A Case Study in the Mfantseman West District of the Central Region
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Date
2011-06-28
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Abstract
Many communities in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region of Ghana are increasingly dependent on hand dug wells. The aim of this study was to examine the drinking water suitability of 10 wells in the Saltpond-Ankaful-Kormantse communities in the Mfantseman municipality between June 2008 and December 2009. Total coliforms were enumerated using the standard most probable number method and membrane filtration methods. A sanitation survey was undertaken to ascertain the conditions of the wells. Also the physico-chemical properties of the water were assessed.
Overall, significantly higher bacterial counts were recorded during the wet (rainy) season compared to the dry season. A brief sanitation survey at each site indicated that the wells were frequently cited near latrines, refuse tips, as well as in the vicinity of domestic or grazing animals. In the Saltpond, Ankaful and Kormantse communities of the Central Region, the water from shallow wells upon which the local communities depend is of poor quality. This is because all the wells sampled failed to meet the zero coliform per 100 ml set by WHO (World Health Organization). The physico-chemical properties of many of the wells varied with the seasons. For instance, five of the wells indicated high nitrate levels for the dry season, and low for the wet. One well had a mean nitrate value of about 0.1 mg/l in the dry season but 0.02 in the wet season. This means for that well, the nitrate level in the wet season increased about 80% during the dry season.
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A Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science, May-2011