Analysis of Physicochemical and Bacteriological Characteristics of Groundwater Quality in Suleimanti Area, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze the
physicochemical and bacteriological
characteristics of groundwater quality in the
Suleimanti area of Maiduguri Metropolis.
Suleimanti area is characterized as a slum
area in Maiduguri and has no planned
drainages and waste disposal facilities. Solid
and liquid wastes are disposed in an open
space and pit latrines are the major means of
sanitary waste disposal. The inhabitants of
the research area have been recording yearly
outbreaks of Cholera, dysentery, and other
forms of waterborne diseases. Studies
conducted revealed that it has been attributed
to intake of poor or contaminated
groundwater in the area which is the major
source of drinking water. The Nigerian
standard for drinking water recommends that
water from borehole sources whether deep or
shallow should be checked every six months.
Therefore, it is against this background that
this research was carried out to investigate
the effects of these activities on the shallow
groundwater as well as its implication on the
health of the populace of the study area. The
specific objectives of this study were to
analyze the physical, chemical, and bacterial
characteristics of groundwater in the study
area; The methods used for the study
included a portable Cumbo meter was used to
analyse the physical elements pH, EC,
temperature, and TDS. A spectrophotometer
was used for the elements manganese, copper,
chromium, sulphate, nitrate, and phosphate
while chloride was analyzed using the
titrimetric method. The major finding of the
research was that 53% of the water was
found to have high Coliform counts. This
makes the groundwater highly susceptible to
pollution. Laboratory analysis revealed that
all the physical parameters analyzed are
within the permissible limit except pH and
turbidity. pH was found to be above the set
standard in four sources and turbidity in ten
sources. Also, the laboratory analysis revealed
that anions are found to be within the
permissible limits. Nitrate was found to have
exceeded the safe limit in three sources.
Furthermore, the result of the cations analysis
revealed that the water sources have
relatively low cations except for Manganese
and Copper which are found to have exceeded
the safe limits in five sources. This is an
indication of pollution as the ones identified
by this work. Based on the findings, the
following recommendations were made:
Chlorination of the water source should be
adopted to reduce the risk of ingesting
microbial contaminants.