Assessment of Sources of Groundwater and Points of Pollution in Suleimanti Area, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the
groundwater contamination sources and
hotspots in Maiduguri Metropolis' Suleimanti
neighbourhood. Suleimanti is considered a
slum area in Maiduguri and lacks garbage
disposal facilities and planned drainage
systems. Pit latrines are the main sanitary
waste disposal methods, and both solid and
liquid wastes are disposed of in an open area.
Residents in the study area have been keeping
track of cholera, dysentery, and other
waterborne illness outbreaks every year.
According to studies, the main supply of
drinking water in the area, which is where the
problem originated, is groundwater that is
inadequate or contaminated. The Nigerian
standard for drinking water advises checking
every borehole water; regardless of how deep
it is every six months. Therefore, In light of
these circumstances, this study was conducted
to examine how these activities affect shallow
groundwater. Finding the groundwater
sources and causes of pollution in the
research area was one of the study's specific
goals. Measurement, field observation, GPS
for the spatial location of groundwater
sources, a water depth meter for the depth to
the sources of groundwater, and measuring
tape for the distance from the point source of
pollution to the groundwater sources collected
principally are the methods utilized for the
study. The connections between depths and
proximity to point sources of pollution were
discovered using SPSS software. The
research's key result was that pit latrines,
soakaways, and garbage dumps are the main
sources of contamination. Pit latrines,
soakaways, and open trash dumps are
common in the region. Because of this, the
groundwater is quite vulnerable to
contamination from various sources. This is
due to the high Coliform levels discovered in
53% of the water. The following
recommendations were made in light of the
findings: To lessen the risk of polluting
groundwater sources, boreholes should be
placed at a safe distance of at least 30 meters
from sewage, latrines, and waste dump sites.
This is because the majority of groundwater
sources are situated close to places of
contamination.