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2015 | Vol. 1 | Issue 1 | Pg. 9 - 13

Ewemen Journal of Analytical & Environmental Chemistry

Available online at http://ewemen.com/category/ejaec/

Full Length Research

DETERMINATION OF THE WATER QUALITY OF SOME SELECTED RIVERS WITHIN THE MIDDLE BELT REGION OF NIGERIA

*Ogah, E.; Odoh, R; Ugwuja, D.I.; Ushie, O.A.; Longbap, B.D.

Department of Chemical Science, Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Received 30 September, 2015 Revised on the 6 October, 2015 Accepted 12 October, 2015 *Corresponding Author’s Email: uhinyohe@gmail.com

Groundwater exploitation for rural water supply without adequate understanding of its chemistry and changes that may be induced by contiguous physical processes and anthropogenic activities may be counter-productive. Chloride, turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solid (TDS), electrical conductivity, pH, hardness, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and phosphates were determined during the wet season. Electrical conductivity, Turbidity, TDS, TSS and pH were found to be between 50.4-76.0 µScm-1, 12.0-90.0 mgL-1, 19.0-35.0 mgL-1, 6.0-96.0 mgL-

1, and 7.2-7.7, respectively. The lowest value of total hardness recorded was 40 mgL-1 CaCO3 and the highest was 80.0 mgL-1 CaCO3. DO, BOD and COD were found to range between 5.2-6.0 mgL-1, 59-72 mgL-1 and 118.0-144.0 mgL-1 respectively. Similarly, 1.7-2.1 mgL-1 were recorded for PO43-. The WQI (12.51) for the various rivers investigated revealed that the water was of poor quality for drinking purpose. Key words: Water quality, freshwater, Middle belt region, Nigeria, pollution, BOD, COD, TDS

INTRODUCTION

Many rivers and streams in the developing countries are heavily polluted due to anthropogenic activities such as industrial and sewage discharges (Jonnalagadda et al., 1991; Mathuthu et al., 1993; Jonnalagadda and Nenzou, 1996). The contamination of freshwater with a wide range of pollutants has become a matter of great concern over the last few decades, not only because of the threats to public water supplies but also the damage caused to the aquatic life (Canli et al., 1998). Benue State like quite a number of states in Nigeria is

faced with increasing pressure on water resources, and the widespread long-lasting water shortages in many areas are as a result of rising demand, unequal distribution and increasing pollution of existing water supply. The by-product of agricultural activities, urbanization and industrialization result in pollution and degradation of the available water resource (Waziri et al., 2009). It is important to analyze water to determine its suitability for drinking, domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses. Several works on water quality have focused on the physicochemical characteristics of waters, but it is also important in

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water quality studies to know the amount of organic matter present in the system and the quantity of oxygen required for stabilization of the water. The impact of organic pollutants on water quality in this work was expressed in terms of the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), chloride (Cl-), pH, alkalinity, electrical conductivity (EC) and phosphate (PO43-). TDS are used to define the organic content of the water. (Izonfuo and Bareweni, 2001; Waziri et al., 2008; 2009).

Scope of study

The study covered two locations in six states of the North Central Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria, which include Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nassarawa, Niger and Plateau. Analyses were carried out during the rainy (wet) season between August and September, 2011.

Figure 1: Map of North Central Nigeria Showing the Major

and Minor Rivers. (Source: Longman School Atlas, 2003.)

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Materials

Instruments used include spectrophotometer (DR/2000) by HACH Company, TDS kit model 50150 made by HACH, pH meter model HI 8014 by HANNA Company. The instruments were calibrated before use. All reagent used were of analytical grade and instrument specified. Sample collection:

Water samples were collected in pre-cleaned plastic containers from 12 sampling locations each during the wet or rainy season across areas where human, animal and agricultural activities were high and coded appropriately (Table 1). Quality analysis

The samples were analyzed for quality parameters including COD, BOD, DO, alkalinity, total hardness (TH), phosphate, TSS, TDS, pH and electrical conductivity using standard analytical techniques (Sawyer et al., 1994; Ademoroti, 1996; Radojevic and Bashkin, 1999). Briefly, the COD was determined by titration with (0.25M) ferrous sulphate using 1:10 phenanthroline. A blue green colour changes to reddish blue mark the end point. A reagent blank was run simultaneously in similar manner. Turbidity, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand, and phosphate were determined using direct reading spectrophotometer (DR/2000) by HACH Company. Total dissolved solid and conductivity were determined using TDS kit model 50150 by HACH. The pH of sample was determined using a pH meter model HI 8014 by HANNA Company. Water hardness was determined using Hardness EDTA titration. Biochemical oxygen demand was determined using the mathematical expression.

Where DO1 = dissolved oxygen before incubation, DO5 = dissolved oxygen after incubation for five days, and Df = dilution factor.

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Table 1: Sample codes and sample locations

Sample States

Sample Locations Sample Codes

Intra-State Sampling

Distance (km)

Benue Wadata A 7

Wurukum B Kogi Confluence Hotel C 10

Lokoja Town D

Kwara Jebba E 15

Jebba Bridge F

Nasarawa Yelwa G 45

Gudi H

Niger Shiroro I 120

Kainji J Plateau Kalong K 20

Shendam Town L

Data analysis

Statistical analysis of the data was carried using SPSS statistical package. Water quality assessment using water quality indices (WQI)

In total, the quality of the water of North Central Nigeria Rivers was assessed based on the prescribed format of Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment (CCME, 2005 & 2007). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The results of water quality parameters from the various rivers are presented in Tables 2 while the graphical representation is in Figures 2. EC: The electrical conductivity ranged from 50.4 µScm-1 (F) to 76.0 µScm-1 (J). These conductivity values are within the European Commission (EC, 1993) excellent to permissible limit of <2000 µScm-1 and SON limit of 1000 µScm-1 in drinking water (Venkateswarlu, 1996; SON, 2007). DO: The minimum and maximum DO values were 5.2 mgL-1 (rivers F & L) and 6.0 mgL-1 (G & I), respectively. BOD: BOD tests only measures biodegradable fraction of the total potential DO consumption of a water sample, while COD tests measures the oxygen demand created by toxic organic and inorganic compounds as

well as by biodegradable substances (Sawyer et al., 1994). Elevated BOD levels implies decrease in DO as the oxygen that is available in the water is being used by the bacteria resulting in the inability of fish and other aquatic organisms to survive in the river. From Table 2, it could be seen that the range of BOD was 59 to 72 mgL-1 for samples from locations I and K, respectively. The values obtained were all higher than the recommended WHO limit of 4 mgL-1 for drinking water (Venkateswarlu, 1996).

COD: The maximum value of COD was 144 mgL-1 (K) while the minimum value was 118 mgL-1 (I). The COD values were above the WHO guideline limit of 10-20 mgL-1 in drinking water (WHO, 2004).

Total Hardness: From Table 2, it can be seen that the range of total hardness was 40 mg/L (E) - 80 mgL-1 (A, C, J, L). The values fell within the WHO recommended limits of 30 - 200 mgL-1 and SON limit of ≤ 150 mgL-1

in drinking water (WHO, 2004; SON, 2007).

Alkalinity: Alkalinity values during the wet season were between 10.0 and 14.2 mgL-1 (J and E, respectively), and were less than WHO limits of 30 – 200 mgL-1.

PO43-: The concentration of PO43- during the wet season was 1.5 mgL-1 to 2.0 mgL-1 (H and C, respectively). The values were above the guideline value of 0.03 mgL-1 by WHO although within tolerable level of 5.0 mgL-1 set by FEPA and SON (FEPA, 1991; SON, 2007). Cl-: The maximum concentration of Cl- was 54.7 mgL-1 (F) while the minimum value was 42.8 mgL-1 (G). From the result it can be seen that the Cl- values for all the rivers were less than the WHO permissible Cl- limits of 250 mgL-1 (WHO, 2004; USEPA, 2011) in drinking water. pH: The pH range was 7.2 (B, L)-7.7 (J). These pH values fall within the WHO permissible limit of 6.5-8.5 for drinking water (WHO, 2004).

Turbidity: The turbidity value ranged between 12.0 NTU (K) to 90 NTU (F). The turbidity values measured were higher than the WHO guideline value of 5 NTU (WHO, 2004). TDS: The TDS range during the wet season was 19 mgL-1 (D) to 35 mgL-1 (B). The values were within the

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WHO guideline value of ≤500 mgL-1 for drinking water (FME, 2001; NAFDAC, 2001; WHO, 2004, USEPA, 2011). TSS: The maximum and minimum TSS values were 96 mgL-1 (L) and 6.0 mgL-1 (G), respectively. Thus, some sample locations (E, F, H, L) presented values that were greater than the 30 mgL-1 guideline value set by FEPA (1991).

Statistical analysis

Analysis of variance ANOVA at each season at p<0.05 indicates significant difference in the result of physicochemical parameters between different parameters, while within a physicochemical parameter, there is no significant difference between results at p<0.05. Post Hoc analysis on results between different physicochemical parameters shows that there is no significant difference in the results.

Table 2: Water quality parameters for wet season

Parameters A B C D E F G H I J K L EC (µScm-1) 74.8 75.7 71.0 63.0 65.0 50.4 59.0 57.0 72.0 76.0 61.0 65.1 DO (mgL-1) 5.6 5.6 5.7 5.4 5.6 5.2 6.0 5.2 6.0 5.6 5.5 5.2 BOD (mgL-1) 67 70 66 61 64 65 63 60 59 62 72 70 COD (mgL-1) 134 140 132 122 128 130 126 120 118 124 144 140 TH (mgL-1) 80 60 80 60 40 60 60 60 60 80 60 80 Alkalinity (mgL-1) 10.2 12.4 10.8 11.6 14.2 10.6 12.0 14.0 12.0 10.0 11.8 10.6 PO43- (mgL-1) 1.8 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.9 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.8 Cl- (mgL-1) 45.5 44.5 45.0 45.3 43.8 54.7 42.8 44.8 44.5 43.5 45.8 45.3 pH 7.5 7.2 7.5 7.4 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.4 7.6 7.7 7.4 7.2 Turbidity (NTU) 39 41.0 24.0 86.0 41.0 90.0 22.0 27.0 42.0 21.0 12.0 29.0 TDS (mgL-1) 34.0 35.0 33.0 19.0 21.0 23.0 24.0 28.0 29.0 26.0 22.0 30.0 TSS (mgL-1) 23.0 20.0 18.0 30.0 75.0 81.0 6.0 74.0 8.0 19.0 20.0 96.0 EC =Electric conductivity, OD = Dissolved oxygen, BOD = Biological oxygen demand; COD = Chemical oxygen demand, TH = Total hardness, TDS = Total dissolved solid, TSS = Total suspended solid, STD = WHO limit

Figure 2: Water quality parameter of the various river samples

CONCLUSION

The WQI value calculated for the ten indicator parameters used in the water quality assessment viz: pH, BOD, DO, COD, Alkalinity, Total hardness, phosphate, TSS, TDS, and electrical conductivity was 12.50 which corresponds to water of poor quality for

drinking purpose. A good water quality would have a quality index of >80 (CCME, 2007). Hence water from the rivers under study need to be treated before it could be fit for drinking or domestic use.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The Staff of the Chemistry Laboratory at the Greater Makurdi Water Works, Benue State, Nigeria are highly

appreciated for their assistance in the determination of water quality parameters.

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Article’s Citation: Ogah E, Odoh R, Ugwuja DI, Ushie OA, Longbap BD (2015). Determination of the water quality of some selected rivers within the middle belt region of Nigeria. Ew J Anal & Environ Chem 1(1): 9-13.