Natural Radioactivity in Borehole Water of Some Wards in Minna, Niger State

Abstract

28 samples of borehole water used for drinking and domestic purposes were sampled from three wards namely Bosso ward (A), Maikukele ward (B), and Maitunbi ward (C) in Minna city, Niger State. The water sample were analyzed in the Center for Energy Research Training CERT, Amadu Bello University Zaria for their natural radioactivity content using the Eurisis system-eight-channel-gas-filled proportionalcounter. The results obtained show that none of the samples from the three wards has gross alpha activity higher than the recommended guidelines by World Health Organization (WHO). The beta activity of two samples from ward B and four from ward C, however shows a little elevation above the recommended screening level for portable water. The elevation notwithstanding, however, the overall results generally show that water from boreholes in the three wards is safe for drinking and other domestic purposes.