Assessment of Water Quality of Shallow Wells from Rural Areas for both Domestic and Irrigation Uses

Abstract

This paper presents the assessment of water quality of shallow wells from rural areas for both domestic and irrigation uses. Twenty (20) shallow wells water samples were analyzed in both rainy season and dry season, for Physico-chemical parameters as pH meter, electric conductivity μs/cm, total hardness mg/l, total alkalinity mg/l, dissolved oxygen mg/l, chemical oxygen demand mg/l, with Bacteriological analysis which shows that all the water samples have traces of E.coli (cfu/ml), total coliform (cfu/100ml) and total bacterial count (cfu/ml) except in station (10) in the dry season which the total coliform does not exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) limit for drinking. The average water quality index (WQI) of 75.22 for rainy season and 57.83 in dry season indicates that the untreated well water from rural areas in Katcha local government of Niger state is of fair quality and however must be treated before use to avoid water-borne diseases. The results of this research recommend that the shallow wells water from the rural areas are not suitable for drinking in any season but can be used for irrigative uses and therefore appropriate measures should be taken before consumption.