EFFECT OF GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION IN NIGERIA(IMPACT OF SEPTIC TANKS DISTANCES TO WELLS)
ABSTRACT
Water is essential for growing food., for household water uses including drinking, cooling, sanitation., as a critical input into industry, for tourism and cultural purposes., and for its role in sustaining the earth’s ecosystem (Mark et al., 2002). In addition to water value for direct human consumption, it is integrally linked to the provision and quality of ecosystems service. Domestic water is used for drinking, cooking, bathing and cleaning, However, access to safe drinking and sanitation is critical in terms of health especially for children. For instance, unsafe drinking water contributed to numerous health problems in developing countries such as the one billion or more incidents of diarrhea that occur annually (Mark et al., 2002)
In Nigeria, inadequate supply of pipe borne water is a major concern; hence many homes have wells as a source of water for household uses. The groundwater of forty wells in Agbowo community was assessed for Total Aerobic Bacteria Counts (TABC) and Total Coliform Counts (TCC). The location and distances of wells from septic tanks were determine using the Global Positioning System (GPS) device and a tape rule respectively. All the wells sampled had high TABC(4.76±1.41 log CFU/mL) and TCC (2.29±0.67 log CFU/mL) counts which exceeded the international standard of 0 per100 mL of potable water. There were no significant differences in the bacterial counts between covered and uncovered wells (p >0.05). The mean distance (8.93±3.61m) of wells from the septic tanks was below the limit (15.24 m or 50 ft) set by United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). TABC increased with a decrease in distance between the wells and septic tanks though not significant (p <0.05)A very weak positive correlation (r2=0.021)ensued between the distance from septic tank and CC, while a weak negative correlation (r2=‒0.261) was obtained between the TCC and TABC. This study accentuates the need to set standards for the siting of wells from septic tanks while considering all possible sources of well contamination as well as treatment of ground water before use.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover Page – – – – – – – – – –
Title Page – – – – – – – – – –
Certification – – – – – – – – – –
Dedication – – – – – – – – – –
Acknowledgement – – – – – – – – –
Abstract – – – – – – – – – –
Table of Content – – – – – – – – –
Chapter One: Introduction
Background of the Study – – – – – –
Statement of the Problem – – – – – –
Objectives of the Study – – – – – – –
Research Questions – – – – – – –
Research Hypotheses – – – – – – –
Significance of the Study – – – – – – –
Scope/ Limitation of the Study – – – – – –
Definition of Terms – – – – – – –
Chapter Two: Review of Related Literature
2.1 Introduction – – – – – – – – –
2.2 Conceptual Framework – – – – – – –
2.3 Theoretical Framework – – – – – – –
2.4 Empirical Review – – – – – – – –
Chapter Three: Research Methodology
3.3 Area of the Study – – – – – – – –
Chapter Four: Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data
4.1 Presentation and Analysis of Data – – – – –
4.2 Discussion
Chapter Five: Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations
5.1 Conclusion – – – – – – – – –
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study – – – – – –
Groundwater from shallow and deep (borehole) wells has become the major source of potable water in most semi-urban and rural areas of Nigeria. This is especially so because, aside its assumed low susceptibility to pollution the method is a readily available and reliable but cheap source of domestic water supply. For instance, Eduvie (1995) stated that groundwater is usually preferred to surface water because it is available in most areas, potable without treatment and of low cost technologies. As a result of the foregoing, governments and individuals in Nigeria have explored groundwater in forms of shallow and deep wells for the supply of potable water. The use of the method became more pronounced especially during the last fifteen years in a way to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of potable water supply target in the [6]. However, there is spatial variation of groundwater quality based on the type of geological formation in an area, exposure to pollution sources and method of abstraction amongst other factors [7, 8]. Consequently, there is the need for the assessment of the quality of groundwater at local scales in the country for safety purpose. The quality of groundwater is a measure of its wholesomeness. This means that such water should not contain any physicochemical and microbial substances in amounts that are harmful when consumed by man. Thus any source of water for human consumption must conform to the quality control guidelines set by both international and national agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS), respectively. This is necessary to avoid the negative health implications of the consumption of such water [9-11]. Studies have shown that many health challenges such as mortality, morbidity and poverty are consequences of consumption of water from unwholesome sources [12-14]. In addition, about 80% of the diseases causing deaths in developing countries are contracted through the consumption of polluted water [15]. Naturally, groundwater is usually of high quality, but as a result of urbanization, indiscriminate siting of septic tanks and pit latrines, refuse dumps and mining activities, the quality of many ground water resources has been degraded [16]. For this reason, there is the need to continuously assess the quality of water from this source, especially in areas where people depend solely on it.
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EFFECT OF GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION IN NIGERIA(IMPACT OF SEPTIC TANKS DISTANCES TO WELLS)
