ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY TO DETERMINE ITS PORTABILITY

ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY TO DETERMINE ITS PORTABILITY

(A CASE STUDY OF F-LAYOUT DISTRICT MINNA, NIGER STATE).

ABSTRACT

Water is inevitable, safe water for drinking and others domestic usage is important as far as human health safety is concerned within the built environment. This thesis focus on water quality within the study area where ten sample was obtained. The samples is made up of five well samples, two reservoirs water sample fed by water board, two water vendors sample and one borehole sample. The samples were subjected to physicochemical and bacteriological analysis. Comparatively with the Nigeria Standard for Drinking Water Quality NSDWQ (2007) and World Health Organisation WHO (2011), the variation in well samples physicochemical properties is relatively high in terms of Magnesium Hardness in W3 (107.00 mg/l), Calcium Hardness in W2 (126.00 mg/l), W4 (198.00 mg/l) and W5 (140.00 mg/l), Turbidity in W1 (461.0 NTU) and to proceed to the Odour and Taste which found to be Objectionable in almost all the well samples except for W3 which found to be Un-objectionable, the Colour also found to be above the acceptable levels in most of the samples except for W5 all these indicators make well water samples physicochemical unfit. Most of the well samples gave high range of Total Coliform and E. Coli except for W3 sample. Reservoir water samples found to be physicochemical fit except for Turbidity and Colour in R2. Total coliform count in R2 shows higher values of contamination. Vendors’ water samples parameters found to be physicochemical fit in V2 while some parameters are relatively high in V1. The Bacteriological Properties of Water vendors sample has higher values count of contamination. The Borehole water sample is the only water sample in this study that is both physicochemical and bacteriological fit comparatively with the standards. This study therefore reveals that most of the hand dug wells in F-layout district Minna, Niger State, is not safe for consumption, Reservoir water fed by water board is safe for consumption in R1 whilst R2 need to be disinfectants of bacteriological contamination before it attained consumption acceptability, Water vendor samples also need to be disinfectant before consumption, borehole found within built environment of F-layout district is safe for consumption, although proper hygiene methods should be adopted to improve water quality.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Access to safe water is a fundamental need and basic human right (Edet et al., 2012). About 15 percent of the world population do not have access to portable water supply sources; whereas 34 percent of the world population also do not have access to any improved sanitation facility and about 2 million people die annually as a result of diarrhoeal diseases; most of them are within the age range of 5 years. The developing nations of the world are the most affected, living in abject poverty, normally the medium class occupant in the rural areas. Some of the factors responsible for this threat are: inadequate recognition of the sector, inadequate financial support and non availability of sustainable water supply with proper sanitary provision, inefficient hygienic condition, and improper sanitary provision in commercial areas like schools, clinic and hospitals. In the preparation for the provision of accessibility to adequate supply of potable water, the need for sanitary disposal facility, and encourage an hygienic culture which are of great importance to reducing the incessant occurrences of disease caused by these factors (World Health Organisation, 2013).

Globally Water is found to be the most excessive compound, covering about 70 percent of the earth’s surface. Naturally, the forms of water are in solid, liquid, and gases, the liquid and gaseous states makes a continuous change in the equilibrium at the standard pressure and temperature. Water in its good and natural condition is clear, tasteless, odourless liquid, and colourless with a hint of blue. Water is referred to as a universal solvent because of its highly capability of dissolving other solute. Due to these, naturally water is rarely found in pure states which make its properties vary from others pure substances. Otherwise, availability of many others solute essentially, if not completely dissolve in water (United Nation UN, 2005).
World Health Organisation estimates about 80% ill hearth occurrence in developing countries is caused by water and sanitation related. Pure uncontaminated water rarely exists in nature.

Water contaminants are foreign or natural substances that pollute water bodies. They may be physical and biological product or chemical substances which may vary from soluble to insoluble. The natural impurities contaminant are not basically hazardous while some could pose more dangerous to human health; these impurities could be inform of dissolved minerals, gases, suspended impurities such as sand, clay, silt and as well as microscopic organisms which exist within the atmosphere. The man made pollution could result from sewage, industrial chemicals, and agricultural pollutants, thermal and radioactive substances (Ukpebor, 2010).

Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality contains regulated permissible levels of water parameters and contaminants known to be dangerous to human health which give rise to complain from probable consumers. This directory contains a set of standard and procedures with good and effective practices to meet the required acceptable limits (Standard Organisation of Nigeria SON, 2007).

1.2 Statement of the Problem
Over the years the inaccessibility to safe water has been reported by both national and international organisations which can serve the daily standard of human needs and the quality level of little water found or utilized daily pose more challenges to the human health from various diseases such as typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera among consumers of the water. As effect of an economic trend in the country, there is lack of social amenities such as pipe borne water and borehole water; most especially in the localities. There is high dependence on traded water gotten from the nearest river, rain, dam and well water to sustain the daily drinking and domestic activities (WHO, 2004). There is therefore warrant for an assessment; to be checked the degree of water qualities of the available source open to the users at F-layout area of Minna.

1.3 Aim and Objectives
1.3.1 Aim
To determine the portability of the water quality use at F-layout in Minna; by checking the Physical, Bacteriological and Physicochemical properties of the water samples collected, to further compare results with National and International standards to ascertain adequacy and safety of water sources within the study area.

1.3.2 Objectives
I. Collection of samples of water from various sources by random sampling method.
II. Observation of the physical properties of the samples collected.
III. Laboratory analysis of both the physicochemical and bacteriological content of the samples collected.
IV. Comparison between the water indicators and the acceptable standard.
1.4 Justification
The degree of water contamination determines the rate at which each community is exposed to diseases and the occurrences of typhoid fever, infectious hepatitis bacillary dysentery, and other infections in many countries may be transmitted through water. Cholera is seen as a wide spread water carrier diseases in most part of the developing countries (Anwar et al., 2011).

Since all human needs water to survive; drinking and domestic usage of contaminated water can causes diseases such as body scratches, typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, and diarrhoea; the outbreak of this diseases often occurs as epidemics. There is therefore the need for monitoring the sound quality and maintaining the portability of water source and sustainability of those various sources to ascertain the water quality control measure that will sustain and prevent further contamination (SON, 2007).

The people of F-layout in Minna are not in exception to depend solely on good qualities of water for drinking and domestic choices in order to be free from all water related diseases and contaminant.

1.5 Scope and Limitation
1.5.1 Scope
The research work will focused on assessment of the physical, chemical biological quality of water source at F-layout area of Minna, Emphasis will be laid on various samples collected from different water source by checking the indicators of those water contaminant to determine its portability.

1.5.2 Limitation
The comprehensive research can only be conducted between the times constraints allow by university academic program; this pose more challenge to the researcher, the level of Equipment available also determine the standard of result to be produced, the funding challenges cannot also be over emphasis where the finance are much needed in carrying out some research for probable result.

1.6 Significant of Study
Sustainability of portable water is essential as development and health care at all levels is concerned. In various part of the world, research has shown that input of more resources to water supply and sanitation can constitute a larger economic value, since improve health care costs and health effects outweigh the interventions input cost. This is also achieving through water treatment in the neighbourhood by adequate investment of water supply infrastructure. Research has also confirmed that interventions in adequate sustainability to portable water in particular also favour the lower class in the society, whether in peri-urban areas, and can also be a strategic ways of alleviating poverty (WHO, 2004).

The significant health risk to infant indicate the drinking contaminated water from point of supply and point of collection with a considerable body of evidence; there several imaginable occurrence of transmission of diseases through the outcome of in-house water pollution; thereby it will be inessential not to safeguard or periodic access to drinking water from collection and consumption point (Andrew et al., 2005).

Periodic access to water qualities within the study area and others communities are essential as to guide its suitability for drinking and domestic usage, these can be achieved by checking various water contaminant indicator to know the level or condition of water available in the particular areas to ascertain the communities people; the state of their health and likely probable solution to their problem. The studies will shows the representation of the nature of qualities of water to be found in the study area for certain period of time before others advance research will be conducted; research will also serve as reference for future studies in a related works.

1.7 Definition of Terms

1. Bacteriology: It comprises the identification, classification and characterization of bacterial species (bacteriamuseum.org, 2008).

2. Chemical: Produced by or using processes which involve changes to atoms or molecules (oxford, 7th edition).

3. Contaminant: Substance that makes something (water) impure (oxford, 7th edition).

4. Epidemic: An out broken number of cases of particular diseases occur within a community at the same time (oxford, 7th edition).

5. Hazardous: Involving somebody’s health or safety especially when expose to risk or danger (oxford, 7th edition).

6. Indicator: An instrument used to provide specific information on the condition or state of something in particular (dictionary.com).

7. Non-pathogenic: Normal flora bacterial that do not cause disease. For example, non-pathogenic E. coli which live naturally in the large intestine (MedcineNet.com, 2012).

8. Pathogenic: These are bacteria causing diseases which are reveres to as pathogenic bacteria. Occurrence of diseases in humans, animal and also in plants can be caused by bacteria (bacteriamuseum.org, 2008).

9. Potable Water: Potable water or Drinking water consumed by humans is water safe enough to be used with low risk of immediate or long term harm (Wikipedia, 2013).

10. Water: A liquid with colourless, odourless or tasteless that fall as rain, found in lakes, rivers and seas, and also used for domestic purposes e.t.c (oxford, 7th edition).