Journal: Environmental Contaminants Reviews (ECR)
Author:Kingsley Kwaah Tandoh, Shine Francis Gbedemah*

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Doi:10.26480/ecr.02.2024.79.84

ABSTRACT

This paper assesses the main sources and physicochemical and microbial properties in drinking water samples from hand-dug wells in peri-urban areas of Koforidua, the Eastern regional capital of Ghana. A social survey was used to gather data on water sources being used in five locations of the city. In addition, the quality of the hand-dug wells was assessed. The physicochemical parameters assessed are pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, alkalinity and total hardness. Metals and anions analysed were Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, NO3–, NO2–, SO42-, PO42-, F– and Cl. Total coliform, faecal coliform, Escherichia coli and total heterotrophic bacteria were also assessed. Also, a checklist of observation of ten water sources were assessed to determine the routes of exposure to the wells. The findings show that hand-dug wells, pipe-borne water and sachet water are the main sources of water for domestic use. Findings on physicochemical parameters of the samples are: pH, 6.36-7.17; conductivity (EC), 197-1040 μS/cm; PO43-, 0.022-0.191 mg/L; NO3–, 0-0.1.38 mg/L; NO2–, 0-0.323 mg/L; SO42-, 1.0-59.6 mg/L; Fe, 0.020-0.080 mg/L; Mn, 0.044-0.145 mg/L. These are at normal levels, however, total coliform, faecal coliform, escherichia coli and total heterotrophic bacteria values are all above recommended standards. It is concluded that water from the hand-dug wells is unhealthy for human consumption therefore not sustainable. There is a need for the municipal authorities to embark on aggressive testing of water points. Also, simple water testing technologies should be employed to test the water points in the municipality.

KEYWORDS
Koforidua, physiochemical analysis, microbial analysis, hand-dug wells, water points, contaminant sources