EFFECT OF OPEN WASTE DISPOSAL ON THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL QUALITY OF GROUNDWATER IN SABON GARI AREA OF KANO STATE- NIGERIA

Abstract

Water is one of the most essential resources that define the socio-economic wellbeing of man. Despite the abundance of water, access to safe drinking water is still a challenge to water resource managers due to increasing human activities which lead to water pollution. Open disposal of wastes in urban areas has potential forcreating serious ecological, environmental and health problems around the globe. In Nigeria, the effects could lead to pollution of groundwater due to leachates, which could affect the well-being of the populace. This paper is aimed at assessing thephysico-chemical quality of groundwater within SabonGari area of Kano State-Nigeria, with a view to establish correlation between leachates from the waste dumpsites at various locations in relation to the positions of the open wells and boreholes within the study area. Leachates and sewage as well as open wells and boreholessamples were collected and assessed using standard laboratory methods. Reconnaissance survey was conducted to assess the closeness of groundwater to possible sources of pollution.A total of ninety (90) samples were obtained to examine their physical and chemical parameters using gravimetric, titrimetric, colorimetric and atomic absorption spectrophotometer in accordance with APHA procedures were employed.The study established an average distance of the waste dumps to water sources of 10 meters within the study area. Further findings revealedthat water from boreholes and wells in the study area have temperature within the ambient range of 28.8⁰C,with unobjectionable taste, odourless, and have low mean values (3.2 Hazen) for colour, electrical conductivityand other physico-chemical parameters.. Mean values ranging from (630 – 2410 mg/L) for total dissolved solids were recorded for wells and boreholes. High mean levels of heavy metals such as chromium (ranging from 1.5 mg/L to 4.0 mg/L for well and borehole samples respectively), lead (ranging from 0.5 mg/L to 4.9 mg/L for well and borehole samples respectively) and cadmium (ranging from 1.0 mg/L to 2.8 mg/L for well and borehole samples respectively) were obtained. High level of hardness (ranging from 356.0mg/L to 612.3mg/L for well and borehole samples) was also recorded as opposed to WHO limit of 500mg/L. Theseare indicative of pollution of the groundwater resulting largely from the proximity of the groundwater sources to waste dumps within the study area.