NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY IN BOREHOLE WATER OF SOME WARDS IN MINNA, NIGER STATE

Abstract

28 samples o~ borehole water used for drinking and domestic purposes were sampled from three wards namely Bosso ward (A), Matkunkele ward (B), and Maitumbi ward (C) in Minna city, Niger State. The water samples were analyzed at the Center for Energy Research and Training, CERT, Ahmadu Beilo University Zaria, for their natural radioactivity content, using the Eurisis system-eight-:-channel-gas-filled proportional counter. The results obtained show that none of the samples from the three wards has gross alpha activity higher than the recommended guidelines by World Health Organization (WHO). The beta activity of two samples from ward B and four from ward C, however, shows a little elevation above the recommended screening level for potable water. The elevations notwithstanding, however, the overall results generally show that water from boreholes in the three wards is safe for drinking and other domestic purposes.