Bacteriological and Physico-Chemical Characteristics of different Water Sources in Bida Town, Niger State

Abstract

The concern for quality of water supply all over the world most especially in developing countries has been on the increase after the Second World War. This concern is also important in ancient city like Bida, where brass, glass and blacksmith work is popular industry next to agriculture in the area. The need to characterize the water quality in Bida town with respect to the aforementioned activities on groundwater leads to the present study. A total of 16 water samples were collected from different sources and relevant physic-chemical and bacteriological variables were analyzed. The study revealed that the concentrations of most physical and chemical parameters are within the maximum permissible limits for drinking water recommended by the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS, 2007) and World Health Organization (WHO, 2006). However in location 9, Dokodza areas where blacksmith and brass work are carried out; the value of Fe2+ was found to be high when compared with NIS (2007) and WHO (2006). The local geology of the area and the dominant human activities in the area might be responsible for the high Fe2+ in the area. At location 14, Cr6+ has value higher than the recommended value by the NIS (2007) and WHO (2006). Hand-dug well at location 3 and boreholes at locations 12 and 13 show high E.coli and total coliform content as compared with NIS (2007) and WHO (2006). This suggests an indication of faecal contamination via animal or human means. Then water in the areas of Calciyum-Bicarbonate water type.