RURAL GROUNDWATER ASSESSMENT USING WQ INDEX: A CASE STUDY OF BOSSO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Due to the ever increasing need for water and food security, there is need for continuous assessment of water bodies in order to preserve the existing water resources and prevent further degradation. As such, it is of great importance to see that the water required for human need is made potable. This paper assessed the level of potability of groundwater in rural communities of Bosso LGA of Niger State, Nigeria. To achieve this aim, physicochemical analysis was carried out on thirty water samples from fifteen different locations(fifteenwater samples from boreholes and fifteen water samples from shallow wells). The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI) was applied on the analysed results of the parameters to obtain a single value that was used to rank the groundwater of the sampling stations. The results showed that 53%, 40% and 7% of water from the boreholes can be ranked as good, fair and marginal respectively while, 7%, 60% and 33% of water from the shallow wells can be ranked as good, fair and marginal respectively. The implication of this is that the groundwater in the area is good and fair for drinking purpose though water from the boreholes are more potable than water from the shallow well.