A Study on Wastes in Shallow Aquifers in Kpagungu Community, Minna, Niger State

Abstract

An assessment of the physio-chemical and bacteriological properties of
domesticated open shallow wells was carried out in order to ascertain the effect of dump
sites on water quality in Kpakungu area of Minna, Nigeria. Three different water samples
were collected from three different shallow open wells, 120m to 150m apart. Laboratory
analyses were carried out on the samples using the suitable reagents for each case. The
results obtained from all the samples show that the chemical contaminants Mn (0.022, 0.07,
0.106), Zn (0.04, 0.07, 0.11), Cr (0.00043, 0.00043, 0.00014) were within the limits of both
World Health Organization and Nigerian Industrial Standards. The bacteriological
contaminant was found to be more in all the samples for total coli-form (204, 160, 75) and
E-coli (4, 3, 15), indicating that the water is not suitable for drinking. These results show
that there is a strong correlation between the refuse dump sites and ground water pollution.
Therefore, Sanitary Regulatory Agencies and Households need to take adequate measures
to guide against this crude way of waste disposal so as to forestall the outbreak of
epidemics.