Quality analysis of borehole water in federal polytechnic ado Ekiti hostels
O. O. OLADIPO *, T. O. LAYO-AKINGBADE and O. D. OSASONA
Department of Science Technology, Microbiology Unit, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria.
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 19(02), 436–442
Publication history: Received on 28 June 2023; revised on 07 August 2023; accepted on 10 August 2023
Article DOI: [Link]
Abstract
The quality of drinking water has always been a major health concern, especially in developing countries, where 80 %
of the disease cases are attributed to inadequate sanitation and use of polluted water. This study was designed to
evaluate the physicochemical and microbial analysis of drinking water of the hostels in the Federal polytechnic Ado,
Ekiti state. Water samples were collected from the three hostels on campus. Physiochemical analysis, heavy metal
analysis using Atomic absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS), and microbiological analysis were carried out using
standard procedure. The Results of physico-chemical analysis indicated that mean values of Turbidity (6 NTU), Total
Hardness (195 mg/L) and Fluoride 1.59 mg/L in water obtained from hand dug wells have exceeded the threshold limits
recommended by regulatory authorities. The bacteriological analysis showed no growth on the eosin methylene plates
indicating the absence of coliform bacteria in the three boreholes. Thus, the water is suitable for drinking. The total
bacterial counts are within permissible levels that all the three boreholes. From the study, it was proven that the water
is safe for drinking and other domestic purposes because the physiochemical and metal parameters are below the WHO
permissible limit and pathogenic bacterial are absent in the sample water.
Keyword: Water-quality; Physiochemical; Heavy metals; Microbiological
1. Introduction
Water is the universal solvent capable of dissolving nearly all solutes, which is important to living and non-living things
(Koda et al., 2017). Water is a resource that can be used for a wide range of purposes, including household, industrial,
commercial, hydroelectric power, transportation, recreation, and more. River water is crucial to the growth of nations.
Water is extraordinarily abundant on the planet as a whole, but fresh potable water is not always available at the right
time or the right place for human or ecosystem use (Ababiaka and Sule, 2011). Water quality is defined as the set of
physical, chemical and biological characters that must be satisfied in order to ensure that the water supplied is safe for
the consumer. Water pollution can cause adverse health effects for a representative number of people over predictable
periods of time and is due to population growth, industrial development and urbanization (Awoyemi et al., 2014). In
the recent past, expanding human population, industrialization, intensive agricultural practices and discharges of
massive amount of wastewater into rivers have resulted in deterioration of water quality (Sale). The improper
management of water systems may cause serious problems in availability and quality of water since water quality and
human are closely related. For degradation of the quality of surface and groundwater, one of its origins is the direct
discharge of contaminated water from domestic, industrial and agricultural sources into bodies of water (Falowo et al.,
2017). Unfortunately, clean, pure and safe water only exists briefly in nature and is immediately polluted by prevailing
environmental factors and human activities. Water from most sources is therefore unfit for immediate consumption
without some sort of treatment. The industrial pollutants associated with organic matter, inorganic dissolved solids and
other unwanted chemicals cause serious problems in the water quality (Mahaurpawar, 2015). Water related diseases
continue to be one of the major health problems globally due to consumption of contaminated water (WHO, 2022). The
high prevalence of diarrhea among children and infants can be traced to the consumption of unsafe water. The
Corresponding author: O. D. OLADIPO
Copyright © 2023 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0.
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 19(02), 436–442
examination of microbiological river water quality according to technical standards is obligatory for use-related aspects
such as for drinking water production, irrigation or recreation.
2. Material and methods
2.1. Study Area
Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti is located along Ado/Ijan Ekiti Road, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. It contains three main
hostel locations within the campus named Lagos Hostel, Annex hostel and Abuja hostel, Lagos hostel is mainly occupied
by females, Abuja hostel is occupied only by males while Annex hostel is occupied by both genders.
Figure 1 Map showing the study area
2.2. Sample collection
Water samples were collected from three points (one from each hostel) in pre-cleaned 1 litre capacity plastic bottles
and immediately delivered to the Microbiology Laboratory of the Department of Science Technology, Federal
Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti for analysis.
2.3. Physicochemical analysis of the water samples
The water quality parameters which include conductivity and pH were determined using the conductivity meter and
the pH meter respectively. The classical titrimetric method was used for determination of acidity, alkalinity, total
hardness, calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, chloride ions and sodium chloride levels of the water samples; while
the total solids, total suspended solids and total dissolved solids were determined using the classical gravimetric
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methods. The spectrophotometric method was used in the determination of the phosphate and sulphate ions (Oko et
al., 2017).
2.4. Analysis of Water Samples for Heavy Metals
Atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) model 939 was used in determining heavy metals following the standard
procedures of APHA (Kundu and Nag, 2018). Lead, Nickel, Chromium, Cadmium, and Arsenic. Atomic absorption
spectrophotometer working principle is based on the sample being aspirated into the acetylene flame and atomized
when the light beam of the AAS is directed through the flame into the monochrometer and unto the detector that
measures the amount of light absorbed by the atomized element in the flame (Okoya et al., 2011). Since metals have
their own characteristic absorption wavelength, a source lamp composed of that element is used, making the method
relatively free from spectral or radiational interferences. The amount of energy of the characteristic wavelength
absorbed in the flame is proportional to the concentration of the element in the sample.
2.5. Isolation and Microbial Identification
Microbial isolation was performed from the water samples collected at the three hostels. The culture media used were,
eosin methylene blue agar, mannitol agar, soyabean casein digest agar, cetrimide agar and nutrient agar. Isolation was
performed by pour plate technique after performing the serial dilution of the sample. The cultures were incubated at
37˚C overnight. After the incubation time, a new isolation was made in the same culture media and the morphology was
analyzed to identify the bacterial genera (Obiri-Danso et al., 2009).
3. Results
The Physicochemical properties of the water samples at different sampling points are as presented in Table 1.
The pH of the water at the three sampling points was 7.18, 7.31 and 7.62 respectively and was slightly alkaline. The
electrical conductivity was highest at sampling point 2 while the alkalinity had their highest record at point 2
respectively. The total suspended solids and dissolved solids ranged from 1.34-2.03mg/l and 74.60mg/l respectively.
The lowest sulphate concentration was recorded at point 1, nitrate was at point 1 and point 2 at 0.10 mg/l each and
chloride at point 2. The water hardness was between 80.60 and 106.22 representing points 2 and 1 respectively.
Table 1 Physiochemical analysis of Lagos hostel water
Parameters Point 1 Point 2 Point 3 WHO permissible limit NSDWQ
pH 7.180 7.620 7.310 6.5-8.5 6.5-8.5
EC(µS/cm) 108.500 155.700 146.200 250 1000
TDS(mg/l) 50.850 74.600 58.160 500 500
TSS(mg/l) 2.030 1.910 1.340 NG 10
Colour (Hazen Unit) 5.000 5.000 5.000 5.000 5.000
[Link] (mg/l) 106.220 80.600 91.270 300 500
[Link](mg/l) 25.880 33.500 30.180 120 200
Turbidity(NTU) 1.350 1.850 1.520 5 5
DO(mg/l) 6.150 5.960 6.320 14 5
Chloride(mg/l) 7.120 4.660 5.304 250 250
Nitrate(mg/l) 0.100 0.160 0.100 50 50
Sulphate(mg/l) 0.113 0.180 0.212 250 100
Point 1 = Lagos hostel. Point 2 = Annex hostel, Point 3 = Abuja water, NG = No Guideline; NSDWQ, 2007 = Nigeria Standard for Water Quality
Table 1 and Table 2 shows the metal concentration of the hostels water source. The three sampling points; Chromium
was between 0.47 mg/l and 0.8 mg/l 3, arsenic varied between 0.002 mg/l and 0.009 mg/l. Nickel was not detected
from the three sampling points. Zinc varied between 0.230 mg/l – 0.328 mg/l at point 1 and 3 respectively, calcium
ranges from 16.10-24.30 mg/l., iron has the highest value at point 3. All agars inhibited the growth of microorganisms
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except for Nutrient agar which supported growth of microbes from the three water points, all isolates are creamy,
circular and smooth. Water sample from Point 3 had an average colony number of 51 while Point 1 and Point 2 had 45
each as shown in Table 3
Table 2 Metal analysis of sample water
PARAMETERS Point 1 Point 2 Point 3 WHO standard NSDWQ
Na(mg/l) 8.400 11.200 9.600 200 200
Ca(mg/l) 24.30 16.100 20.900 75 NG
K(mg/l) 10.500 7.200 5.500 12 NG
Fe(mg/l) 0.370 0.390 0.717 NG 0.3
Mn(mg/l) 0.380 0.207 0.346 0.5 0.2
Cu(mg/l) 0.190 0.202 0.185 0.500 1.0
Mg(mg/l) 3.510 4.160 3.610 50 20
Zn(mg/l) 0.230 0.310 0.328 3.0 3.0
Cd(mg/l) 0.001 0.002 0.001 0.005 0.003
Co(mg/l) 0.005 0.018 0.009 0.01 0.01
As(mg/l) 0.009 0.007 0.002 0.01 0.01
Pb(mg/l) 0.020 0.020 0.011 0.01 0.01
Ni(mg/l) ND ND ND 0.02 0.02
Point 1 = Lagos hostel. Point 2 = Annex hostel, Point 3 = Abuja water, ND= Not Detected, NG = No Guideline; NSDWQ, 2007 = Nigeria Standard for
Water Quality
Table 3 Morphological characteristics of isolates
Sample CFU/g N1 N2 C1 C2 E1 E2 M1 M1
Point 1 45 x 103 Cream, circular, Cream, circular, NG NG NG NG NG NG
smooth smooth
Point 2 45 x 104 Cream, circular, Cream, circular, NG NG NG NG NG NG
smooth smooth
Point 3 51 x 102 Cream, circular, Cream, circular, NG NG NG NG NG NG
smooth smooth
N=Nutrient agar. C=Cetrimide agar, E=Eosin Methylene Blue agar, M=Mannitol Agar, NG=No Growth
4. Discussion
A summary of the results of physico-chemical analyses is presented in Tables 1. These values were placed alongside
Nigeria Standard for Water Quality (NSDWQ) and World Health Organization (WHO) guideline values (SON, 2007,
WHO, 2008). The colour, odour, and taste of these water samples are unobjectionable. These fall within the standard
that is acceptable to international bodies like W.H.O and NSDWQ. Odour in water is usually caused by volatile
substances associated with organic and inorganic chemical materials such as algae and hydrogen, respectively (Okoya
et al., 2020). The pH values in the water points under study ranges from 7.18-7.62 which indicated slightly alkaline
(near neutral) nature of the ground waters and are well within the limits of NSDWQ and WHO for various uses,
including drinking, and that of pH of most natural waters (Oko et al., 2017). Point 2 with the latest pH value and Point
1 with the least pH at 7.128. It is, therefore, desirable since low pH corrodes the pipe and causes acidosis (which results
in peptic ulcer) while high pH may cause incrustation and also affects the mucous membrane. Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
is the amount of oxygen dissolved in water. It takes the advantage of the fact that the heavier the organic matter content
of the water, the greater the expected growth of aerobic organisms in it and the less the oxygen content of it after
growth. The DO in this study ranges from 5.96 to 6.32 mg/L. This range did not show any organic pollution or thermal
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pollution as the values were within the permissible limit of WHO, however slightly higher than NSDWQ value of 5. A
higher DO indicates better water quality (Olusola et al., 2017). This showed that the boreholes were not densely organic
matter packed; otherwise, it would have been consumed to an extent during microbial decomposition. The sources of
conductivity may be an abundance of dissolved salts due to poor irrigation, minerals from rainwater run-offs, or other
discharges. Electrical conductivity is a measure of the Total dissolved solids (TDS) of a water body. TDS and
conductivity are closely related in the sense that the more salts are dissolved in the water, the higher the value of the
conductivity. In this study, the highest mean TDS value of 74.6 mg/l (Point 2) had the corresponding highest mean
conductivity of 155.7μs/cm. The low conductivity values of the samples implied that the dissolved salts were minimal.
Total dissolved solids affect the taste of our water. The low level of conductivity could be attributed to the low level of
total dissolved solids. The two parameters (TDS and conductivity) which ranged from 50.85- 74.60 and 108.5 – 155.70
respectively fell within the limits of WHO recommendations (Koda et al., 2017).
Turbidity is the material in water that affects the transparency or light-scattering capacity of the water. It is the
reflection of the total suspended solids or particles contained in water. The low level of turbidity could account for the
reason why the entire appearance of the water samples was very clear and having no odour (Olusola et al., 2017).
Nitrate can reach both surface water and groundwater because of agricultural activity (including excess application of
inorganic nitrogenous fertilizers and manures), from wastewater disposal and from oxidation of nitrogenous waste
products in human and animal excreta, including septic tanks (Where latrines and septic tanks are poorly sited, these
can lead to contamination of drinking-water sources with nitrate) (Lin et al., 2022). The guideline value (50 mg/litre)
for nitrate is based on the occurrence of methaemoglobinaemia, or blue-baby syndrome, in bottle-fed infants caused
by excess nitrate/nitrite exposure of infants up to approximately 3–6 months of age (WHO, 2007). All the boreholes
sampled recorded values lower than the recommended values of both WHO and NSDWQ. The low level of Nitrate gave
an indication that the groundwater is not contaminated with nitrate, either by agricultural run-offs, dumping of refuse
or from wastewater (Talabi and Kayode, 2019).
Total alkalinity (mg/l) for all the water points sampled in this study was low and low alkalinity according to the
tabulation of total alkalinity and its cultural significance, where- 0-9 is strongly acidic; 10-50 is very low alkalinity; 50-
200 is high alkalinity; 211-500 is optimum.
Hard water requires more soap and synthetic detergents for home laundry and washing and contributes to incrustation
and scaling in boilers and industrial equipment (Oyebode et al., 2019). La Dou (2004) suggested that 0-60 mg/L is soft;
61 – 120 mg/L as moderately hard; 121 – 180 mg/L as hard; and 180 mg/L as very hard (CaCO3). The Total alkalinity
and Total hardness of the water samples at 25.88 – 33.50 and 80.6 – 106.22 respectively agreed with the standards of
WHO and NSDQW for drinking water (SON, 2007 and WHO, 2008).
All other heavy metals analyzed like nickel, cadmium, chromium and arsenic were all below the permissible limit’s
standard set by WHO and SON for drinking water. The low levels of heavy metals recorded in the study can be attributed
to less anthropogenic activities that occur in the area such as dredging and the influx of waste and wastewaters into
the water body. The level of Lead ranged from 0.011 – 0.020 mg/L which is below permissible limit of WHO as reported
in this study causes no health problems like cancer, anaemia etc. (Triantafyllidou et al., 2021). The concentration of
nickel was not detected from all sample points. The value of Arsenic is below the WHO guideline of 0.01 mg/L for
drinking water and have no potential risk (Ayandiran et al., 2022). Long term exposure to arsenic can lead to the
formation of skin lesions, internal cancers, neurological problems, pulmonary disease, peripheral vascular disease,
hypertension and cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus (Adereti et al., 2017).
A total of four media were used which include nutrient agar, mannitol salt agar, Eosin methylene blue agar and
cetrimide agar. Growth was only observed on the nutrient agar plates from the three water points, all isolates are
creamy, circular and smooth. Water sample from Point 3 had an average colony number of 51 while Point 1 and Point
2 had 45 each. The absence of growth on other growth media indicated that the water is free from feacal coliforms and
other pathogenic organisms.
The concentration of total coliform and faecal coliform obtained from the water samples is below WHO standard of
10MPN/100 mL and 0MPN/100 mL respectively for drinking water (WHO, 2008). Akubuenyi et al (2013) specified
that potable drinking water should be devoid of total coliform in any given sample.
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5. Conclusion
It can be concluded that the water from the three boreholes are portable for drinking. The physicochemical and heavy
metal analysis have a little effect on the quality of water from the sites of sampling. The absence of feacal coliforms and
pathogenic bacteria indicates that water points are safe for drinking.
It is recommended that appropriate regulatory agencies and routine checks should be carried out on the existing
boreholes to ascertain their quality level of the water periodically. This will ensure that that incidence on contamination
is noticed earlier for remedial action to be taken
Compliance with ethical standards
Disclosure of conflict of interest
No conflict of interest to be disclosed.
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