Reviewof Nigerianstandardfordrinkingwaterquality 1
Reviewof Nigerianstandardfordrinkingwaterquality 1
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Chukwura G.O., Chukwura U.C., Isimah M. and Jafiya G./Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 11, No. 2, (2020) 68 – 81
this way, the indices are very useful to 1.5 Drinking Water Quality Standard
transmit information concerning water Used in Nigeria
quality to the public in general, and give a Nigeria Standard for Drinking Water
good idea of the evolution tendency of Quality contains mandatory limits
water quality to evolve over a period of concerning constituents and contaminants
time. A single WQI value makes of water that are known to be hazardous to
information more easily and rapidly health and or give rise to complaints from
understood than a long list of numerical consumers. The standard includes a set of
values for a large variety of parameters. procedures and good practices required to
Additionally, WQI also facilitates meet the mandatory limits.
comparison between different sampling
sites and events. (Stambuk-Giljanovic, N. In 2005, the National Council on Water
1999). Inadequate management of water Resources (NCWR) recognized the need to
resources as directly or indirectly resulted urgently establish acceptable Nigerian
in the degradation of hydrological Standard for Drinking Water Quality
environment. Therefore, a continuous because it was observed that the “Nigerian
periodical monitoring of water quality is Industrial Standard for Potable Water”
necessary so that appropriate steps may be developed by Standards Organization of
taken for water resource management Nigeria and the “National Guidelines and
practices, (Etim, Akpan, Andrew, and Standards for Water Quality in Nigeria”
Edet, 2012). developed by federal ministry of
environment did not receive a wide
SON (2007) reported that a rapid acceptance by all stakeholders in the
assessment of drinking water quality, country. Since water quality issues are
conducted in Nigeria in 2002-2004 and health related issues, the federal ministry of
supported by UNICEF and WHO, noted health, collaborating with the Standards
the lack of an acceptable Drinking Water Organization of Nigeria (the only body
Quality Standard in Nigeria, which would responsible for developing National
guarantee the quality of water supplied to Standards in Nigeria) and working through
people. The new Nigerian Standard for a technical committee of key stakeholders
Drinking Water Quality abides by the developed this Standard. The Nigerian
World Health Organization guidelines. The Standard for Drinking Water Quality
document sets physical, chemical, and abides by the World Health Organization
microbiological parameters and maximum guidelines. The document sets physical,
allowable limits for disinfectants in chemical, and microbiological parameters
drinking water. It also includes normative and maximum allowable limits for
references or laws guiding drinking water disinfectants in drinking water. It also
quality, definition of terminologies, includes normative references or laws
institutional roles and responsibilities, guiding drinking water quality, definition
monitoring, data management and of terminologies, institutional roles and
compliance criteria. responsibilities, monitoring, data
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Chukwura G.O., Chukwura U.C., Isimah M. and Jafiya G./Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 11, No. 2, (2020) 68 – 81
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Chukwura G.O., Chukwura U.C., Isimah M. and Jafiya G./Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 11, No. 2, (2020) 68 – 81
iv. Food and Drug Retained as Cap 150 private well. All water used in any food
v. Food and Drugs (1999-No.19) production undertaking for the
Changed to NAFDAC Act 11 manufacture, processing, preservation or
vi. Institute of Chartered Chemist of marketing of products or substances
Nigeria Act N°91 (1993) intended for human consumption
vii. Institute of Public Analyst of Nigeria 2.3 Drinking Water Quality Control;
Act N°100 (1992) Water tests conducted on routine basis by
viii. National Water Resources Institute the water utility.
Act- Retained as Cap 284 2.4 Drinking Water Quality
ix. Public Health Act (1958) Surveillance; Water tests, sanitary
inspections and spot checks conducted by
x. Standards Organization of Nigeria
an independent agency to ensure that water
(SON) - Retained as Cap 412
utilities and others suppliers meet the
xi. Water Resources Act N° 101 (1993)
Standard.
xii. International Organization for 2.5 Drinking Water Service Level;
Standardization (ISO) – Service Measure of quality, quantity, accessibility,
activities relating to drinking water coverage, affordability and continuity of
and wastewater – Guidelines for the drinking water supplied to the population.
management of drinking water utilities Water service levels are defined in the
and for the assessment of drinking National Water Supply Policy and
water services sanitation Policy.
xiii. National Guidelines and standards for 2.6 Drinking Water Service Provider;
Water Quality in Nigeria The whole set of organization, processes,
xiv. Nigerian Industrial Standards for activities, means and resources necessary
Natural Mineral Water (NIS 345: for abstracting, treating, distributing or
2003) and Potable Water (NIS 306: supplying drinking water and for providing
2004) the associated services. Drinking water
Key Issues service providers are essentially states
For the purpose of this standard, the water agencies. The States Water Agencies
following expressions have the meaning are: State Water Boards/Corporations,
stated below: which mostly serve urban areas greater
2.1 Contaminant; Any chemical or than 20,000 inhabitants. Small Water
substance present or released or added into Town Agencies, which mostly serve semi-
drinking water which is capable of being urban areas with population between 5,000
hazardous to health to 20,000 inhabitants. Rural Water Supply
2.2 Drinking Water and Sanitation Agencies operate in rural
All water either in its original state or after areas and usually serve communities of
treatment, intended for drinking, cooking, 500 to 5,000 inhabitants. It also refers to
food preparation or other domestic water producers and distributors
purposes, regardless of its origin and 2.7 Drinking Water System; Tangible
whether it is supplied from a drinking assets necessary for abstracting, treating,
water system, or a tanker, or taken from a
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Chukwura G.O., Chukwura U.C., Isimah M. and Jafiya G./Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 11, No. 2, (2020) 68 – 81
distributing or supplying drinking water. level, division of water safety (or new
Drinking water systems include centralized agency) shall be responsible for developing
and on-site systems. drinking water quality surveillance and
2.8 Water Source: means either enforcement strategy, developing drinking
groundwater or surface water. water quality surveillance and enforcement
a. Surface water includes streams, rivers, procedures, communicating drinking water
lakes or reservoirs. quality data to stakeholders and consumers
b. Ground water includes springs, wells or (dissemination), establishing national
boreholes priorities in the sector of drinking water
2.9 Sources of Contamination; Release quality surveillance. At state level, the
into the environment of manmade chemical division of water safety (or new agency)
and bacteriological contaminants. Major shall be responsible for implementing
contamination sources are animal and strategies and procedures issued at Federal
human wastes, industry and mining level.
activities, agriculture and accidents and The Federal Ministry of Health Division of
leaks such as oil spillage. Water Safety (or the new Agency) shall
2.10 Water Safety Plan: Essential actions include professionals skilled in the
that are the responsibility for the drinking disciplines of drinking water engineering,
water provider in order to ensure that public health, water quality testing,
drinking water is safe. These are: drinking water quality inspection and
a. A system assessment; enforcement, data management and
b. Effective operational monitoring; and communication. The state department /
c. Management division of water safety shall include in
2.11 Water Vendors; these are persons or addition a pool of inspectors in charge of
organizations selling water to households drinking water quality investigations,
or at collection points. Vendors may carry water sampling and sanitary inspection,
drinking water for sale directly to the control and enforcement of water safety
consumer by tanker trucks, wheelbarrows plans and enforcement of Nigerian
/trolleys or donkey carts. Standards for Drinking Water in the whole
state (The local government health
3. Institutional Framework: Roles, department and communities shall be
Rights and Responsibilities; Ministry of involved). Federal and State Departments
Health shall be responsible for Drinking of Water Safety shall promote NSDWQ,
Water Quality Surveillance in Nigeria and shall inform consumers on the health risk
shall be the lead institution enforcing linked to poor water quality consumption
Nigerian Standard for drinking water shall publish drinking water quality results
quality. Ministry of Health shall strengthen for stakeholders and make results available
the existing division of water safety (or to consumers in an understandable way.
establish a new structure) solely Department of Water safety shall establish
responsible for drinking water quality and manage a drinking water quality data
surveillance and enforcement. At Federal base accessible to stakeholders and provide
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Chukwura G.O., Chukwura U.C., Isimah M. and Jafiya G./Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 11, No. 2, (2020) 68 – 81
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Chemical Parameters
Table 4.3 - Organic Constituents
Parameter Unit Maximum Health Impact Note
Permitted Levels
Detergents mg/L 0.01 Possibly carcinogenic
Mineral oil mg/L 0.003 Possibly carcinogenic
Pesticides mg/L 0.01 Possibly carcinogenic
Phenols mg/L 0.001 Possibly carcinogenic
Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons mg/L 0.007 Possibly carcinogenic
Total Organic Carbon or Oxidisability mg/L 5 Cancer
Note 2: For chlorinated water only alkalinity, chlorides, sulphate, nitrate, total
Drinking water providers shall increase the hardness, calcium, magnesium, electrical
amount of residual chlorine during conductivity, dissolved oxygen,
epidemics or special cases according to biochemical oxygen demand, total
instructions of Ministry of Health. Analysis dissolved solids and total suspended solids
of a few quality parameters viz., pH, total
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Chukwura G.O., Chukwura U.C., Isimah M. and Jafiya G./Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 11, No. 2, (2020) 68 – 81
Table 4.6. Drinking water standards, recommending Agencies and unit weights. (All
values except PH and electrical conductivity are in mg/l)
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Laboratories contracted by the Drinking for safety and quality. The enforcement of
Water Quality Surveillance agency to the Nigeria standard of drinking water
conduct water testing shall comply with quality which is in line with WHO
NIS ISO 17025: 2005 standard will help improve the quality of
4.7 Water quality index (WQI); drinking water in Nigeria supplied by
provides a single number that expresses the water service providers, and will contribute
overall water quality at a certain location to reduce the number of persons affected
and time based on several water quality by water-related diseases. It is expected
parameters. The objective of WQI is to turn that it will also speed up the process of
complex water quality data into upgrading non-protected water systems
information that is understandable and and improving the management of all
usable by the public. A number of indices drinking water systems in the country.
have been developed to summarize water
quality data in an easily expressible and References
easily understood format. The indices are American society for testing and materials
very useful to transmit information (1982). Standard methods for acidity or
concerning water quality to the public in alkalinity of water. Publ.D1067-70
general, and give a good idea of the (reapproved 1977), American soc.
evolution tendency of water quality to Testing and materials Philadelphia.
evolve over a period of time. APHA, (1998): American Public Health
4.8 Criteria for Compliance and Association, standard methods for the
Enforcement examination of water and wastewater,
The drinking water quality surveillance 20th ed., 1220.
body shall enforce Nigerian standard for Ayoade,J.O.(1975). Water resources and
drinking water quality. their development in Nigeria.
The quality of all drinking water produced Hdrological sciences-Bulletin-des
in Nigeria shall comply with provision of Sciences Hydrologiques. XX, 4
this standard; any offence shall be liable on 12/1975
conviction to both fine and imprisonment Ayoade, J. O. (1975). Water resources and
as stipulated in Standards Organization of their development In nigeria.
Nigeria (SON) Act- Retained as Cap 412. Hydrological Sciences-~Bulletin~des
Sciences Hydrologiques,
5. Conclusion Drinking Water by World Health
The danger that unsafe drinking water Organization (WHO) and Nigerian
poses to health is enormous.’ There should Standard for Drinking Water (NSDW).
be a collective drive to provide safe and Etim, E. E, Akpan, I. U, Andrew, C. Edet,
good quality potable water in Nigeria. E. J. (2012). Determination of water
While every effort to ensure access to quality index of pipe borne water in
potable water needs to be sustained, it is Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
equally important to ensure that the water International journal of chemical
meets the minimum international standard sciences, 5(2):179-182.
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