Analysis of the Chemical Quality of Domestic Water in Toro Local Government Area, Bauchi State, Nigeria
Keywords:
Chemical quality; Surface water; Underground water; WHO standard.Abstract
Analysis of the surface and groundwater water in Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi state was conducted
in order to test the chemical quality of the water in the area. Samples were collected from wells, boreholes,
ponds, streams and rivers in the area. The area was stratified into three districts and six samples were collected
from each district making a total of 18 samples. The samples were analyzed in the laboratory to taste for the
chemical parameters in the water, and the results were compared with the World Health Organization (WHO)
standard. The results of the analysis showed that chemically, the pH, calcium, magnesium, copper, fluoride,
zinc, nitrite, manganese, chromium, cyanide, arsenic, and electrical conductivity of the water all fell below the
WHO standard. On the other hand, the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), total hardness, total alkalinity, iron,
nitrate, lead, sulphate, chloride, and barium in the water had 1, 8, 4, 13, 3, 1, 2, 1 and 11 samples respectively
above the WHO standard. Based on these findings, recommendations were given on how to improve the quality
of water in the study area.