A Physico-Chemical and Bacteriological Investigation of Groundwater Quality for Domestic Supply, A Case Study of Temeke Municipal

Abstract

The access to adequate, clean and safe domestic water in major cities remains a challenge. To meet the current water demands, both shallow and deep wells are vigorously increasing. However, the quality of abstracted water was still unknown. This study focused in assessing the role of anthropogenic activities in the physico-chemical and bacteriological quality of groundwater for domestic supply in Temeke Municipal. It was found that groundwater temperatures range between 29.5°C and 36 °C, while wastewater was far 38 °C, which was above World Health Organization (WHO) allowable value. Water hardness, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia content were in conformity with WHO and TBS standards. Heavy metals and TSS were within permitted limits. On the contrary, turbidity in deep well from agricultural area was 7 NTU which was above WHO regulations. It was also revealed that total coliform and E. coli counts of deep wells were notably high. The total coliform in industrial wastewater was much higher than any source because of high amounts of organic wastes. Furthermore, a significant amount of electrochemical properties beyond standard guidelines was observed in all sources. Despite the quality of water found to be fairly acceptable for domestic use, thorough and continuous monitoring is important to account for any change in water quality parameters.