Physicochemical And Bacteriological Assessment Of Borehole Water In Umudike In Abia State

A significant proportion of the world’s population use potable water for drinking, cooking, personal and home hygiene (WHO, 2004). Indeed water is life. According to Gore (1993), “Human beings are made of water, in roughly the same percentage as water is in the surface of the earth. Our tissues and membranes, brains and heart, our sweat and tears all reflect the same recipe for life, in which efficient use is made of those ingredients available on the surface of earth”. Unequivocally, water is essential for the development and maintenance of the dynamics of every ramification of society (UNCSD, 2000). Availability of safe and reliable source of water is an essential prerequisite for sustained development (Asonye et al., 2007). Groundwater is one of the major sources of drinking water all over the world. Freshwater quality and availability remain one of the most critical environmental and sustainability issues of the twenty-first century (UNEP, 2002). Before water can be described as potable, it has to comply with certain physical, chemical and microbiological standards so as to ensure it is safe for drinking. A borehole is a hydraulic structure which when properly designed and constructed, permits the economic withdrawal of water from an aquifer. It is a narrow well drilled with machine. Human settlement is a large extent dependent on the availability of reliable sources of water preferably in close proximity to the settled localities. Groundwater is also widely used as a source, for drinking water supply and irrigation in food production (Zelkster and Everett, 2004). However, groundwater is not only a valuable resource for water supply, but also a vital component of the global water cycle and the environment. As such, groundwater provides water to rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands helping to maintain water levels and sustain the ecosystems (Kim et al., 2003). In Umudike community, certain anthropogenic activity like the improper waste disposal can contribute to ground water pollution. . From an environmental health stand-point, there is a need to ascertain the level of water quality of a locality to avoid or Abstract: The physicochemical and bacteriological analyses were carried out on borehole water samples from four selected areas in Umudike axis within the period of five months (May to September) 2015 to investigate their quality using standard methods. The results obtained were compared with the World Health Organization (2004) and Nigerian Standard for drinking Water Quality (SON, 2007). Both physiochemical and bacteriological parameters studied showed positive (+), deviation from WHO and NSDWQ Standards (that is not exceeded the standards).Hence, borehole water studied are safe for drinking, laundry and other application. It is therefore recommended that proper chlorination of water should be done before usage.