Assessment of the quality of groundwater for drinking purposes in the Upper West and Northern regions of Ghana

BACKGROUND: Underground water is an important natural resource serving as a reliable source of drinking water for many people worldwide, especially in developing countries. Underground water quality needs to be given a primary research and quality control attention due to possible contamination. This study was therefore designed to determine the physico-chemical and bacteriological quality of borehole water in the Upper West and Northern regions of Ghana. METHODS: The study was conducted in seven districts in Ghana (including six in the Upper West region and one in the Northern region). The bacterial load of the water samples was determined using standard microbiological methods. Physico-chemical properties including pH, total alkalinity, temperature, turbidity, true colour, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity, total hardness, calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, total iron, calcium ion, magnesium ion, chloride ion, fluoride ion, aluminium ion, arsenic, ammonium ions, nitrate and nitrite concentrations were determined. The values obtained were compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards for drinking water. RESULTS: The recorded pH, total alkalinity and temperature ranges were 6.14–7.50, 48–240 mg/l and 28.8–32.8 °C, respectively. Furthermore, the mean concentrations of iron, calcium, magnesium, chloride, fluoride, aluminium, arsenic, ammonium, nitrate and nitrite were 0.06, 22.11, 29.84, 13.97, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.01, 2.09 and 0.26 mg/l, respectively. Turbidity, true colour, TDS and electrical conductivity of the water samples ranged from 0.13 to 105 NTU, 5 to 130 HU, 80.1 to 524 mg/l and 131 to 873 µS/cm, respectively. In addition, the mean total hardness value was found to be 178.07 mg/l whereas calcium hardness and magnesium hardness respectively were 55.28 and 122.79 mg/l. Only 14% of the water samples tested positive for faecal coliforms. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that only a few of the values for the bacteriological and physico-chemical parameters of the water samples were above the tolerable limits recommended by the WHO. This calls for regular monitoring and purification of boreholes to ensure good water quality.