Assessing groundwater quality in peri-urban localities of Kumasi, Ghana

ABSTRACT

This study examined groundwater quality in nine peri-urban communities of Kumasi, Ghana. These communities rely heavily on groundwater for domestic consumption amidst various sanitation concerns. The potential for groundwater contamination is high. Our study involved: (1) in-situ examination of physico-chemical characteristics of well water (2) laboratory analyses of groundwater samples for bacteria and heavy metals; (3) questionnaire surveys to obtain water use demographics. Results indicate groundwater contamination in all study communities. The questionnaire survey also reveal that the majority households in the communities consume their groundwater untreated. Thus, the study communities may be vulnerable to water-borne diseases.

KEYWORDS:

• Sanitation and groundwater quality; peri-urban communities
• physico-chemical parameters of water quality
• hand-dug well water quality
• fecal bacteria

Acknowledgment

The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of the following institutions and individuals for their contributions to the success of this work: Shippensburg University for contributing the equipment for in-situ measurements, Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) for helping with water chemistry analyses, and staff of the College of Science research laboratory at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) for helping with the bacteriological analyses.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dacosta Aboagye

Dacosta Aboagye is a senior lecturer in environmental geography at the Department of Geography and Rural Development, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. He holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Oklahoma, USA; Masters in Development and International Relations from Aalborg University, Denmark; and BA in Geography and Resource Development from the University of Ghana, Legon. His research interest is in exploring the various dimensions of environmental hazards and vulnerabilities, their impacts and the range of initiatives for building householder and community resilience. He is a broadly trained geographer with research and professional experience in West Africa and North America in livelihood and environmental risk analysis and disaster management.

Joseph T. Zume

Joseph T. Zume is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Earth Science at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, USA. He teaches and researches in the areas of hydrology (ground and surface water), environmental geophysics, and numerical groundwater modeling. He holds a Bachelors degree in Physics from the University of Jos and a masters degree in Applied Geophysics from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, all in Nigeria and obtained his doctorate in Geography, with concentration in groundwater hydrology, from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA.