Groundwater quality and associated health risks in the Eastern Region of Ghana
In the Eastern Region of Ghana, 95 % of residents have access to boreholes. However, approximately 30 % of these boreholes are characterized by unpleasurable taste, odour, oily scum and particulate matter. Thus, this study aimed to assess water quality, predict the sources of groundwater contaminant...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025002907 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832573091448881152 |
|---|---|
| author | Thomas Acquah Miriam Appiah-Brempong Geophrey Kwame Anornu |
| author_facet | Thomas Acquah Miriam Appiah-Brempong Geophrey Kwame Anornu |
| author_sort | Thomas Acquah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the Eastern Region of Ghana, 95 % of residents have access to boreholes. However, approximately 30 % of these boreholes are characterized by unpleasurable taste, odour, oily scum and particulate matter. Thus, this study aimed to assess water quality, predict the sources of groundwater contaminants, evaluate the human health risk and to generate spatial distribution and health risk maps. In achieving this, the water quality of 136 boreholes in the region was evaluated through Water Quality Index (WQI) and Groundwater Pollution Index (GPI) analyses. Multivariate statistical procedures, namely, principal component and correlation analyses were employed to define the major groundwater pollutants and their possible sources. Non-carcinogenic health risk to infants, children and adults through nitrates, iron, manganese and fluorides ingestion was also assessed. The results revealed that groundwater in the region is generally slightly acidic with a mean pH of 6.30. WQI analysis grouped 68 % of the groundwater samples under the ‘excellent’ and ‘good’ water types with the remaining percent categorized under ‘poor’, ‘very poor’ and ‘unsafe’ drinking water types. GPI analysis classified 95 %, 2.21 % and 2.79 % of the boreholes as ‘insignificant’, ‘low’ and ‘highly’ polluted zones. From the multivariate analyses, the dominant pollutants were iron, manganese, chlorides, sodium, fluorides, potassium, turbidity, total suspended and dissolved solids, hardness, alkalinity, sulphates, nitrates and phosphates. The sources of these contaminants are primarily from rock-water interactions and fertilizers. Health risk assessment for nitrates, fluorides, iron and manganese ingestion revealed that 23, 17 and 15 boreholes in the region are likely to pose non-carcinogenic health risk to infants, children and adults respectively. Health risk maps indicated that the most vulnerable districts were Atiwa East, Fanteakwa North, Achiase, Birim South, Akwapim, Suhum and Ayensuano. From these findings, it is imperative that appropriate groundwater remediation measures are implemented in the region to protect public health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8ca6694c398942608487380ba342bf5c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj-art-8ca6694c398942608487380ba342bf5c2025-02-02T05:28:32ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402025-01-01112e41910Groundwater quality and associated health risks in the Eastern Region of GhanaThomas Acquah0Miriam Appiah-Brempong1Geophrey Kwame Anornu2Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre, Kumasi, Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaCorresponding author.; Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre, Kumasi, Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaRegional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre, Kumasi, Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaIn the Eastern Region of Ghana, 95 % of residents have access to boreholes. However, approximately 30 % of these boreholes are characterized by unpleasurable taste, odour, oily scum and particulate matter. Thus, this study aimed to assess water quality, predict the sources of groundwater contaminants, evaluate the human health risk and to generate spatial distribution and health risk maps. In achieving this, the water quality of 136 boreholes in the region was evaluated through Water Quality Index (WQI) and Groundwater Pollution Index (GPI) analyses. Multivariate statistical procedures, namely, principal component and correlation analyses were employed to define the major groundwater pollutants and their possible sources. Non-carcinogenic health risk to infants, children and adults through nitrates, iron, manganese and fluorides ingestion was also assessed. The results revealed that groundwater in the region is generally slightly acidic with a mean pH of 6.30. WQI analysis grouped 68 % of the groundwater samples under the ‘excellent’ and ‘good’ water types with the remaining percent categorized under ‘poor’, ‘very poor’ and ‘unsafe’ drinking water types. GPI analysis classified 95 %, 2.21 % and 2.79 % of the boreholes as ‘insignificant’, ‘low’ and ‘highly’ polluted zones. From the multivariate analyses, the dominant pollutants were iron, manganese, chlorides, sodium, fluorides, potassium, turbidity, total suspended and dissolved solids, hardness, alkalinity, sulphates, nitrates and phosphates. The sources of these contaminants are primarily from rock-water interactions and fertilizers. Health risk assessment for nitrates, fluorides, iron and manganese ingestion revealed that 23, 17 and 15 boreholes in the region are likely to pose non-carcinogenic health risk to infants, children and adults respectively. Health risk maps indicated that the most vulnerable districts were Atiwa East, Fanteakwa North, Achiase, Birim South, Akwapim, Suhum and Ayensuano. From these findings, it is imperative that appropriate groundwater remediation measures are implemented in the region to protect public health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025002907Groundwater pollution indexFluoridePrincipal component analysisWater quality indexHealth risk maps |
| spellingShingle | Thomas Acquah Miriam Appiah-Brempong Geophrey Kwame Anornu Groundwater quality and associated health risks in the Eastern Region of Ghana Heliyon Groundwater pollution index Fluoride Principal component analysis Water quality index Health risk maps |
| title | Groundwater quality and associated health risks in the Eastern Region of Ghana |
| title_full | Groundwater quality and associated health risks in the Eastern Region of Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Groundwater quality and associated health risks in the Eastern Region of Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Groundwater quality and associated health risks in the Eastern Region of Ghana |
| title_short | Groundwater quality and associated health risks in the Eastern Region of Ghana |
| title_sort | groundwater quality and associated health risks in the eastern region of ghana |
| topic | Groundwater pollution index Fluoride Principal component analysis Water quality index Health risk maps |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025002907 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT thomasacquah groundwaterqualityandassociatedhealthrisksintheeasternregionofghana AT miriamappiahbrempong groundwaterqualityandassociatedhealthrisksintheeasternregionofghana AT geophreykwameanornu groundwaterqualityandassociatedhealthrisksintheeasternregionofghana |