Determination of Physicochemical Parameters and Heavy Metals in Some Selected Borehole Water Within Nguru Local Government Area, Yobe State

Recently, there has been widespread kidney infection and other waterborne diseases in Yobe, most especially in areas of Nguru, Gashua, and their environs. This research was conducted to ascertain the water quality of some selected boreholes within Nguru Local Government Yobe State. The samples were collected in four different locations in the area. The Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) was used to identify the heavy metals. A comparison was made with the standard given by the World Health Organization (WHO), Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) respectively. The chemical parameters as well as the physical parameters such as pH, turbidity, alkalinity, and color in all the samples were determined. The result revealed that almost all the samples have a higher content of cadmium (0.003-0.005 mg/L) than the required threshold (0.003 mg/L). Cadmium is reported to be toxic to the kidneys, as such this requires serious concern. Likewise, the values obtained for arsenic (0.01-0.02 mg/L) and chromium (0.04-0.1 mg/L) have exceeded the required threshold (0.01 mg/L for arsenic and 0.05 mg/L for chromium). This also calls for serious attention as they are known carcinogens. It is concluded that all the water samples are not safe for drinking and as such require treatment before consumption to meet the standard for portable drinking water.