Physiochemical and Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) Level in Water Resources: A Study of Selected Communities in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

Water contamination/pollution is one of the challenges faced by the developing countries in which Nigeria is included. This study focuses on the evaluation of physiochemical and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) level in water resources from selected communities in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Water samples from water resources (hand-dug wells, rivers and taps) within the selected seven (7) communities was collected. All water parameters were carried out using standard laboratory procedure. The results revealed that pH in Lisa well (5.94), Ilaru river (5.91), Kanga well (5.73) and Agodo river (5.39) were above the WHO standard (6.5-8.5) while DO in Efuye river (4.95 mg/L), Ilaru river (3.25 mg/L) and Agodo river (3.40 mg/L) were not in line with the WHO standard (5.0). Furthermore, the concentration of Pb in Efuye river and Asipa well (0.016 mg/L) was above the WHO standard (0.01 mg/L) while Cd and Hg in all the water sources were above the WHO standard (0.003 and 0.006 mg/L) respectively. In conclusion, the study revealed that the some of the water sources are polluted with PTEs such as Pb, while all are polluted with Cd and Hg. Therefore, the is unsuitable for use and detrimental to environmental and human health.