Comparative Quality Assessment of Water Samples from Protected Well and Unprotected Well in Ayobo Area of Lagos State, Nigeria

The majority of the population in Nigeria's semi-urban and urban areas depends on wells as their primary water source, due to a recent increase in cases of waterborne disease. This study was conducted to examine the quality of well water in the Ayobo area of Lagos State. Water samples from 10 protected and 10 unprotected wells were randomly selected and analysed for their physicochemical and bacteriological qualities. The results obtained for the protected wells were compared with those of the unprotected well. The physicochemical results show that all the parameters examined were within the Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ), except pH, which was below the acceptable range of 6.5-8.5. The bacteriological result indicated that all the water samples had coliform counts above the World Health Organisation acceptable standard of ≤ 1, also all the water samples were contaminated with bacterial pathogens such as Klebsiella spp 33.3%, Enterobacter spp 29.6%, Escherichia coli 18.5%, Proteus spp 11.1%, and Pseudomonas spp 7.4%. Comparative analysis showed no significant differences in the physicochemical parameters between the protected and unprotected wells. Compared with protected wells, the unprotected wells were more contaminated with bacterial pathogens. This result highlights that most wells analysed in Ayobo metropolis are not bacteriologically safe for drinking without disinfection, which could lead to an outbreak of waterborne disease. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent waterborne disease in this community by ensuring that well water is properly disinfected before drinking.