A Proposed Multi-barrier Option for Removing Iron and Microbial Contamination from Yenagoa Borehole Waters

Abstract

The selection of a suitable water treatment method, especially for rural water supply is fundamental to household water treatment and quite challenging because there is rarely any single solution. The selection process must, therefore, be based on a detailed analysis of collected water samples and practical experience. The Yenagoa area, South–South Nigeria is noted to have poor groundwater quality due to objectionable high concentration of certain offensive groundwater parameters and encroachment of saltwater or brackish water into the freshwater aquifers. The results were taken from the web on the quality analysis of groundwater samples from various locations in and around Yenagoa and evaluated with reference to WHO standards for drinking water indicate that the concentrations of the chemical constituents like iron, phosphate and manganese varied spatially from location to location. Based on this analysis, groundwater in Yenagoa is generally unfit for drinking and other household uses and requires treatment for these parameters to make it portable, and then meet the WHO’s standards for household waters. The choice and cost of the probable technologies that could be adapted by the residents to treat their household water in order to eliminate waterborne diseases become an issue because many technologies available to large systems may be too expensive or complicated for small household systems to even consider. In this work, a recommendation has been given to a system that explores innovative technologies, affordable and is sustainable. The option considers the multi-barrier low-cost treatment technology approach as suitable for borehole water in Yenagoa and environs. This work is not intended to be a rigorous analysis of all the methods available but will be offered as an “aide memoire” to owners that are looking for rapid, realistic results from the available water treatment technologies.