Assessment of Ground water Quality in Mumbuni Estate, Machakos Town, Kenya

Abstract

The rapid increase of global human population has led to more people living in towns and cities in the recent past. This has brought pressure on water service provision and sanitation infrastructure in many cities and towns including Machakos town. Due to surface water shortages, groundwater has been an alternative. This includes sinking of boreholes and hand dug shall wells. This study evaluated the concentration levels of physical and chemical parameters of water in selected boreholes and shallow wells in Mumbuni estate, Machakos town. A total of three boreholes and three shallow wells were included in the study. Water samples were collected in triplicates after every two weeks for a period of one and a half months from the selected sampling sites. The samples were transported to the Water Resources Authority (WRA) central laboratory in Nairobi for analysis using the standard methods for the examination of ground water. Independent T-test was used to analyze data and significance levels accepted at p≤0.05. The results obtained were compared with both the World Health Organization (WHO) and Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) drinking water standards in order to determine the quality of ground water and its suitability for drinking. All the parameters measured varied significantly between borehole water and shallow well water except for Calcium, Magnesium and potassium (p≥0.05). pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, Chloride, Fluoride and Sulphates were within the WHO and KEBS recommended limits for drinking water. Other parameters tested such as Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium were also within acceptable limits. The study concluded that water from boreholes and shallow wells in Mumbuni estate is suitable for drinking.