Assessment of groundwater quality along cemeteries and associated potential health concerns in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

Urbanization and population growth have resulted in the increase of construction of housing and drilling boreholes around cemeteries causing potential public health and environmental concerns. Although cemeteries provide ecosystem services including green space, micrometeorology control and storm water infiltration, they pose a unique threat to the quality of groundwater as pollutants migrate from graves to aquifers. Thus, this study aimed at assessing the quality of water from boreholes around cemeteries in Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania. The study involved groundwater sampling from 23 boreholes in five wards. DR/4000 Spectrophotometer was used to analyze nutrients in the laboratory, and data analysis involved univariate and multivariate analysis. Findings indicated that some boreholes located along cemeteries had elevated values of EC and nutrients. The value of EC ranged between (469.5 μS/cm–2,852.33 μS/cm), NH3-N (0.16 mg/L–6.9 mg/L) while NO3 ranged from 9.21 mg/L to 239.5 mg/L whereby, 91.3% of sampled boreholes had elevated concentration of NO3 above 50 mg/L permissible limit, NO2-N (0.01 mg/L–2.17 mg/L), which is also above the 0.5 mg/L TZS and WHO guidelines. These results are indicators that there is potential pollution from cemeteries that calls upon proper urban planning. This study recommends groundwater quality monitoring and alternative drinking water sources around cemeteries in the study area.