The performance of an infiltration gallery used as a simple water treatment option for a small rural community - Goviefe-Agodome in the Volta Region, Ghana

Abstract

An infiltration gallery was successfully installed at Goviefe-Agodome in Ghana after unsuccessful attempts at obtaining groundwater for the community. Results obtained from laboratory analysis carried out on water samples taken from the infiltration gallery showed that most of the physico-chemical characteristics of the filtered water were within the WHO (1993) guidelines and were higher than the raw water parameters. Leaching of lime and other constituents of cement used in the construction work accounted for the increase in ionic content. The bacteriological quality of the filtered water was acceptable. The pond needed protection from human contact and a simple iron removal system was installed to remove excess iron in the filtered water.