Assessments of Quality Index of River Getsi Irrigation Water in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

The growing problem of water scarcity and absolute constraint in availability of fresh water for irrigation has made the use of waste water necessary for irrigation of agricultural fields. This practice represents an important route for transmission of heavy metals toxicity and pathogens that are of public health and environmental concern. The aim of this study was to assess the water quality index of river Getsi irrigation water in Kano metropolis and substantiate the suitability of the water for a safer irrigation. Results of this experiment have shown a mean biological oxygen demand of 80.43 mg/l, total dissolved solid of 20.63 mg, higher concentration of chromium (8.23 mg/l), and a statistically significant moderate relationship between electrical conductivity and total dissolved solid in the water (r = 0.556, p = 0.037 at 95% CI) using a Kendall's tau correlation statistics. It is concluded that, river Getsi is not unsafe for irrigational practices as the water indices were within recommended ranges, while the heavy metals were above and possible contamination may occur at a point in time. It is therefore recommended that, farmers should be educated on the need and importance of assessing the water quality before embarking on irrigational practices.