Bulletins of Natural and Applied Sciences
Vol. 2(2):180-191
Determination of concentration of some selected physicochemical parameters of groundwater obtained from some selected boreholes in Jalingo metropolis, Taraba State
Salihu, S.1, Dahiru, FU.2, Besse, ZU.3, Sidi, JU.1 , and Salihu, MS.4 1Directorate of Science Laboratory Technology, Nigeria Institute of Leather and Science Technology Samaru, Zaria. P.M.B 1039, Nigeria; 2Dep
ABSTRACT
This study assessed the concentrations of selected physicochemical parameters in groundwater obtained from boreholes located in Jalingo Metropolis, Taraba State, using the Water Quality Index (WQI) approach. The WQI technique integrates multiple water quality parameters into a single, easily interpretable value for both scientific and non‑scientific audiences. Twelve key physicochemical parameters were analyzed: pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, total chlorine, fluoride, chloride, total copper, total zinc, total cadmium, total iron, and hexavalent chromium (Cr⁶⁺). Water samples were collected from two boreholes situated in the Investment Quarters and Sabon Gari areas using a composite sampling technique. Comparison of the analyzed parameters with World Health Organization (WHO) standards revealed that all parameters were within acceptable limits except fluoride and cadmium, which exceeded recommended thresholds in samples from Investment Quarters. The computed WQI values were 93.47 for Investment Quarters and 2.69 for Sabon Gari, indicating that the water from Investment Quarters falls under the 'very poor' quality category, while water from Sabon Gari falls under the 'excellent' category. Consequently, groundwater from the Sabon Gari borehole is suitable for human consumption and domestic use, whereas the water from the Investment Quarters borehole is unfit for consumption.
