LEVELS OF HEAVY METALS ON GROUNDWATER IN ABAKALIKI AND ITS ENVIRONS,

Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT: The present study was aimed to assess the levels of heavy metals in Abakaliki and its environs, south eastern Nigeria. A total number of 15 water samples (12 boreholes and 3 hand dug wells of groundwater points) were collected from different locations of the study area and analyzed for the concentration of heavy metals: As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer of Perkin-Elmer Analyst 100 Model. The pH of the water samples were determined using Hanna digital pH meter. The result of the analysis showed that water samples from the area have pH range of 6.0-7.8 which falls within the acceptable limit of WHO, 2008 standard permissible limit for portable water. The concentration of these metals in groundwater were found in the ranges of As (nil-2.40mg/l), Cd (0.06-0.41mg/l), Cu (nil-3.10mg/l), Ni (0.08-1.15mg/l), Pb (0.10-0.90mg/l) and Zn (nil-1.35mg/l). The result also revealed that some water samples in some locations such as Hausa quarters, off Onwe road, Azu-Ebonyi, Mechanic village, Ogoja road and Building Materials contained As, Cd, Cu, Ni and Pb that exceeded permissible limit recommended by WHO standard. It also showed that the distribution of these metals was found in both the two sources of waters sampled (borehole and hand dug well) in the area. The reason for these heavy metals in groundwater could be as a result of hydrochemical activities within the rock formations that bear the groundwater in the area. As a result, adequate hydro geological studies should be carried out when locating boreholes in the area fo