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Total coliforms, arsenic and cadmium exposure through drinking water in the Western Region of Ghana: application of multivariate statistical technique to groundwater quality

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment volume 187, Article number: 1 (2015) Cite this article

Abstract

In recent times, surface water resource in the Western Region of Ghana has been found to be inadequate in supply and polluted by various anthropogenic activities. As a result of these problems, the demand for groundwater by the human populations in the peri-urban communities for domestic, municipal and irrigation purposes has increased without prior knowledge of its water quality. Water samples were collected from 14 public hand-dug wells during the rainy season in 2013 and investigated for total coliforms, Escherichia coli, mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and physicochemical parameters. Multivariate statistical analysis of the dataset and a linear stoichiometric plot of major ions were applied to group the water samples and to identify the main factors and sources of contamination. Hierarchal cluster analysis revealed four clusters from the hydrochemical variables (R-mode) and three clusters in the case of water samples (Q-mode) after z score standardization. Principal component analysis after a varimax rotation of the dataset indicated that the four factors extracted explained 93.3 % of the total variance, which highlighted salinity, toxic elements and hardness pollution as the dominant factors affecting groundwater quality. Cation exchange, mineral dissolution and silicate weathering influenced groundwater quality. The ranking order of major ions was Na+ > Ca2+ > K+ > Mg2+ and Cl− > SO4 2− > HCO3 −. Based on piper plot and the hydrogeology of the study area, sodium chloride (86 %), sodium hydrogen carbonate and sodium carbonate (14 %) water types were identified. Although E. coli were absent in the water samples, 36 % of the wells contained total coliforms (Enterobacter species) which exceeded the WHO guidelines limit of zero colony-forming unit (CFU)/100 mL of drinking water. With the exception of Hg, the concentration of As and Cd in 79 and 43 % of the water samples exceeded the WHO guideline limits of 10 and 3 μg/L for drinking water, respectively. Reported values in some areas in Nigeria, Malaysia and USA indicated that the maximum concentration of Cd was low and As was high in this study. Health risk assessment of Cd, As and Hg based on average daily dose, hazard quotient and cancer risk was determined. In conclusion, multiple natural processes and anthropogenic activities from non-point sources contributed significantly to groundwater salinization, hardness, toxic element and microbiological contamination of the study area. The outcome of this study can be used as a baseline data to prioritize areas for future sustainable development of public wells.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Kwabenya, Accra, Ghana for the laboratory space, the supply of reagents and financial support, without which this research work would not have been possible. In addition, we also express our profound thanks to Micheal Doleku of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accca, Ghana; Micheal Nash of the Nuclear Chemistry and Environmental Research Centre, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Accra, Ghana; and Bob Essien of the Chemistry Department, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana, for their assistance in any aspect of the entire work.

Conflict of interest

None.

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Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Chemistry and Environmental Research Centre, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, P.O. Box LG 80, Legon, Accra, Ghana

    Andrews Obeng Affum, Shiloh Dede Osae, Benjamin Jabez Botwe Nyarko, Samuel Afful, Joseph Richmond Fianko, Tetteh Thomas Akiti & Dickson Adomako

  2. The School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, Ghana Atomic Energy/University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

    Joseph Richmond Fianko, Tetteh Thomas Akiti & Dickson Adomako

  3. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana

    Micheal Dorleku

  4. Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 25, Legon, Accra, Ghana

    Emmanuel Antoh

  5. KAAF University College, Accra, Ghana

    Enoch Acheampong Affum

  6. Chemistry Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

    Samuel Osafo Acquaah

  7. German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD Information Center Accra), Accra, Ghana

    Felix Barnes

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  3. Benjamin Jabez Botwe Nyarko
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  4. Samuel Afful
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  5. Joseph Richmond Fianko
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  6. Tetteh Thomas Akiti
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  12. Enoch Acheampong Affum
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrews Obeng Affum.

Additional information

Highlights

• Groundwater quality of hand-dug wells in peri-urban communities was characterized by multivariate analysis.

• Cadmium and arsenic levels in 43 and 79 % of wells were above WHO guideline values.

• Total coliforms in 36 % of wells were above WHO guideline values.

• Saline and sodium carbonate water types were identified in the study area.

• Health risk assessment indicates that groundwater in the study area is a health hazard.

• Geogenic and anthropogenic processes controlled groundwater quality in the study area.

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Affum, A.O., Osae, S.D., Nyarko, B.J.B. et al. Total coliforms, arsenic and cadmium exposure through drinking water in the Western Region of Ghana: application of multivariate statistical technique to groundwater quality. Environ Monit Assess 187, 1 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-4167-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-4167-x

Keywords

  • Total coliforms
  • Toxic elements
  • Multivariate analysis
  • Health risk assessment
  • Drinking water
  • Hand-dug wells