Assessment and Distribution of Metal Pollutants in Fadama Soils along River Ngadda and Alau Dam in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

Elemental metal pollutants concentration levels and their distribution in soils obtained from farmlands along the bank of river Ngadda and Alau dam in Maiduguri, Borno State, North-East of Nigeria is presented. The study was aimed at determining the levels of contamination of soils with metal pollutants used for fadama farming along the bank of river Ngadda and Alau dam with the objectives of assessing the contamination levels of the soils with metal pollutants from the various farmlands at the various sampled sites of study, and the distribution of the various metal pollutant in the various sampled sites. Soil samples were collected from thirteen different sites on the farmlands along the bank of the river and the dam. The samples were analyzed using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and the result obtained indicate that the concentration level of some of the elements determined were above maximum allowable concentration (MAC) value while some below the (MAC) values for example the concentration range for Cr was (16 ± 2 -47 ±3) ppm, Sb was (0.18 ± 0.04 -14.2 ± 7) ppm, Zn was (21.8 ± 4 -145 ± 7) ppm and the maximum Original Research Articlevalues for these ranges exceed the (MAC) value recommended for Agricultural soils while the concentration ranges for As was (0.46 ± 0.12 -1.0 ± 0.2)ppm, Co was (1.6 ± 0.3 -5.3 ± 0.4) ppm, Vn was (14.6 ± 2.32 -29 ± 2) ppm with the maximum value for these ranges being below the MAC values given by some countries. The elements obtained from samples collected from different study areas along the bank of river Ngadda and Alau dam were analyzed for similarity distribution of the study area using mathematical tool of cluster analysis technique employing hierarchical procedure and using WARD's method. The result obtained produce a dendrogram consisting of two clusters comprising of six and seven sites with percentage similarity of 96.5% and 90.8% respectively with one site as an outlier. It is recommended that since some of the trace metals namely Cr, Sb, and Zn assessed in the fadama soils indicates concentrations above the MAC values, they can posed negative health implications to consumers of food which were cultivated on soils from the study area, therefore there is the need to condition the soils before using it for farming so as to make it suitable for food crop farming.

Seasonal Variability of Phytoplanktons in the Non-Point Source Polluted River Nggada, Maiduguri – Borno State, Nigeria

“…The city has an annual mean temperature of 37°C with 2 main river systems (Nggadabul and Nggada) which converge, taking the name River Nggada. Both rivers are known for their circular flow (Bukar et al, 2016;Bwala, 2019, Bwala andTarfa, 2020;Bwala, 2021a,c).…”

Water scarcity measurement in the Yobe region of Nigeria

“…Studies by Ezenwanji (2012); Obeta and Chickwu (2013) opined that the Nigerian rural population continue to use rivers, ponds, lakes, springs and rainwater as their main sources of water supply, faces great risks to their health and wellbeing. These water sources are classified as unimproved according to the WHO/UNICEF ( 2006) classifications as quoted in the studies by Obeta and Chikwu (2013) as well as Bukar and Daura (2015). The improved sources are considered better sources in terms of quality and to a certain degree, reliability while unimproved sources tend to be highly seasonal and are generally open to contamination and carry health risks (Bukar & Daura, 2015).…”

“…These water sources are classified as unimproved according to the WHO/UNICEF ( 2006) classifications as quoted in the studies by Obeta and Chikwu (2013) as well as Bukar and Daura (2015). The improved sources are considered better sources in terms of quality and to a certain degree, reliability while unimproved sources tend to be highly seasonal and are generally open to contamination and carry health risks (Bukar & Daura, 2015). The study finding also positioned the households as the poor and marginalized fraction of the population, faced with water scarcity -as about two-thirds of them depends on the lower rung of the water service ladder.…”

“…The FGDs added the prevalence of diseases such as typhoid fever, malaria fever and bilharzia, which could be associated with the water scarcity and confirmed the insecurity of the water sources and the poverty extent of the households. A study by Bukar and Daura (2015) revealed that domestic water provision is a culturally assigned responsibility on women and children, who are often economically active, in the semi-arid environment and indeed rural Africa. The UNDP ( 2006) reported the annual loss of 40 billion productive hours and 443 million school days to fetching water in sub-Saharan Africa.…”

Seasonal variations in the level of heavy metals in the water of minor rivers

“…Біологічна небезпечність металів визначається також тим, що вони зазнають модулювального впливу температури, рН середовища, вмісту кисню, присутності хелатувальних агентів та низки інших чинників (Grubinko et al, 2011). Одночасно сполуки важких металів відіграють важливу роль у життєдіяльності всіх організмів, оскільки у невеликих кількостях проявляють високу фізіологічну активність та виконують роль активаторів біохімічних та фізіологічних процесів (Elkady et al, 2015;Bukar et al, 2016;Prokopchuk and Grubinko, 2016). Збільшення їх природних концентрацій зумовлює токсичний вплив на живі організми (Bruins et al, 2000;Dragun et al, 2009).…”