Assessment of the Water Quality of the Oti River in Ghana

Abstract

Oti river, an important tributary of the Volta lake in Ghana, was chosen as a case study to investigate the variations in the quality of its water at different locations. This was necessitated by the people's reliance on the river for their domestic and agricultural water use. Composite water samples drawn from some sections of the Oti river were analysed in the laboratory for certain parameters to enable assessment of water quality. The observed results of the laboratory analyses are compared with the 2003 Ghana Raw Water Criteria and Guidelines for domestic use. The results indicated that turbidity, total iron, faecal coliforms and total coliforms were above the limits set out by the 2003 Ghana Raw Water Criteria and Guidelines for domestic use. Thus, the water from Oti river was considered unsuitable for direct human consumption at the sampled locations. Using the Water Quality Index (WQI) Calculator 1.0, the WQI for Oti river was calculated to be 39.3. The WQI indicates that water quality in the Oti river was poor. This implies that the water quality is almost always threatened or impaired; conditions usually depart from natural or desirable levels. Public awareness with respect to the need to boil and/or filter the water before drinking is called for. Sanitary facilities to control river pollution and appropriate water treatments techniques are required in the area to improve the welfare of the riparian dwellers.

Heavy Metals in Soil and Vegetables Irrigated with Ex- Tin Mining Ponds Water in Barkin - Ladi Local Government Area Plateau State, Nigeria

“…The high levels of these metals in this vegetable might be as a result of the use of pesticides and herbicides and irrigated with tin mine water [60]. This also agrees with the findings that, the application of large volumes of partially treated or untreated wastewater in some parts of Africa has adversely affected both surface water bodies and the urban and peri-urban farmers using these water bodies as sources of irrigation [61].…”

Effects of Fish Cage Culture on Water and Sediment Quality in the Gorge Area of Lake Volta in Ghana: A Case Study of Lee Fish Cage Farm

“…The TC recorded in this study was similar to values observed by Abdul-Razak et al (2009) who recorded TC levels ranging from 770 -8820 cfu/100 ml. The high TC counts observed at the control site in this study may be due to anthropogenic activities such as tourism and sewage from the villages around the area.…”

“…The values recorded were slightly higher but comparable to findings by Asase (2013) who had mean value of 28.50 ± 0.04 mg/l on the Volta Lake in Akosombo. When compared with the values of 34 -52 mg/l showed by Abdul-Razak et al (2009) in the Oti arm of the Volta Lake, alkalinity values during this study was lower. Samah (2012) also recorded alkalinity values of 12.68 -16.05 mg/l in the Asukawkaw River.…”

Quality Assessment of River Offin along a Canopy Cover Gradient

“…Our findings suggest that water in River Offin is softer than water from other rivers in Ghana e.g. River Oti [32]. Turbidity was highest at the semi-closed canopy.…”