Borehole water has been the main source of drinking water for the communities living within the Nnewi metropolis. The quality of this borehole water has been significantly affected by the presence of unlined waste dumpsites which release leachates. The present study investigated the physicochemical characteristics and quality of borehole water located around the environment of the unlined dumpsite in Nnewi. In this study, thirty-two (32) borehole water samples were collected from around the dumpsite (16) and control (16) areas in wet and dry seasons. The levels of the physicochemical parameters were determined using the American Public Health Association (APHA) standard methods. The quality of the borehole water was compared with World Health Organization (WHO) permissible drinking water limits. The pollution index (PI) and water quality index (WQI) of the borehole water were also evaluated. The results also showed that only the nitrite values in the dumpsite area for both seasons were above the WHO drinking water limits. The summation of the pollution indices were above the critical value of 1 in both seasons for the study areas. The WQI revealed that the water samples were heavily polluted with the most polluted being the dumpsite area in both seasons. The results revealed that the underground water in the dumpsite area was contaminated through the uncontrolled release of leachates from dumpsite. The contamination from the control area may not be related to the dumpsite but was linked to irregular waste disposal sites, wastewater infiltration and run-off from farmlands. The borehole water samples was not good for drinking and domestic purposes without proper treatment.
A major population of Udi and Ezeagu communities residing along river Ajali is peasant farmers who engage in the cultivation of vegetables along the river banks during the dry seasons. The existence of beverage industries around the 9th Mile Corner Ngwo of Enugu State has caused both communities to suffer from a shortage of quality drinking water, due to the constant discharge of wastewater by these industries into the Ajali River, which flows through these communities. Ajali River water near some beverage industries was then assessed for irrigation application. Water samples were collected from different locations along the river. Physicochemical and ionic parameters were analyzed using standard methods. Irrigation water criteria were applied, and the result showed that the major cation and anions were Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+, K+ and HCO3−, SO42−, $${\text{PO}}_{4}^{3- }$$
PO
4
3
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, NO3−, Cl−, CO3− . Na+ was dominant with 43% average contribution of all the cations, while the least was Mg2+ with 4% average contribution; HCO3− was the dominant anion with 31% contribution while $${\text{PO}}_{4}^{3- }$$
PO
4
3
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was the least with 2% average contribution. The trend of the cations was Na+ > K+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ while the anions were HCO3− > SO42− > Cl− > NO3− > CO3− > PO43−. The cation concentrations were within FAO irrigation water specifications. However, some samples recorded higher values of carbonate above FAO limit (0–3 mg/L). All the irrigation assessment criteria suggested that Ajali River water is suitable for irrigation purposes.
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