dc.description.abstract |
Assessing the quality of groundwater for a better management of the water sources is essential.
This study is aimed at evaluating the groundwater quality of Debre Tabor town. Twelve
groundwater samples were collected at hand dung wells during wet season (Mid July-Mid August,
2020) and dry season (1
st
February –Mid March, 2021). Various physico-chemical parameters (pH,
electrical conductivity (EC), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Temperature, Turbidity, Calcium
(Ca
2+
), Magnesium (Mg
2+
), Chloride (Cl
-), Nitrate (No3
-) and microbiological parameters (Total
coliform and Feacal coliform)) were analyzed and compared with the standard guidelines
recommended by WHO. GIS was used to show the distribution of groundwater quality throughout
the study area. WQI created by Canadian Council of Minster of the Environment (CCME) was
applied to evaluate the suitability of the groundwater for drinking purposes. Also, the result shows
that total coliform and faecal coliform at all groundwater wells were not suitable for drinking
purpose. The result shows that Electrical conductivity, Temperature, Nitrate, Chloride and
Magnesium at all groundwater wells were suitable for drinking purpose for both dry and wet
season whereas Turbidity, pH, Calcium and Total Dissolved Solids are suitable for drinking
purpose at some groundwater wells but not suitable at some wells. The water quality analysis result
shows that spatial and seasonal variations of the parameters are significant throughout the study
area(p<0.05). According to CCMEWQI result seven groundwater samples show poor water
quality status of 40.53-44 while, five groundwater samples show marginal water quality status of
44.19-55.82. Based on the information provided by the study, it is recommended to identify the
source of contamination, provide properly designed sanitation systems and to monitor water
quality at least once per year for effective and proper management of the groundwater quality. |
en_US |