Abstract:
Groundwater is one of the most important sources of drinking water in Ethiopia. Hence, it is
important to assess the quality of these water sources as it might be contaminated by various
human activities. The main purpose of the study was to assess some physico-chemical water
quality parameters in ground water sources used for human consumption in Burayu town, Shager
City, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia. Samples were obtained from seven (Sansus, Stadium,
Tatek, Masgid, Chafe, M/Iyesus and Industry) sampling sites for physic-chemical parameters and
heavy metals analysis during the dry season. A wet digestion procedure using mixtures of 2.0 ml
of HNO3 (69 - 72%), 1.0 ml of HCl (37%) and 0.5 ml H2O2 of (30%) solution was employed
prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) analysis of Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb and
Zn. The accuracy of the procedure was evaluated by analyzing the digest of the spiked samples
and the percentage recoveries which varied from 90.14 to 97.18%. The levels of the selected
physicochemical parameters of the groundwater were found to be: EC, turbidity, temperature,
pH, TDS, alkalinity, PO4 3-, SO4 2-, NO3
-, Cl-, Ca, Mg, and total hardness. Similarly, the mean
concentration results of the studied heavy metals were in the range of (mg/l): Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd
(ND), Ni (ND), and Cr (ND). Pb was below the method detection limit in all the sampling sites.
A comparison of the measured parameters with the national and international standards set by
EDWQ (2010) and WHO (2008) shows that all the parameters measured were below the
maximum standard permissible limits. This indicates that the groundwater was less contaminated
and therefor suitable for drinking purposes. However, continuous monitoring of these studied
parameters and other physicochemical and biological parameters are vital to keep the health and
safety of the consumers.
