WATER QUALITY

Access to safe drinking water is critical for achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, yet it remains a challenge in Nigeria, contributing to a high burden of waterborne diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the complex relationship between community perceptions of water quality and laboratory- confirmed health outcomes among residents in Ogbeson, a rural community in Edo State, Nigeria. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining socio-demographic and behavioral surveys with objective physicochemical and bacteriological analyses of drinking water samples. The population exhibited a relatively high educational level (49.5% with tertiary education) and moderate income. Water quality was assessed against World Health Organization (WHO) standards, and health status was determined through self-reported illness prevalence, particularly waterborne diseases.A major discrepancy was found between community confidence and actual water safety. A high proportion of respondents (78%) reported confidence in their main water source's reliability, often relying on sensory attributes (color, taste, odor) for quality assessment. This confidence directly contradicted laboratory findings of severe contamination, including pathogenic bacteria (E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus cereus, and Pseudomonas species) and chemical hazards like elevated nitrate (52.17 to 92.47 mg/L, exceeding the WHO limit of 50 mg/L) and acidic pH (4.43–6.37). The documented contamination correlated directly with a substantial acute disease burden: 42.7% of households reported water-related illnesses, with typhoid fever (55.7%) and diarrhea (42.3%) being the most prevalent. Despite high education and 74.1% of respondents treating water (predominantly by boiling), structural constraints undermined protective behaviors. Pervasive water supply intermittency (61.4% experiencing problems) and seasonal unreliability (94.2% during the dry season) necessitated unsafe water storage and increased recontamination risk. This was compounded by critical WASH infrastructure deficits, with 85.5% of the community lacking adequate facilities, particularly hand washing stations (87.1% lacking), alongside the near-total absence of community-based WASH programs (82.3% lacking). In conclusion, the Ogbeson community faces a public health emergency driven by the dangerous coexistence of high confidence in unsafe water sources, pervasive infrastructural failures, and an overwhelming burden of waterborne disease. Urgent, multisectoral interventions are required to resolve water supply intermittency, invest in foundational WASH infrastructure, and implement integrated community programs to align risk perception with objective reality, thereby achieving health equity and SDG 6 alignment

This study assessed the water quality of the fish pond located at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, with the aim of determining its Water Quality Index (WQI) and proposing environmentally sustainable alternative uses in the event of water exchange or discharge. The study was carried out in response to the growing need for scientific evaluation of aquaculture effluents, which, if improperly managed, may cause ecological degradation through nutrient enrichment, heavy metal buildup, and microbial contamination. The research therefore sought to evaluate the physicochemical and microbial characteristics of the pond water, compute its WQI using the Arithmetic Weightage Index Model, and recommend safe reuse or disposal options. Water samples were collected from two ponds (Sample A and Sample B) representing five-day and thirteen-day retention periods respectively. Laboratory analyses were performed in the Civil Engineering Hydraulics/Water Laboratory following APHA (2017) standard methods to determine parameters such as pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), etc. The obtained data were analyzed using the Arithmetic Weightage Index Model, where individual parameter values were compared against WHO (2017) and FAO (2011) standards to derive the overall WQI and corresponding water quality grades The results showed that Sample A, with a WQI of 20.41, was classified as Excellent, indicating that the pond water met acceptable limits. Sample B, with a WQI of 51.69, fell under the Poor category, signifying moderate pollution resulting from prolonged water retention, organic enrichment, and higher microbial counts. Consequently, while Sample A water could be reused or safely discharged without treatment, Sample B water required simple treatment such as aeration or sedimentation prior to reuse or discharge. The study concluded that proper monitoring of water quality and periodic application of the WQI approach are vital for sustainable aquaculture management. It recommended regular effluent testing, adoption of low cost pre-treatment systems, and reuse of treated pond water for agricultural irrigation or secondary aquaculture to reduce environmental pollution and promote resource conservation.

River systems are valuable to human beings; meanwhile, they are intensively influenced by human activities. especially urbanization. In this study, we evaluated water quality of Amagba- Okoroma River, Benin City using analysis of water physico-chemical parameters recorded seasonally from March to April 2023 (dry season) and June and July 2023 (rainy season). Three sampling sites were selected along the course of the river from upstream (site 1) to downstream (site 3) associated with various anthropogenic activities. Water samples were collected and anlysed using standard procedure. Of the 21 water physico-chemical parameters anlysed, 5 parameters namely, turbidity (15.5 NTU), pH (5.4), Cr (0.15 mg/L), Cu (0.34 mg/L) and Zn (0.66 mg/L) exceeded the stipulated Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) guidelines. The result revealed that 3 parameters, namely, air temperature, water depth, and transparency showed
significant spatial variation across the three sites. Additionally, statistically significant seasonal variation was observed in 2 parameters in dry and rainy season namely, nitrate-nitrogen and sulphate. Water quality index (WQI) results reveal that water samples from each site were rated to be of excellent water quality, however, site 1 upstream had the best quality followed by site 2 and site 3 respectively. To preserve this water resource against pollution, the implementation of stringent guidelines as well as routine biomonitoring are needed to enhance its health status