WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF ASHAKA COMMUNITY USING PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS (PCA).

Water quality assessment of Ashaka Community has been carried out using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to determine the prevalent parameters during wet and dry seasons respectively. The total of ten (10) samples; nine (9) groundwater and one (1) surface water sample(s) were collected at random to cover the area of study during both seasons. The results showed that pH, EC, Cl, TSS and alkalinity were the most prevalent parameters in both seasons. Furthermore, other parameters measured besides pH, E-Coli and Coliform counts were below the values set by the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) and World Health Organization (WHO). The high values of E-Coli and Coliform counts revealed the presence of biological contaminants in the water. The moderately acidic values obtained in the water samples and the high concentration of E-Coli and Coliform counts rendered the water unfit for drinking except routine treatment is administered( a neutralizing filter is used if drinking water is acidic to raise the pH to neutral synthetic magnesium oxide treats water with pH less than 6). However, the quality of water in the area can be used for crops production.