TITLE:
Assessment of Nitrates and Nitrites in Borehole Water from the Southern and the Northern Region of Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)
AUTHORS:
Jean Stéphane Claon, Kouassi Kouakou Serge, Sérikipré Laurent, Seka M’Bassidjé Arsène, N’Guettia Kossonou Roland, Traoré Aïcha, Djamanallico Joseph, Kouadio Kouakou Luc
KEYWORDS:
Drinking Water, pH, Turbidity, TOC, Nitrates, Nitrites, Health Effect
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Hydrology,
Vol.14 No.2,
March
28,
2024
ABSTRACT: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of water from village boreholes
by measuring physicochemical parameters such as nitrates, nitrites, and total
organic carbon (TOC). Forty-five (45) village pumps from the Southern (Basse Côte)
and the Northern (Korhogo) region of Cte d’Ivoire (west Africa) were sampled.
Physicochemical parameters such as temperature, pH, conductivity at 25˚C, and turbidity were determined in
situ, while nitrite and nitrate were analyzed according to ISO 10304-1
(2007) standard and total organic carbon (TOC) by NF EN 1484 (1997) standard.
The results showed that the borehole waters of the Basse Côte and
Korhogo analyzed are acidic, with an average temperature of 27.51˚C ± 0.16˚C and 29.95˚C ± 0.51˚C respectively for the Basse Côte and
Korhogo regions. The borehole waters of the Basse Côtedo not contain
nitrites, while those of Korhogo have average nitrite contents of 0.32 mg/l.
The average nitrate rate in the waters of the Basse Côte and Korhogo
are 12.08 ± 2.11 mg/l and 11.03 ± 3.18 mg/l respectively. The average TOC
concentration of the waters of the Basse Côte is 1.28 ± 0.32 mg/l and
that of Korhogo is 0.56 ± 0.09 mg/L. The study showed that the borehole waters
of the Basse Côte and Korhogo have average temperatures between 27.4˚C and 29.95˚C with a slightly acidic pH value and
acceptable salinity. The TOC concentrations obtained at the different sampling
points were all below the French standard (2 mg/L) except for certains pumps of
the Basse Côte. The water samples from the Basse Côte were
devoid of nitrite. On the other hand, those from Korhogo revealed the presence
of nitrite. Also, the borehole waters of the regions of the Basse Côte
and Korhogo contain relatively high nitrate contents, presumably due to
anthropometric activity. Overall, our study on the quality of drinking water
showed that the waters analyzed are in compliance with international standards
and safe for consumption.