Efficiency of Water Treatment at the Barekese Headworks

Physicochemical, bacteriological and heavy metal analyses of raw and treated water at the Barekese Headworks were carried out between December, 2017 and February, 2018.This study was undertaken to ascertain the Ä?ĸcÄ?cy of the treatment processes employed at the Headworks by comparing the recorded values of the water samples analysed to the World Health KrŐÄ?nŝƐÄ?tiŽn (WHO) guideline limits for quality drinking water. Physicochemical parameters (temperature, pH, turbidity, colour, chloride ions, magnesium ions, calcium ions, total hardness, magnesium hardness, calcium hardness, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids and electrical cŽnÄ?ƵctivŝÆ?y)Í? bacteriological (total and faecal coliform) and heavy metals (Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb), Copper (Cu), Aluminium (Al)) were assessed. The Barekese raw water showed temperature 25.0â?? ± 0.26â??, pH 6.7 ± 0.10, turbidity 27.87 ± 7.32 NTU, E.C 190.33 ± 8.52 µS/cm, total hardness 63.53 ± 2.36 mg/l, TDS 72.97 ± 9.85 mg/l, calcium hardness 41.63 ± 1.65 mg/l, magnesium hardness 21.90 ± 1.93 mg/l, calcium 16.63 ± 0.65 mg/l, magnesium 5.33 ± 0.47 mg/l, total alkalinity 56.43 ± 4.27 mg/l, chloride 17.97 ± 2.08 mg/l, apparent and true colour 257.97 ± 53.75 Hz and 14.33 ± 6.02 Hz rÄ?ƐÆ?Ä?ctivÄ?ůyÍ? total and faecal coliform 2.923 x 102 ± 1.0002 x 102 cfu/ml and 2.3 x 101 ± 0.692 x 101 cfu/ml rÄ?ƐÆ?Ä?ctivÄ?ůyÍ? The values of the treated water obtained for the aforesaid parameters were within the WHO acceptable limit with the Ä?xcÄ?Æ?tiŽn of temperature which was 0.6â?? above the maximum acceptable limit. This study revealed that the raw water is unsafe for drinking and Ä?ŽmÄ?Ɛtic purposes without prior treatment. However, the treated water showed an appreciable level of water quality in terms of the assessed parameters and this is an ŝnÄ?ŝcÄ?tiŽn of the Ä?ĸcŝÄ?ncy of the treatment processes.

Author(s): Isaac Newton Odei Asare, Abiba Liman, Evans Naa

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