The Assessment of The Effect of Proximity of Septic Tanks on The Levels of Selected Heavy Metals in Borehole Water from Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County, Kenya

Authors

  • N. K. Ochiba  Department of Chemistry, University of Nairobi, P.O Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
  • D. A. Abong'o  Department of Chemistry, University of Nairobi, P.O Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
  • J.O. Onyatta  Department of Chemistry, University of Nairobi, P.O Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya

DOI:

https://doi.org//10.32628/IJSRSET218424

Keywords:

Heavy metals, Septic tank distance, borehole water, assessment, Levels

Abstract

The study was carried out to evaluate the levels of heavy metals in groundwater samples from ten selected boreholes in Ongata Rongai town, Kajiado County. The selected heavy metals analyzed were: Zn, Pb, Hg, Mn, Cd and Cr in the dry and wet seasons. The effect of the proximity of septic tanks distance to borehole was also determined. The statistical analyses of the data using a 2-way ANOVA showed 95% confidence level (p<0.05) interdependence of the distance from the boreholes and contaminant levels. The study showed that heavy metals were below the maximum recommended level and the guideline values of World Health Organization and Kenya Bureau of Standards. The analyses of the selected heavy metals, by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, revealed that the detected levels of Mn (0.03±0.01 - 0.26±0.01 mgl-1) were higher than those recommended by WHO and KEBS of 0.01 mgl-1, while Zn (0.11±0.02 - 0.73±0.01 mgl-1) are within acceptable levels of WHO (3.0 mgl-1) and KEBS (5.0 mgl-1). There was no strong correlation between the distance of borehole from septic tanks and heavy metal levels in water samples. The low detected values should not be overlooked as the heavy metals are capable of bio-accumulating in body tissues.

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International Journal of Scientific Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

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Published

2021-08-30

Issue

Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August-2021

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Research Articles

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[1]
N. K. Ochiba, D. A. Abong'o, J.O. Onyatta, " The Assessment of The Effect of Proximity of Septic Tanks on The Levels of Selected Heavy Metals in Borehole Water from Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County, Kenya, International Journal of Scientific Research in Science, Engineering and Technology(IJSRSET), Print ISSN : 2395-1990, Online ISSN : 2394-4099, Volume 8, Issue 4, pp.64-76, July-August-2021. Available at doi : https://doi.org/10.32628/IJSRSET218424