EFFICIENCY OF SELECTED LOCAL TREATMENT METHODS IN IMPROVING WELL WATER QUALITY

Water quality is a crucial determinant of public health, and contamination of well water poses significant risks, especially in developing regions. This study evaluated the physicochemical and microbial quality of well water from Aba Ago, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, and examined the efficiency of six locally available treatment methods—chitosan, alum, activated carbon, calcium hypochlorite, boiling, and salting. Standard APHA (2017) and WHO (2022) procedures were employed to analyze parameters such as pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), conductivity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), hardness, heavy metals, and microbial load. The untreated well water showed poor quality with pH (6.2), turbidity (38.5 NTU), and iron (0.65 mg/L) above WHO limits, indicating contamination by organic and inorganic pollutants. Among the treatments, alum produced the highest turbidity reduction (89.4%), while activated carbon recorded the greatest COD removal (81.4%). Chitosan exhibited excellent adsorption capacity for heavy metals, removing 86.9% Fe, 81.4% Pb, and 78.7% Cu. Calcium hypochlorite and boiling achieved total microbial elimination (97.8–100%), while salting and activated carbon showed minimal antimicrobial activity. Overall performance followed the order: chitosan ≈ calcium hypochlorite > boiling > alum > activated carbon > salting. The findings demonstrate that chitosan and calcium hypochlorite are effective, low-cost, and sustainable methods for improving well water safety. Their combined application is recommended for domestic water purification in resource-limited communities.