Effects of Urban Land Use on Some Groundwater Quality Parameters in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the impact of urban land use on groundwater chemistry in Ilorin metropolis with particular reference to industrial, agricultural, abattoir, waste dumpsite, cemetery and institutional land use. Due to the existing land use, Purposive sampling technique was adopted to sample groundwater from 36 points in 6 different land uses in the study area. These were taken to the Biochemistry Laboratory, University of Ilorin for analysis. The water parameters determined are nitrate, pH, total hardness, coli form count, phosphate, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Both descriptive (bar graph) and inferential (new duncan multiple range test) statistical methods were employed in the analysis of the data and used to determine the variation in concentration of groundwater parameters between the land use. The study revealed that there is a significant relationship between urban land uses and all the groundwater parameters considered. The study recommends that relevant agencies should make continuous effort to educate the populace on the impact of indiscriminate waste disposal on groundwater quality within the study area.