Ayeta Emuobonuvie G, Yafetto Levi, Lutterodt George, Ogbonna Joel F, Miyittah Michael K
Centre for Coastal Management, Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Heliyon. 2024 May 22;10(11):e31652. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31652. eCollection 2024 Jun 15.
Self-supply water sources, particularly groundwater sources, play key roles in the water supply ecosystem of developing countries. Recent studies indicate that groundwater sources in coastal communities in Ghana are under threat from improper waste management practices, seawater intrusion and atmospheric aerosol deposition. In this study, Water Quality Index (WQI) and Nemerow's Pollution Index (NPI) were employed to assess groundwater quality in four coastal communities of Ghana. The health risks associated with metal pollution of groundwater were investigated using incremental life cancer risk and hazard quotient. pH of groundwater in all the studied communities were acidic during the rainy season. Electrical conductivity ranged from 0.44 to 2.61 mS/cm in the rainy season and from 0.43 to 2.45 mS/cm in the dry season for the four studied locations. Results also showed brackish conditions and mineralization of groundwater in Winneba, Accra, and Keta. Mean nitrate concentrations in Winneba and Accra were higher than the WHO standards for both the rainy and the dry season. Arsenic was higher than the acceptable level in Accra and Keta during the dry season, while iron was higher than the acceptable levels in Accra in both the rainy and dry seasons. Principal Component Analyses showed that Pb, As, and Fe had the highest loading in the first component in Essiama, while PO and Pb had the highest loading in the second component in Accra. WQI showed that the quality of groundwater in all the studied communities ranged from marginal to poor indicating that groundwater in the coastal communities often or usually departs from desirable quality. NPI revealed that NO- , As, and Fe contribute to groundwater deterioration. Health risk assessment showed that As posed a high cancer risk in Accra and potential cancer risk in Essiama, Winneba, and Keta during the dry season. As also posed potential cancer risk in Accra during the rainy season. Non-cancer health risk was observed for As in Accra and Keta. The findings of this study suggest urgent regulations and monitoring strategies to improve groundwater quality in the coastal communities of Ghana.
自给水源，尤其是地下水源，在发展中国家的供水生态系统中发挥着关键作用。最近的研究表明，加纳沿海社区的地下水源受到不当废物管理做法、海水入侵和大气气溶胶沉积的威胁。在本研究中，采用水质指数（WQI）和内梅罗污染指数（NPI）评估加纳四个沿海社区的地下水质量。利用增量生命致癌风险和危害商数调查了与地下水金属污染相关的健康风险。在雨季，所有研究社区的地下水pH值均呈酸性。四个研究地点的电导率在雨季为0.44至2.61毫西门子/厘米，在旱季为0.43至2.45毫西门子/厘米。结果还显示，温尼巴、阿克拉和凯塔存在微咸水状况和地下水矿化现象。温尼巴和阿克拉的平均硝酸盐浓度在雨季和旱季均高于世界卫生组织标准。旱季时，阿克拉和凯塔的砷含量高于可接受水平，而雨季和旱季时，阿克拉的铁含量均高于可接受水平。主成分分析表明，在埃西亚马，铅、砷和铁在第一成分中的负荷最高，而在阿克拉，磷酸盐和铅在第二成分中的负荷最高。水质指数表明，所有研究社区的地下水质量从边缘到较差不等，这表明沿海社区的地下水经常或通常不符合理想质量。内梅罗污染指数显示，硝酸盐、砷和铁导致了地下水恶化。健康风险评估表明，旱季时，阿克拉的砷构成高致癌风险，埃西亚马、温尼巴和凯塔存在潜在致癌风险。雨季时，阿克拉的砷也存在潜在致癌风险。在阿克拉和凯塔观察到了砷的非致癌健康风险。本研究结果表明，需要采取紧急监管和监测策略来改善加纳沿海社区的地下水质量。
