Abstract

This study examined the possible effects of the proximity of hand-dug wells to septic tanks on the quality of water in Aregbe community, Ogun state. It was noted that the community is not a prominent beneficiary of government-provided water facilities hence the relatively high dependence of its residents on groundwater sources particularly hand-dug wells for their daily water needs. However, a sizable percentage of these hand-dug wells were sited close to their respective septic tanks. This study determined the number of hand-dug wells in the community, the distances between these hand-dug wells and their respective septic tanks, the presence and concentration of the pollutants (i.e. the physical, chemical and microbial parameters of water) in the groundwater with respect to the distances, comparison between the quality of the groundwater samples and international potable water standards and ultimately the possible effects of the groundwater consumption on human health in the study area. The result obtained from the laboratory analysis of the well water samples were statistically analysed using f-test and t- test Analysis of Variance and the mean values obtained for the parameters analysed were also compared with WHO standard for drinking water. The results obtained from the study showed that wells located farther from septic tanks in Aregbe community had better quality of water than the wells closer to the septic tanks indicating that wells in close proximity are liable to contamination which renders the water unfit for consumption