Abstract

The current study describes the primary water source for the Zaria community in Kaduna State, Nigeria, which is located in the Kubanni River Basin. Piper, Gibbs, and Durov diagrams were used to explain the hydrogeochemistry and physical processes of the groundwater samples that were examined. The Ca2+-Na2+-Cl-HCO3 type predominated in 87 % of the samples, according to the Piper plot, while the Ca-Na-Cl type predominance was higher in 13 % of the samples with normal alkaline earth water. The Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+ reverse ion exchange and simple mixing amongst these ions in the aquifer were the causes of the Durov plot indices, which showed the preponderance of alkali earth elements over normal alkali. Rock weathering was shown to be the predominant physical process in Gibbs' figure. Two principal components (PC1 and PC2), each accounting for 53.51 and 25.24 percent of the total, were obtained through PCA. 78.75% of the parameters with positive loadings > 0.75 on PC1 and PC2 were primarily in charge of hydrochemical processes. At 100, 90, and 90% of the samples, the SAR, salt content, and water quality index (WQI) all indicated that the samples were suitable for residential and irrigation use.

Introduction

The hydrochemistry of groundwater in aquifers is influenced by minerals from source rocks (Sunkari et al., 2023). The features of aquifers, which are primarily impacted by elements including water type, source, and the degree of contamination, can be understood by the hydrochemical study of groundwater. (Ige et al., 2022; Ferhati et al., 2023). The previous investigations conducted within our study area have predominantly concentrated on examining the impacts of industrial effluents and chemical pollutants on surface water resources in Zaria (Chigor et al. 2012). Nonetheless, limited consideration has been given to the assessment of groundwater quality, particularly concerning its appropriateness for domestic and irrigation applications. This study's major objective was to determine whether groundwater from the Kubanni River Basin was suitable for drinking and agriculture. In order to do this, the study gathered 30 samples of groundwater from wells and hand pumps in order to analyze their physicochemical characteristics. The Water Quality Index (WQI) was then used to compare the results to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for drinking water and household use. The samples' hydrogeochemistry was also assessed, and the study produced maps showing the key cations and anions that were present in the local groundwater. The GIS's IDW interpolation method was used to create these maps.

Discussion