Analysis of Physico-chemical Parameters to Evaluate the Drinking Water Quality Between Two Districts Kambia and Tonkolili in Sierra Leone

The aim of the study was to compare the physico-chemical characteristics of drinking water quality in two districts in Sierra Leone. Water samples were collected for three months (September to November) across five sampling locations. These samples were then examined for a number of physico-chemical characteristics, including temperature, pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), nitrate, residual chlorine, aluminum, copper, fluoride, iron, arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel, and mercury. The statistical values for the following parameters above were found to be within the WHO permissible values for both the Tonkolili and Kambia districts. However, some parameters exceeded the recommended WHO permissible limit for drinking water in the two districts: arsenic (2.36mg/l and 0.27mg/l), cadmium (3.69mg/l and 6.63), lead (3.03mg/l and 6.64mg/l), and mercury (1.21mg/l and 2.19mg/l) for Tonkolili and Kambia districts respectively, although the statistical standard deviation is very negligible for all four parameters. In terms of comparison between the two districts, the statistical values for salinity (0.00ppt and 0.00ppt) and iron (0.05mg/l and 0.35mg/l) for both Tonkolili and Kambia districts are within the WHO permissible limit for the samples collected in the Tonkolili district, while the samples collected in the Kambia district exceeded the recommended WHO permissible limit for the two parameters. Moreover, the statistical value for copper (4.44mg/l) exceeded the WHO standard for the samples collected in the Tonkolili district, while the samples collected from the Kambia district are found within the WHO standard for copper (0.002mg/l). conclusively, this study found that all water samples collected and examined in the two districts are safe and fit for drinking and domestic purposes. The author recommends that there should be regular monitoring and treatment (for instance, chlorinating) of the hand-dug wells and tap waters and also that other researchers undertake further studies in different seasons and also to consider other water quality parameters like the bacteriological parameters, radiological materials, etc.