Assessment of Shallow Wells of Public Importance in Selected Areas of Ekiti State Capital City, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria

Groundwater is one of the main sources of public water supply all over the world. This study assessed hand-dug wells of economic importance in selected areas of Ado Ekiti in relation to terrain characteristics. A total of 15 wells were randomly sampled with replicates from 5 densely populated parts of the study area. Water samples collected were processed and analyzed in the laboratory using established scientific methods. Results showed that physicochemical characteristics of the sampled groundwater compared favorably with the standard for drinking water, except for phosphate (PO₄³⁻) concentration, which was above the permissible limit of 0.1 mg/L. Moreover, while lead (Pb²⁺) was within the acceptable limits of 0.001 mg/L, cadmium (Cd²⁺) and iron (Fe²⁺) mean values of 0.01 and 16.723 mg/L were above the permissible limits of 0.003 and 0.03 mg/L, respectively. All the samples analyzed were found to contain total coliforms. Piper diagram indicates prevalence of chloride anion facies and a small portion of sulfate with no carbonate ions. There was no dominant water type among the cations. The chemical makeup mainly showed the prevalence of strong acids (Cl⁻) and slightly alkaline earth elements (Ca²⁺). The Schoeller plot suggests the dominance of calcium and elevated chloride concentrations in comparison to other ions. The water quality index indicated widespread pollution in most of the sampled water, showing that the shallow wells are not suitable for drinking purposes except in Adebayo and Erifun axis as expected. The study revealed terrain's influence and unprofessional construction of wells. A holistic water safety plan is imperative in the area and thus recommended.