Determination of physicochemical parameters of “Hora” natural mineral water and soil in Senkele Kebele, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Abstract In this study, the mean levels of anion and metals in “Hora” natural mineral water and soil were determined. Accordingly, the levels of N–NH3, Cl−, N–NO3−, SO42−, Mg, and Ca in water were not exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water guideline values for humans and the levels of N–NO3−, SO42−, and Ca were also far below the Canadian Ministers of Health (CMH) guideline values for livestock. The levels of Al, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Mo were above the WHO guideline values, while majority of the trace metals were not exceeding the maximum permissible value for livestock except for Ni and Co. Among the trace metals found in the soil, Mn and Pb were found to be higher compared to the recommended value (40 mg/kg) by the Ethiopian guideline. The drinking water quality index (DWQI) was calculated to be 67.6 based on 21 important quality parameters.