AN ASSESSMENT OF SOME ANION LEVELS OF RIVER GONGOLA IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA

O.N. Maitera, D. Y. Shinggu

Department of Chemistry Adamawa State University, Mubi Nigeria.

E-mail olivermaitera@yahoo.com, shinggudy2@yahoo.co.uk

ABSTRACT

The assessment of anion levels of River Gongola in Adamawa state was carried in ten sampling areas. Sampling was done in the months of February, March, and April 2007, representing dry season, while the months of July, August and September 2007, represent the wet season. Water samples were collected and analysed using DR/2010 spectrophotometer (LaMotte Co. 2000). The mean concentration of chloride ranged between 58.00 ± 1.22 and 90.83 ± 3.77mg/l for dry season and 53.33 ± 3.21 and 71.67 ± 5.21mg/l for wet season, sulphate was between 16.00 ± 3.02 and 37.67 ± 4.11mg/l for dry season and 48.33 ± 3.42 and 65.33 ± 8.21mg/l for wet season; while that of total nitrate is between 2.20 ± 0.51 to 5.14 ± 0.77mg/l for dry season and 18.0 ± 2.02 and 32.50 ± 4.32mg/l for wet season.  The mean seasonal variation of NH₃-N, NH₄⁺, NH₃, NO₃-N, NO₃^– were reported with highest value of 32.50±0.00 observed in nitrate and lowest value of 0.20±0.05 was observed in phosphate. The values for the wet season were higher than that of dry season which may be due to run-off from farms as a result of fertilizer and herbicide application and animal faeces around the sampling area. All the values were within the current permissible limits of the WHO and NAFDAC. The percent ion concentrations were in the following order Cl^– > CO₃^2- > SO₄^2- > NO₃^— > total nitrate > PO₄^3-. The seasonal variations of the showed that the levels of anions were higher during the wet season than the dry season.Keywords:  Season, River Gongola, Assessment, Anion levels, Pollution