WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE USE: A Case Study Of Ofu Stream In Anyigba, KogiState – Nigeria

Universally, Water is one of the most abundant substances in the geospace. It is an essential constituent of all animal and vegetable matter that requires careful management. The scarcity of water in Anyigba attests to the fact that the resource must be managed to ensure its sustainable use. It is in this regard that this paper examines the quality of OFU stream considering its supply possibilities, and quality distribution as well as problems that affects its management. Data for the work were sourced from both theoretical and empirical backgrounds. Empirical tests on 5 water properties were carried out in the laboratory to show if the simples actually meet the required standard for consumption. In line with United State Environment Protection Agency and World Health Organization standards, the bacteriological criteria for drinking from the natural sources were assessed with a view to justifying its use by the people. For this study, data were collected from 8 sample points located in two segments of the water channel. The properties were analyzed with ANOVA – Two factors with replication at 0.05 level of significance. The 'F' test shows that the calculated 'F' value of 2.84 is lower than the critical 'F' value of 4.170, thus upholding the basic hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the water samples and the level of pollution. It can thus be explained that the level of pollution of Ofu stream is significant and that the sources of most pollutants are land uses and wastes entering the stream from adjourning homes and farmlands. The result however shows that new sources of water are scarce and expensive due to a number of factors which are biophysical and socio-economic in nature. The use of this technique was meant to source information from the people directly, believing that they are the direct beneficiary of the resource. In order to address these problems, mitigation measures have been suggested to ensure sustainable use of the stream.