Abstract

Water quality of River Benue was studied to understand the contamination status and safe of usage. Physico-chemical parameters like Temperature, Turbidity, TDS, DO, pH, Conductivity, Nitrates, and heavy metals such as; Zn, Cd, Cr, Pb and Ni were studied at Lau and Mayo Ranewo towns between July, 2017 – February, 2018 to compared with NIS, NDWQI and WHO standards. The results showed that all phyico-chemical parameters studied were within the allowable limits but the heavy metals appear above allowable limits. Water Quality Index (WQI) further showed that the water is not fit for domestic usage with values of 55 and 78 at Lau and Mayo-Ranewo respectively. Hence, it was advised that more detailed studies covering both biological and physical aspect should be conducted to ascertain the exact level of contamination with a view to identifying the sources of contamination and solutions.

Key Words:Water, Quality, River Benue, Lau, Mayo-Ranewo, Physico-chemical