Nitrate contamination of groundwater in two areas of the Cameroon Volcanic Line (Banana Plain and Mount Cameroon area)

Autor: Kimpei Ichiyanagi, Ntankouo Njila Roger, Akoachere Richard, Jun Shimada, Andrew Ako Ako, George Elambo Nkeng, Gloria Eneke Takem Eyong, Beatrice Ketchemen Tandia, Takahiro Hosono, Katsuaki Koike
Rok vydání: 2013
Předmět:
Zdroj: Applied Water Science. 4:99-113
ISSN: 2190-5495
2190-5487
DOI: 10.1007/s13201-013-0134-x
Popis: Water containing high concentrations of nitrate is unfit for human consumption and, if discharging to freshwater or marine habitats, can contribute to algal blooms and eutrophication. The level of nitrate contami- nation in groundwater of two densely populated, agro- industrial areas of the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL) (Banana Plain and Mount Cameroon area) was evaluated. A total of 100 samples from boreholes, open wells and springs (67 from the Banana Plain; 33 from springs only, in the Mount Cameroon area) were collected in April 2009 and January 2010 and analyzed for chemical constituents, including nitrates. The average groundwater nitrate con- centrations for the studied areas are: 17.28 mg/l for the Banana Plain and 2.90 mg/l for the Mount Cameroon area. Overall, groundwaters are relatively free from excessive nitrate contamination, with nitrate concentrations in only 6 % of groundwater resources in the Banana Plain exceeding the maximum admissible concentration for drinking water (50 mg/l). Sources of NO3 - in groundwater of this region may be mainly anthropogenic (N-fertilizers, sewerage, animal waste, organic manure, pit latrines, etc.). Multivariate statistical analyses of the hydrochemical data revealed that three factors were responsible for the groundwater chemistry (especially, degree of nitrate con- tamination): (1) a geogenic factor; (2) nitrate contamina- tion factor; (3) ionic enrichment factor. The impact of anthropogenic activities, especially groundwater nitrate contamination, is more accentuated in the Banana Plain than in the Mount Cameroon area. This study also dem- onstrates the usefulness of multivariate statistical analysis in groundwater study as a supplementary tool for inter- pretation of complex hydrochemical data sets.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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