Analysis of Water Quality Data from Boreholes in Rural Adamawa State

Access to safe drinking water is a development priority in rural North East Nigeria, and data analysis of borehole water quality can identify contamination patterns that guide public health interventions. This study analysed water quality testing data from 240 borehole sources across Ganye, Song, and Gombi Local Government Areas of Adamawa State, North East Nigeria. Data from quarterly tests conducted by the Adamawa State Rural Water Supply Agency over 2020 to 2022 included measurements of pH, turbidity, nitrate concentration, total dissolved solids, faecal coliform counts, and heavy metal levels. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and classification tree analysis were applied to identify contamination risk factors. Sixty-eight percent of tested boreholes showed at least one parameter above WHO safe drinking water guidelines, most commonly faecal coliform and nitrate levels. Principal component analysis reduced the 12 water quality variables to four components explaining 79.2 percent of total variance. Proximity to open defecation sites and distance from casing material emerged as the strongest contamination predictors. LGAs bordering seasonal river flood zones showed significantly higher faecal coliform counts during the rainy season. Recommendations include prioritising rehabilitation of the 41 boreholes with critical contamination levels identified by the analysis, deploying chlorination tablets at high-risk sources, conducting community hygiene campaigns in identified contamination hotspots, and establishing a digital water quality monitoring dashboard for Adamawa State Rural Water Supply Agency operational planning.

Keywords: water quality analysis, boreholes, Adamawa State, rural WASH, principal component analysis