Geogenic Imprint on Groundwater and Its Quality in Parts of the Mamfe Basin, Manyu Division, Cameroon - Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection

GEP > Vol.7 No.5, May 2019

Geogenic Imprint on Groundwater and Its Quality in Parts of the Mamfe Basin, Manyu Division, Cameroon ()

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DOI: 10.4236/gep.2019.75016 643 Downloads 1,412 Views Citations

Author(s)

Richard Ayuk II Akoachere^1*, Thomson Areapkoh Eyong¹, Sonia Ebot Egbe¹, Regina Engome Wotany¹, Michael Obiekwe Nwude², Omagbemi Omoloju Yaya²

Affiliation(s)

¹Department of Geology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
²National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna, Nigeria.

ABSTRACT

Groundwater studies in parts of the Mamfe basin are sparse and the Mamfe area has the highest population density in the Mamfe basin. An in-depth study of groundwater rock interaction and groundwater quality is of vital importance. This same part of the basin is the economic centre and as such development of businesses in this area requires knowledge of the groundwater quality. Therefore, this study was undertaken to determine the input of the rock formations on the groundwater solute chemistry and groundwater domestic-agro-industrial quality using hydrogeochemical tools and physicochemical parameters: Ionic ratios, Gibbs diagrams, Piper diagrams, Durov diagrams and water quality indices. From physicochemical parameters, in the rainy season, pH ranged from, 4.3 - 8.6; EC, 3 - 1348 μS/cm; Temperature, 24.4℃ - 30.1℃ andTDS, 2.01 - 903.16 mg/L and in the dry season, pH ranged from 5.5 - 9.3; EC, 6 - 994 μS/cm; Temperature, 25℃ - 38.6℃ andTDS, 4.02 - 632.48 mg/L. Forty groundwater samples: 20 per season, wet and dry were analysed. The major ions fell below WHO acceptable limits for both seasons. The sequences of abundance of major ions were: Ca²⁺ > K⁺ > Mg²⁺ > > Na⁺, Cl^- > > > > NO₃ in wet season and Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > K⁺ > Na⁺, > Cl^- > > > in dry season. Ion-exchange, simple dissolution and uncommon dissolution processes determined groundwater character. Groundwater ionic content was as a result of ion exchange from rock-weathering. Water types are: CaSO₄ and MgHCO₃ in both seasons. Hydrogeochemical facies are Ca-Mg-Cl-SO₄ and Ca-Mg-HCO₃. SAR for wet season 0.05 - 0.06 and dry season 0.00 - 0.05, %Na wet season 3.64 - 16.59 and dry season 1.22 - 10.97, KR wet season 0.01 - 0.02 and 0.00

KEYWORDS

Geogenic Imprint, Hydrogeochemical Facies, Groundwater Quality, Mamfe, Cameroon

Share and Cite:

Akoachere, R. , Eyong, T. , Egbe, S. , Wotany, R. , Nwude, M. and Yaya, O. (2019) Geogenic Imprint on Groundwater and Its Quality in Parts of the Mamfe Basin, Manyu Division, Cameroon. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 7, 184-211. doi: 10.4236/gep.2019.75016.

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