Journal de géologie et géophysique
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Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Surface and Ground Water Resources around Udege Mbeki Mining District, North-Central Nigeria

Okegye JI and Gajere JN

The study assessed the surface water and groundwater chemistry with special concern to heavy metal contaminations/pollution in Udege Mbeki mining district. A total of eight mine ponds, eight hands – dog wells, three streams and one adit water samples were analysed for their heavy metals contents. The heavy metal concentrations ranged as follows: Cd (0.000-0.110 mg/L), Cr (0.003-0.146 mg/L), Co (0.110-1.260 mg/L), Cu (0.000-0.260 mg/L), Fe (0.015-8.398 mg/L), Pb (0.0001-1.853 mg/L) and Ni (0.001.112 mg/L). Concentrations of Cr, Cu and Ni are generally within the maximum permissible limit of the WHO (2006) guideline, whereas concentrations of Fe, Co, Pb and Cd are above the maximum permissible limit. The contamination/pollution level was estimated based on the geoaccumulation index (Ige0), enrichment factor (EF) and heavy metal pollution index (HPI). Sources of the heavy metals in the waters of the area are mainly anthropogenic. The heavy metal pollution index (HPI) calculated was 559.12, which is far above the critically pollution index value of 100 and therefore depict that the waters of the area are critically polluted with regards to heavy metals.