Journal of Environmental Science Studies; Vol. 1, No. 1; July, 2018 ISSN 2591-779X Published by July Press 1 Assessment of Borehole Water Quality for Domestic Use in Three Selected Wards in Wudil Local Government Area, Kano State B. U. Getso 1 , A. Mustapha 2 , M. M. Abubakar 3 & A. Tijjani 1 1 Department of Biology, Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Nigeria 2 Department of Geography, Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Nigeria 3 Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University Dutse, Nigeria Correspondence: Adamu Mustapha, Department of Geography, Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Nigeria. Received: May 12, 2018 Accepted: May 29, 2018 Online Published: June 6, 2018 doi:10.20849/jess.v1i1.394 URL: https://doi.org/10.20849/jess.v1i1.394 Abstract The quality of water used for domestic purposes from three boreholes in Wudil Local Government (KUST Wudil, Unguwar Danya and Unguwar Fulani) was analyzed and assessed for a period of five weeks using standard methods of sampling and laboratory analysis. Parameters tested include pH dissolved oxygen (DO), five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ), nitrate ion (NO 3 ), conductivity, hardness, temperature total dissolved solids (TDS) and turbidity. Results showed that there are significant differences between the different wards. However, a one way ANOVA conducted reveals significant difference (p < 0.05) between the different sites and physicochemical parameters. It is therefore recommended that government should be more effective in controlling the point source of pollution in the area. Keywords: water quality, water pollution, one-way ANOVA, Wudil LGA 1. Introduction Potable water is an essential ingredient for good health and the socio-economic development of man (Udom et al., 2002) but it’s lacking in many societies. Clean water is priceless and a limited resource that man has begun to treasure only recently after decades of pollution and waste (Sinderberg, 2003). World population cannot be sustained without access to safe water (Brainstein, 2007). It is therefore important to conjunctly consider both water quality and quantity in water resources management (Xinghui et al., 2009). Borehole water become unsuitable for domestic use as a resource due to contamination that makes it unfit for many purposes (Agbaire & Oyibi, 2009). The aim of water quality management is usually to minimize the health risks associated with either direct or indirect use of water (Udom et al., 2002). Standards and guidelines in water quality stem from the need to protect human health (Minh et al., 2011). Borehole water serves as the major source of drinking water in the local population of Nigeria. Since only few can afford and rely on purified and treated bottled water for consumption. Chapman (1996), stress the importance of groundwater as a source of potable water in Africa and constitutes about two thirds of the freshwater resources of the world. Ground water provides a reasonably constant supply for domestic use, livestock and irrigation. Carlow et al. (2011) stated this source can buffer the effects of rainfall variability across seasons. In many arid and semi-arid areas of Africa boreholes water is a mean of coping with water deficiencies in areas where rainfall is scarce or highly seasonal and surface water is extremely limited (Agbaire & Oyibi, 2009). Contamination of water bodies has increasingly become an issue of serious environmental concern. In the case of underground waters like bore holes, this may arise from construction process of a borehole, drilling fluids, chemical casings and other materials which may find their way into the well thereby polluting the water (Angulo et al., 1997). An open well during the construction stage can also be a direct route for contaminants from the surface to the aquifer thereby providing an ideal opportunity for chemical casing and bacteriological pollution to occur (Brainstein, 2007). Even if no source of anthropogenic contamination may exist, there is potential for natural levels of metals and other chemicals to be harmful to human health. The natural water analysis for physical and chemical properties including trace element content is very important for public health studies (Egwari & Aboaba, 2002). These studies are also a main part of pollution studies in the environment. In this part