Comprehensive Assessment of Groundwater Quality around a Major Mining Company in Southern Sierra Leone

Abstract

Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030 is Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since developing countries especially in Africa would struggle to meet this target, this study was conceived. Hence, the study was designed to assess the water quality for physiochemical parameters around a mined out site in southern Sierra Leone with the view to determine their levels, determine related associations among indicators and explore environmental forensic options. A finite population correction factor was used to identify fifty (50) groundwater sources from one hundred and fifty two (152) in nine (9) sections of Moriba Town, in Moyamba District, Sierra Leone which constitute the sample size. The study assessed sixteen (16) physical and chemical indicators across the defined boundary of the sample size. Results indicated that almost 80% of all the indicators were in good agreement with water quality standards with the exception of three. Turbidity correlated strongly with , Al and and almost all other indicators did not show meaningful association. High values with significant variance of water quality indicators of physical to chemical ratio were observed for pH, temperature, electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS) but no such observation was noted for turbidity. On the whole, the water quality was judged to be good, although more pro active actions were encouraged by the local people and the mining company so as to reduce contamination in some areas.