Research Article

Business and Economics

WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT FOR DRINKING PURPOSE AS AN IMPLICATION TO HUMAN HEALTH IN ARSIS AREA, AFAR, NORTHEASTERN ETHIOPIA

Safe water is a prerequisite for human health and any developmental activities. Water-related diseases are caused by insufficient safe water quality and quantity. The study area is located in the east-central Afar depression which affected mainly by salinity and fluoride. The main objective is to investigate the water quality of the area as an implication for human health. The exposed lithologies of the area are consist of basalt, scoriaceous basalt, and alluvial deposits. These are affected by normal faults with NNE-SSW and NNW-SSE orientation. A total of three water samples are collected from spring, borehole, and river water points and analyzed for about 31 parameters. As a result, the spring water has very low water quality followed by borehole but the river water is freshwater and portable for domestic uses. The long-term effect of the spring water can be kidney and heart diseases, laxative and constipation effects, cardiovascular disease, kidney damage and disinfection, hypertension, headache, coronary artery disease, diabetes, adrenal insufficient, and hyperkalemia. The water types of the springs, borehole, and river are Na-Cl-SO4, Na-HCO3, and Ca-Na-HCO3-SO4, respectively. The water quality index (WQI) shows the spring water is not recommended for any domestic purpose but the river water needs treatment for the turbidity and total iron concentrations only. As the finding shows, the spring water is strongly recommended to protect from any consumers.