Assessment of Drinking-Water Quality, Climate Variability and Water-Related Disease Patterns in Akure Metropolis, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Access to safe drinking water is essential for public health, particularly in rapidly growing urban communities where environmental and microbiological contamination may increase the risk of water-related diseases. This study assessed drinking-water quality, climatic variability and selected water-related disease patterns in Akure Metropolis, Ondo State, Nigeria, using secondary data from available water-quality, climate and disease-surveillance sources. Physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of drinking-water samples were assessed, while rainfall, temperature and reported cases of diarrhoea and typhoid were examined descriptively. The water-quality findings showed that pH ranged from 4.50 to 7.93, turbidity from 0.11 to 6.60 NTU and nitrate from 2.10 to 61.00 mg/L. Escherichia coli ranged from 0 to 57 CFU/100 mL, while total coliforms ranged from 0 to 99 CFU/100 mL. Eleven of 14 pH observations (78.6%) fell outside the operational screening range of 6.5–8.5, while four of 11 E. coli observations (36.4%) exceeded the non-detectable drinking-water criterion; one nitrate observation and one turbidity observation also exceeded their respective reference criteria. Climatic data showed considerable variation in rainfall and temperature during the study period. Disease-surveillance records showed reported cases of diarrhoea and typhoid in Akure North and Akure South during June and July 2023. Overall, the findings indicate variability in drinking-water quality and the presence of microbiological contamination in some water sources, highlighting the need for regular water-quality monitoring, improved protection of water sources, appropriate treatment of contaminated water and strengthened environmental-health surveillance in Akure Metropolis