DRINKING WATER QUALITY IN HOHOE MUNICIPALITY, VOLTA REGION, GHANA

Over 200 water samples were collected from seven villages in Hohoe Municipality, Volta Region, Ghana, that did not have access to municipal water supply: Alavanyo-Abehenaese, Fodome-Ahor, Gbi-Godenu, Hohoe-Zongo, Likpe-Todome, Santrokofi-Gbodome, and Wli-Afegame. Samples were collected from the sources (e.g., rivers, boreholes, springs) and storage containers (both those kept outside and covered), and analyzed for the levels of phosphates, nitrates, pH, and copper. Additional tests for lead and copper are ongoing, and selected samples were subjected to bacterial analysis. Five teams of students from the University of Illinois at Springfield and the University of Health and Allied Sciences (Ghana) also administered qualitative surveys to the households regarding water use and perceptions of their water supply. Although the Volta Region has experienced deforestation with the expansion of agriculture, and the seven rural villages visited largely lacked toilets, rainwater and surface waters in this mountainous were generally very clean. One notable exception was the water from a borehole in Wli-Afegame, which continuously yielded nitrate levels higher than 50 ppm and commonly higher than 200 ppm. Enteric bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis, and Enterobacter cloacae were found in high levels in most water samples.