Bacteriological and Physico-Chemical Assessment of Groundwater Boreholes for Aquaculture in Internally Displaced People's (IDPs) Camps in Arid Zone Nigeria

Background and Objective: The empowerment of displaced persons in fish farming in Maiduguri Metropolis requires a good water quality supply for successful operation and this is elusive in literature. This study, therefore, evaluated the physicochemical and bacteriological profile of groundwater boreholes in major IDP camps in Maiduguri, Borno State. Materials and Methods: Water samples from boreholes in each camp: Teacher’s Village, Farm Centre, Al-Maskin, Bolori Kasua and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were collected in triplicate for physic-chemical and bacteriological analyses using standard methods. Data generated were analysed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA at α0.05. Results: The physic-chemical parameters of the water samples were within standard limit, except dissolved oxygen (3.60±1.15 to 4.50±0.42 mg L‾¹) and alkalinity (30.25±10.18 to 31.93±9.24 mg L‾¹). The cadmium (0.01±0.01 to 0.04±0.05 mg L‾¹), iron (0.08±0.02 to 0.15±0.03 mg L‾¹) and manganese (0.10±0.03 to 0.12±0.02 mg L‾¹) values were marginally above the threshold limit for aquaculture. However, lead content (0.16±0.03 mg L‾¹) was only high at Al-Maskin Camp. Also, there is high coliform density (4.33±7.50 to 20.33±18.77 CFU mL‾¹) and bacteria contaminant (33.00±2.64 to 97.66±27.39 CFU mL‾¹) in all the borehole sampled. Conclusion: The water in the study area is not safe for fish culture except properly treated.