Risk assessment of hand-dug well water: A case study of Aflao in Ghana

30 April 2025, Version 1
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

Peri-urban and rural areas in developing countries like Ghana face challenges with access to quality potable water due to increasing groundwater contamination risks. This study assessed the risk of hand-dug well (HDW) water in Aflao using a cross-sectional survey of 400 wells based on WHO sanitary inspection checklists.Water samples from 20 wells were analysed for microbial contamination and heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, As) using membrane filtration and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Results revealed that 37.3% of wells were within 10 meters of latrines, 98% lacked concrete floors, 98.3% lacked covers, 88.5% had poor drainage, 31.8% were under trees, and all were shallow (<30m). Microbial loads exceeded WHO guidelines(0 cfu/100ml): total coliforms (579.7 ± 294.9 CFU/100 ml), faecal coliforms (32.6 ± 54.7 CFU/100 ml), and E. coli (14.7 ± 21.7 CFU/100 ml) were detected in all samples.Sanitary risk factors, including latrine proximity, absence of covers, poor drainage, and shallow depth, were significantly associated with microbial contamination (p<0.05; OR>1) . Heavy metals were below detection limits (0.001–0.01 mg/l). Poor microbial quality and its association with sanitary risks confirmed that HDWs in Aflao are unsafe for consumption without treatment.

Keywords

Contamination
groundwater
hand-dug wells
health risk assessment
sanitary inspection

Supplementary materials

Title
Description
Actions
Title
Sanitary risk factors & microbial contaminants
Description
Data used to determine the association between observed sanitary risk factors and microbial loads detected in the well water
Actions
Title
Sanitary scoring
Description
Determination of the level of risk of observed wells
Actions
Title
sanitary risk assessment
Description
sanitary risk assessment of hand-dug wells
Actions
Title
Analytical report
Description
microbial and heavy metals analysis report
Actions

Supplementary weblinks

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