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Assessment of Fluoride Concentrations in Drinking Water Sources in the Jirapa and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities of Ghana

Dongzagla, Alfred; Jewitt, Sarah; O'Hara, Sarah

Assessment of Fluoride Concentrations in Drinking Water Sources in the Jirapa and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities of Ghana Thumbnail


Authors

Alfred Dongzagla

SARAH JEWITT SARAH.JEWITT@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Professor of Human Geography and Development

SARAH O'HARA SARAH.O'HARA@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Ceo University of Nottingham Online



Abstract

Fluoride is an important chemical for human health. However, its deficiency or excess in the human body poses health problems. In Ghana, the geological formation in the Upper Regions exposes groundwater, the main source of drinking water to risk of excessive fluoride. The risk of population exposure to high fluoride is further increased by the consumption of large volumes of water due to the hot climate of the area. Based on a Risk Assessment and Risk Management (RARM) model to safe drinking water supply, this study assesses the extent of fluoride concentrations in drinking water sources in the Jirapa and Kassena-Nankana
Municipalities of Ghana. A concurrent nested mixed method design, which emphasized quantitative data was adopted for the study. Data were gathered through household surveys with housekeepers, testing of fluoride levels in households’ drinking water sources and indepth interviews with hydrogeologists from the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA). From the results, fluoride concentrations in drinking water sources is generally moderate (0.7 – 1.5 mg/L). Only a few (1.4%) water samples, all from boreholes, exceeded the World Health Organisation (WHO)/Ghana Standard Authority permissible limit of 1.5 mg/L. This implies that boreholes classified as improved water sources do not necessarily deliver safe water. In the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) era where access to safely managed water is central to the achievement of target 6.1, we call on stakeholders in the water sector to assess and manage improved water sources with high fluoride levels.

Citation

Dongzagla, A., Jewitt, S., & O'Hara, S. (2019). Assessment of Fluoride Concentrations in Drinking Water Sources in the Jirapa and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities of Ghana. Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 9, Article 100272

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 23, 2019
Online Publication Date Aug 29, 2019
Publication Date Oct 1, 2019
Deposit Date Aug 28, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Print ISSN 2352-801X
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 9
Article Number 100272
Keywords Risk Assessment; Fluoride; Improved Water Sources; Borehole; Safely Managed
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2510296
Publisher URL https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352801X19300037?via%3Dihub

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