Vol. 4, Issue 1, Part A (2022)

The study aimed at determining the drinking and irrigation water quality at Oguta through accessing the physicochemical and chemometric parameters. The sampling was conducted during rainy seasons in June, 2021. A total of 25 water samples were collected from 5 stations along the lake, labelled Sw, Ww, Mw, Nw, Ew and were analyzed using standard methods. The results for the physicochemical screening revealed mean values of Temperature (28.3 oC), Electrical Conductivity (2.3 mg/l), pH (5.7), TDS (75.5mg/l), TSS (5.2mg/l), DO (0.3 mg/l), macro elements were present in the following concentrations, Na (1.2 mg/l), K (1.7 mg/l), Ca (22.7 mg/l), Mg (31.8 mg/l), Cl- (217.3mg/l), NO3- (0.4 mg/l), SO42-(8.3mg/l), PO43- (0.3mg/l). The values were lower than the permissible limits set by agencies like NESREA, FMWR and WHO. The chemometric parameters was estimated to determine the WQI, ESP, SAR and CROSS. The WQI revealed that the water has high quality index, meaning that the water has poor quality and is not suitable for drinking. However, the ESP, SAR and CROSS showed that the water is good for irrigation. Therefore, the lake can be used for irrigation with precaution but extensive treatment will be needed before using for domestic purposes. This also calls for an examination into the anthropogenic causes of pollution.