Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Assessment and Distribution of Metal Pollutants in Fadama Soils along River Ngadda and Alau Dam in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

P. H. Bukar, M. O. A. Oladipo, I. G. E. Ibeanu, I. Y. Zakari

Archives of Current Research International · pp. 1–10 · Published 12 Jan 2017

10.9734/ACRI/2016/27146

Abstract

Elemental metal pollutants concentration levels and their distribution in soils obtained from farmlands along the bank of river Ngadda and Alau dam in Maiduguri, Borno State, North-East of Nigeria is presented. The study was aimed at determining the levels of contamination of soils with metal pollutants used for fadama farming along the bank of river Ngadda and Alau dam with the objectives of assessing the contamination levels of the soils with metal pollutants from the various farmlands at the various sampled sites of study, and the distribution of the various metal pollutant in the various sampled sites. Soil samples were collected from thirteen different sites on the farmlands along the bank of the river and the dam. The samples were analyzed using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and the result obtained indicate that the concentration level of some of the elements determined were above maximum allowable concentration (MAC) value while some below the (MAC) values for example the concentration range for Cr was (16 ± 2 – 47 ±3) ppm, Sb was (0.18 ± 0.04 – 14.2 ± 7) ppm, Zn was (21.8 ± 4 – 145 ± 7) ppm and the maximum values for these ranges exceed the (MAC) value recommended for Agricultural soils while the concentration ranges for As was (0.46 ± 0.12 – 1.0 ± 0.2)ppm, Co was (1.6 ± 0.3 – 5.3 ± 0.4) ppm, Vn was (14.6 ± 2.32 – 29 ± 2) ppm with the maximum value for these ranges being below the MAC values given by some countries. The elements obtained from samples collected from different study areas along the bank of river Ngadda and Alau dam were analyzed for similarity distribution  of the study area using mathematical tool of cluster analysis technique employing hierarchical procedure and using WARD’s method. The result obtained produce a dendrogram consisting of two clusters comprising of six and seven sites with percentage similarity of 96.5% and 90.8% respectively with one site as an outlier. It is recommended that since some of the trace metals namely Cr, Sb, and Zn assessed in the fadama soils indicates concentrations above the MAC values, they can posed negative health implications to consumers of food which were cultivated on soils from the study area, therefore there is the need to condition the soils before using it for farming so as to make it suitable for food crop farming.

Heavy metal contamination soil pollution ward’s-multivariate clustering environmental degradation.

References (3)

  1. 1 Using correlation and multivariate statistical analysis to identify hydrogeochemical processes affecting the major ion chemistry of waters: a case study in Laoheba phosphorite mine in Sichuan, China [DOI]
  2. 2 Heavy metal contamination of Yellow River alluvial sediments, northwest China [DOI]
  3. 3 Study of the occupation site for the ancient iron smelters at Samaru-west, Nigeria, using neutron activation analysis [DOI]

Cited by 4

Heavy metal bioaccumulation in food crops grown around Babban Tsauni gold mines and assessment of farmland soil contamination

K. Odelami, Y. Musa · Proceedings of the Nigerian Society of Physical Sciences · 2026

Impact of Irrigational Runoff on Fish Biodiversity in River Ngadda, Maiduguri – Borno State

Mathias Nzitiri Bwala · 2021

Assessment of heavy metal contamination and associated health risks in soil and food crops of Babban Tsauni gold mines, Gwagwalada, Nigeria

K. A. Odelami, M. O. A. Oladipo, Y. Musa · Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry · 2025

Seasonal variations in the level of heavy metals in the water of minor rivers

I. L. Sukhodolska · Biosystems Diversity · 2017

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

0

Page views

0

PDF downloads

0

Outbound clicks

4

Citations

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

No views recorded yet.

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

No traffic recorded yet.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.