Title: Assessment of the Physical, Chemical and Biological Properties of Sachet Water in Mubi Metropolis, Adamawa State North East, Nigeria
Abstract: IntroductionWater is an indispensable resource that is needed for the continued existence of all living things including man.Human life depends to a large extent, on water.It is used for an array of activities such as domestic, industrial, agricultural, transportation and others.Adequate supply of fresh and clean drinking water is a basic need for all human beings (Edema, et al., 2011).One of the major and critical problems in most developing countries today is the provision of inadequate and safe drinking water to its populace (Kulshershtha, 1998).Most people living in the major cities of Nigeria do not have access to pipe borne water, either it is unavailable or inadequate where obtainable (Omalu, et al., 2010).Therefore, people resorting to the costlier alternative of buying water from vendors, sachet or bottled water has become a major source of drinking water.Sachet water, a brand of packaged water, has gradually become the most widely consumed source of drinking water for both the rich and the poor in Mubi metropolis, Adamawa state and Nigeria at large.It is the brand of choice to most people because it is cheaper alternatively to the bottled brand.Hygiene, purity, tastes and most importantly, safety is probably amongst various reasons for sachet water consumption.Unfortunately, the problems of its purity and health concerns have begun to manifest (Oladipo,et al., 2009).That is why assessment of the physical, chemical and biological properties of sachet water should be inevitable and non-temporal.Water pH is simply the alkalinity or acidity of water and plays a major role on water suitability and usage (World Health Organization, 2003, Adline, and Alaso, 2015).Electrical conductivity (EC) is a measure of ability of water to conduct electricity (Pankaj, Nihar, Mihir, and Malabika, 2015).According to Isikwu, and Chikezie (2014), the EC value of water depends on the concentration and degree of dissociation of electrolytes and it gives a good idea of the amount of dissolved material in the water.Turbidity is determined by suspended solid particles such as clay, silt, organic and inorganic matter, soluble coloured organic compounds, plankton and microscopic organisms in water (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 2008).According to Isikwue and Chikezie (2014), the total hardness is an indication of the presence of calcium, magnesium salts or both in water.