RELATIVE LEVELS, FACTORS AND IMPACTS OF NITRATES AND FLOURIDES IN SOME GROUNDWATER BODIES IN THE LUBOMBO AND MANZINI REGIONS OF SWAZILAND
Abstract

Author(s): A. O. Fadiran,*, C. L. Dlamini, A. F. Murye and T. I. Nkambule

Enhanced nitrates and fluorides are crucial human health hazards in drinking water. Water samples from 24 groundwater systems, made up of 12 from each of the Lubombo and Manzini regions, were analyze d for NO3-N (mg/L) and F- (mg/L). Spectroscopic method was used for the analysis of NO3-N while the Fluoride ion selective electrode was used for the F- analysis. The relative abundance and other usual parameters employed revealed a greater degree of contamination of the Lubombo groundwater systems by NO3-N, relative to those of the Manzini region. This is depicted by the % being 16.7% and 8.3% for the Lubombo and Manzini regions respectively. On the other hand, the Manzini region groundwater systems were slightly more contaminated with F- than those of the Lubombo region. Most of the sampling points had NO3-N (mg/L) with 83.3% and 91.7% of the sampling points having NO3-N = F- in the Lubombo and Manzini regions respectively. Keywords: Nitrate fertilizers, MCL, methemoglobinemia, dental and skeletal fluorosis, NO3-N and F- contamination.