Int. J. Chem. Sci.

: 14(4), 2016, 3207-3214

ISSN 0972-768X
www.sadgurupublications.com

ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS CONCENTRATION IN

TOGONA RIVER OF GOBA TOWN, OROMIA REGION,
ETHIOPIA
FISSEHA G/WOLDa, BEREKET AYENEWb and
TANWEER AHMADa*
a
Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Computational Sciences,
Madda Walabu University, BALE-ROBE, ETHIOPIA
b
Department of Soil Science, School of Agriculture, Haramaya University, ETHIOPIA

ABSTRACT
This study is undertaken to assess the heavy metals status of Togona River in Goba town of Bale
zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia. For this, a total of 24 river water samples were collected from three
locations across the river from upstream, midstream and low stream. All the samples were analyzed for
seven heavy metals such as Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, and Mn, using standard procedures and Flame atomic
absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS). The heavy metals concentrations in the surface water samples of
Togona river decreased in the sequence: Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn > Pb > Cd > Cr. From the results, Iron
recorded the highest mean value of 0.30 mg/L while cadmium concentration with mean value of
0.0018 mg/L was the lowest. The results were compared with international standards. All samples contain
heavy metals within the maximum permissible limit of WHO and US-EPA.

Key words: Togona River, Heavy metals, FAAS.

INTRODUCTION
Water is essential for life on earth. Because of its importance, the pattern of human
settlement through history has often been determined1. Next to oxygen, water is the most
important substance for human existence. It is an essential nutrient, which also sustains
agriculture, allows aquatic life, supports industry, produces hydroelectric power, permits
aquatic transport, insures personal hygiene, maintains clean environment, besides its uses in
sport as well as recreation.

The preservation and maintenance of the water resources is a very difficult task due
to rapid growth of population and increased industrial activities. The quality of water
________________________________________
*
Author for correspondence; E-mail: [email protected]
3208 F. G. Wold: Assessment of Heavy Metals….

resources is deteriorating day by day due to the continuous addition of undesirable chemicals.
Moreover, the demand for safe water is increasing continuously due to the increase in
population, living standards and industrialization. Among various organic and inorganic
water pollutants, metal ions are toxic, dangerous and harmful because of their tissue
degradation in nature. Toxic metals are also bio-accumulative and relatively stable, as well
as carcinogenic; therefore, require close monitoring2. They are easily assimilated and can be
bio-accumulated in the protoplasm of aquatic organisms3. Increase in concentration of toxic
metals beyond toxic limits, results in loss of water quality, making it unfit for drinking,
irrigation, aquaculture and recreational purposes4. The acute toxicity of metal ions has
attracted scientists towards their detection in natural water resources. Among various natural
water resources, rivers are highly polluted by toxic metals due to the direct discharge of
municipal and industrial effluents into it. Since river water is supplied for domestic purposes
in different parts of the world; therefore, the analysis of toxic pollutants in river water has
received great attention. Heavy metals are among the most common environmental
pollutants, and their occurrence in water is from chemical weathering of minerals, rocks and
soil leaching. The anthropogenic sources are associated with industrial and domestic
effluents, urban storm, water runoff, and landfill leachate, mining of coal and ore,
atmospheric sources and agricultural activities5-7. Many of these wastes are toxic and they
find their ways into land, water and air. The release of large quantities of heavy metals into
the natural environment has resulted into a number of environmental problems. They also
cause various diseases and disorders when exceed specific limits. Heavy metals are essential
for plant growth in traces or very minute quantities. They are toxic and poisonous in
relatively higher concentrations.

The practice of using polluted river water for irrigation and domestic consumption is
a common problem in Africa. People living in Goba town on and around the Togona river
bank have been utilizing its water for irrigation and domestic purposes. Polluted water has
become the main cause of different diseases among poor people in many developing nations.
This shows how much serious is the problem of using untreated or polluted water for domestic
and irrigation purposes. The present study attempts to assess the level of heavy metals in the
Togona river, and to monitor and compare it against standards set by WHO and US-EPA.

EXPERIMENTAL
Materials and methods
Description of the study area

Goba town is located in Bale zone of the Oromia region approximately 446 km south
east of Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia. The town has latitude and longitude of 7oN and
Int. J. Chem. Sci.: 14(4), 2016 3209

39o59 E and an elevation of 2,743 meters above sea level. The town has two kebeles with a
population of approximately 32,025. It is gifted with two major rivers, one of which
separates the town into two major parts known as Togona River.

Fig. 1: Location of Goba town in Oromia regional state

Sample collection and preparation

Water samples were collected from three sites across the river at a depth of 10-15 cm
in plastic bottles that had been previously soaked in 10% nitric acid overnight and
thoroughly rinsed with deionized water. From each sampling sites, samples were taken for
four consecutive months (February-May), every fifteen days. The water samples were
acidified to pH 2 with nitric acid immediately on arrival to the laboratory and kept at 4oC
until analysis. The lower pH is required to suppress adsorption of the metals to suspended
solids and the lower temperature serves the aim of inhibiting chemical processes that may
alter the form and abundance of the metals8. For the analysis of heavy metals, 50 mL of
water samples were digested with 10 mL of concentrated HNO3 at 80oC until the solution
became transparent9. The concentrations of heavy metals in the water samples were
determined using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer model 400,
USA), fitted with a specific lamp of particular metal using appropriate drift blank. Quality
control measures were taken to assess contamination and reliability of data. Blank and drifts
standards (Sisco Research Laboratory Pvt. Ltd., India) were run after five readings to
calibrate the instrument.
3210 F. G. Wold: Assessment of Heavy Metals….

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The concentrations of heavy metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in Togona river
water are presented in Tables 1 and 2. Highest heavy metal concentration was found for Iron
(0.563 mg/L) and zinc was the second highest heavy metal in terms of concentration in the
river. In this study cadmium (Cd) was of the lowest concentration in water sample of the
river. The heavy metals concentrations in the river water samples of Togona river decreased
in the sequence:

Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn > Pb > Cd > Cr

Iron

In the present study, Iron concentration was generally very high in the entire sample
that had been analyzed. Iron was detected in every site with the following values 0.188 ± 0.02
at upper stream, 0.372 ± 0.012 mid streams and 0.301 ± 0.03 low streams and an average
mean concentration of 0.2870 ± 0.0213 which is below the World Health Organization
(WHO) and Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) recommended value.

Table 1: Range and Means of Heavy Metal concentrations (mg/L) in water across
sampling location determined by FAAS

Elements and their respective concentration

Location N
Pb Zn Cu Cd Cr Mn Fe
0.014- 0.0576- 0.02– 0.0020- 0.010- 0.108- 0.364-
Range
Up 0.012 0.024 0.10 0.0013 0.004 0.094 0.073
Stream 8 0.013 ± 0.053 ± 0.04 ± 0.0016 0.0072 0.0981 0.188
Mean
0.01 0.013 0.012 ± 0.05 ± 0.02 ± 0.01 ± 0.02
0.021- 0.263- 0.03– 0.0025- 0.0140- 0.123- 0.563-
Range
Mid 0.01 0.0976 0.12 0.001 0.007 0.0854 0.143
Stream 8 0.016 ± 0.178 ± 0.06 ± 0.0023 0.011 0.108 ± 0.372 ±
Mean
0.02 0.03 0.013 ± 0.04 ± 0.025 0.012 0.012
0.019- 0.087- 0.02- 0.0021- 0.0103- 0.0985- 0.401-
Range
Low 0.012 0.065 0.07 0.001 0.004 0.0675 0.121.
Stream 8 0.014 ± 0.072 ± 0.03 ± 0.0017± 0.0060 ± 0.0921 0.301 ±
Mean
0.07 0.015 0.010 0.01 0.02 ±0.03 0.03
*N = Number of samples
Int. J. Chem. Sci.: 14(4), 2016 3211

Although, iron is one of the essential elements in human nutrition, however when
present at elevated concentration in aquatic ecosystems, serious pollution and health
problems could result. According to WHO and US-EPA guideline value and maximum
contamination levels, concentration value of 0.30 mg/L iron in water is acceptable10.
Zinc

The dissolved concentration of zinc in the water samples from river Togona was
0.053 ± 0.013 mg/L at upstream 0.178 ± 0.03 mg/L at mid stream and 0.072 ± 0.015 mg/L at
low stream and average of mean of 0.072 ± 0.015 mg/L, which was below the permissible
limit recommended by WHO and US-EPA guideline. This high concentration in the water
samples could be traced to urban runoff that has been polluted by domestic wastes and dust
particulate matter.
Chromium

Analysis of surface water of the river for dissolved chromium gave the values
ranging between 0.010 mg/L and 0.004 mg/L at upstream, 0.0140 mg/L and 0.007 mg/L at
mid stream and 0.0103 mg/L and 0.004 mg/L at low stream and mean of 0.0081. Both the
WHO and the US-EPA guidelines require the maximum concentration of chromium in
drinking water to be 0.05 mg/L. The maximum value obtained from this study is below the
recommended level. Therefore, chromium could not be a cause of health problem if the
water is used for irrigation and household purposes.
Cadmium

The level of dissolved Cadmium in the river water ranged between 0.0025 mg/L and
0.001 mg/L and means average of 0.0019 mg/L. Comparison the current result for the river
with WHO and EPA guide line (0.003 mg/L) shows lower values for the river. The level of
the metal is within the safe range for household consumption, irrigational use and for
protection of aquatic species. The US-EPA for example recommends the maximum level of
Cadmium to present in water for household consumption and irrigational use to be 0.3 mg/L
and 20 mg/L, respectively.
Manganese

Manganese Concentration in the river water ranged between 0.123 mg/L and 0.0675
mg/L with average value of 0.0970 ± 0.02 mg/L. The value is below the permissible limit
recommended by international water quality standards like WHO (0.1 mg/L) and US-EPA
3212 F. G. Wold: Assessment of Heavy Metals….

(0.5 mg/L) guide lines. The average Manganese content in the river is nearly equal to the
US-EPA guide line value of 0.1 mg/L for water. So, Manganese could be source of health
problem in the near future.
Copper

Meanwhile Copper was discovered in every site with the following values 0.04 ±
0.012 from upper stream, 0.06 ± 0.013 midstream and 0.03 ± 0.010 low streams and an
average mean concentration of 0.0433 ± 0.013 which is below the WHO (2008) and US-
EPA recommended value of, 1 mg/L and 0.05-1.5 mg/L, respectively. In this study, the
concentrations of copper was ranging between 0.010 mg/L to 0.06 mg/L are registered.
Lead

In the present study, lead concentration was found in the entire sample that had been
analyzed. Lead was detected in every site with the following values 0.013 ± 0.01at upper
stream, 0.016 ± 0.02 mid streams and 0.014 ± 0.07 low stream and an average mean
concentration of 0.0143 ± 0.013 which is below the permissible level (0.05 and 0.02 mg/L)
recommended by WHO (2008) and US-EPA. Lead is higher toxic metal and its
concentration in natural water increases mainly through anthropogenic activities. Lead may
enter into sewage system through dust, soil erosion, leaching urban waste discharges and
runoff from steels and other surfaces. This toxic metal may cause anemia, kidney disease
and nervous disorder above the tolerance limits.

A comparison of the concentration values of some of the heavy metals with standard
guideline values for drinking water is shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Maximum Permissible Concentrations (mg/L) of Heavy metals in drinking

water against average trace metal concentration in Togona river water

Element WHO EPA Togona river

Pb 0.05 0.02 0.0143 ± 0.02
Zn 5 5.0-15.00 0.1515 ± 0.01
Cu 1 0.05-1.50 0.0433 ± 0.04
Cd 0.003 0.003 0.0019 ± 0.03
Cr 0.05 0.05 0.0081 ± 0.01
Mn 0.1 0.5 0.0970 ± 0.02
Fe 0.30 - 0.287 ± 0.04
Int. J. Chem. Sci.: 14(4), 2016 3213

The result obtained in this study showed that Cadmium, Zinc, Manganese, Copper,
Chromium, Iron and lead had maximum values that were less than recommended values by
the EPA and WHO. The concentration levels of these metals would markedly impair the
potability of the water if it had been greater than the permissible limits. It serves as the main
source of household consumption, and irrigation for the various communities settling along
its banks and catchment area. As this study indicates that the current status of Togona River
in terms of heavy metals concentration is under the permissible limits. Even though its
current status is tolerable as recommended by different organization; these heavy metals
have the property to accumulate in the sediments, and increase their concentration with time.
There is a need, therefore, to constantly monitor the concentration levels of heavy metals in
the river as well as mounting comprehensive conservation efforts by relevant organizations.

However the present concentrations of these metals in the river should not be
underestimated because there are numerous pollutant sources in urban areas that can affect
runoff, such as dust and dirt, vegetation; precipitation; traffic emission; animal faces;
agricultural activities; and fertilizers, pesticides, and detergent which can rise these
concentrations beyond the permissible limits.

400
350
300
250 Up stream
200 Midstream
Low stream
150
100
50
0
Pb Zn Cu Cd Cr Mn Fe

Fig. 2: Chart showing concentrations of metals at different locations in µg/l; from

upstream, midstream and low stream

CONCLUSION

The concentrations of dissolved heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Mn, Fe, Cr, Cd and Zn) in
Togona River are within the standards set by US-EPA and WHO. Therefore, we can
conclude that, keeping the presence of pesticides under question, Togona river water can be
used for household consumptions and irrigation purposes as far as the concentrations of
3214 F. G. Wold: Assessment of Heavy Metals….

these heavy metals are concerned. Domestic wastes like detergents and particulates materials
are responsible for polluting urban runoff and consequently increase the concentrations of
heavy metals in the river at the mid-stream.

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Accepted : 30.06.2016