Assessing the Quality of Hand-Dug Wells in the Sunyani Municipality, Ghana

Background Hand-dug well water represents one of the main sources of drinking water for many settlements, especially people without access to treated potable water. However, water from such alternative sources can sometimes be polluted and not conducive for human consumption, due to the presence of pathogenic parasitic organisms. This study assessed the physico-chemical and microbial quality of hand-dug wells in the Sunyani Municipality in Ghana. Methods The study was cross-sectional in nature and results were laboratory-based analyses. The study used Global Positioning System (GPS ) tracker to locate and sample hand-dug wells within the Sunyani Municipality. Fifteen (15) households with hand-dug wells were randomly selected from fifteen major communities within the Sunyani Municipality. One (1) sample was collected from each of the 15-household hand-dug wells for the study. Results Physico-chemical analyses suggest that the temperature of water from all sources ranged between 25.8 o C and 27C whiles phenolphthalein alkalinity of all water samples was 0. But the total alkalinity was between 28 to 116 mg/L. Relatively higher concentrations of nitrate were also observed in samples from all locations and most wells were exposed. However, all samples contained 18.2MPN Index/100ml of faecal coliform compared to 0.0MPN Index/100ml of acceptable national limits. Conclusion Apart from most samples recording parameters exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) and Ghana Standards Authority recommended levels, majority of wells were exposed and sited around unhygienic environment. Hand-dug well water in the Sunyani Municipality is not completely safe for drinking purposes and requires periodic expert supervision and sample testing. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement The authors received no specific funding for this work ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Committee gave ethical approval to this study I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All relevant data are within the manuscript