Research Article | | Peer-Reviewed

Groundwater Contamination in Hand-Dug Wells and Its Implication on Human Skin

Received: 3 September 2025     Accepted: 18 September 2025     Published: 17 December 2025
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Abstract

Pathogenic microorganisms have been increasingly identified in untreated groundwater sources and are associated with skin infections ranging from mild rashes to invasive soft tissue infections. This study, investigates the physical, chemical and microbial quality of water sourced from hand-dug wells at Isolu, Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. Five wells were sampled and water parameters were analyzed. Result revealed that, the pH values were acidic and is given as (5.72–6.05), temperatures was moderate with a value of (27°C), Total Dissolved Solids ranged from (TDS 338–562 mg/L), and Electrical Conductivity (180–290 µS/cm), all of which create favorable conditions for microbial survival and proliferation. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) values ranged from (0.15–2.6 mg/L), and exceeded WHO, 2022 guideline for drinking water, while Dissolved Oxygen (DO) ranged from (2.55–3.75) mg/L, suggesting organic pollution in the water samples. The value of Total hardness obtained was (114–222 mg/L) and calcium concentrations (50–148 mg/L) which exceeded the recommended thresholds. The microbial result showed that Escherichia coli was absent, but total bacterial count and total coliform counts exceeded WHO permissible limits, indicating serious groundwater contamination. Also, One Hundred well-structured questionnaire was also administered, and result revealed that, 95% had experienced at least one water-related illness within the past six months, with rashes (40%) and itching (30%) being the most prevalent skin conditions. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis confirmed a strong positive relationship of (ρ = 0.949, p = 0.014) between bacterial load and the frequency of reported skin infections. Thus there is a link between the deteriorating conditions of the groundwater quality of hand-dug well around the community which poses dermatological health issues. Therefore, there is an urgent need for improved well protection and hygiene in the study area, in order to prevent infection that occurs as a result of using contaminated water.

Published in American Journal of Applied Scientific Research (Volume 11, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajasr.20251104.14
Page(s) 211-218
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Contaminated Water, Skin, Water, Quality, Pollution, Health

References
[1] Adefisoye, M. A., & Okoh, A. I. (2016). Microbial and physicochemical quality of groundwater in rural settlements. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 188(6), 356.
[2] Adejuwon, J., & Mbata, U. (2021). Assessment of groundwater contamination in rural communities of Southwest Nigeria. Journal of Water and Health, 19(3), 456–467.
[3] Akinbile, C. O., & Mohammed, A. S. (2021). Seasonal variations in well water quality. Journal of Environmental Management, 291, 112625.
[4] Akinbile, C. O., Alatise, M. O., & Ogunwale, A. (2019). Effects of poor water handling practices on rural health. Water Quality, Exposure and Health, 11(2), 89–98.
[5] Akinbile, C. O., Yusuff, M. S., & Aderemi, A. A. (2019). Vulnerability of hand-dug wells in Southwest Nigeria. Environmental Health Perspectives, 127(6), 067006.
[6] Akinbile, C. O., Yusuff, M. S., & Aderemi, A. A. (2019). Water quality and health risks associated with hand-dug wells in peri-urban settlements. International Journal of Environmental Research, 13(2), 345–358.
[7] Edberg, S. C., Rice, E. W., Karlin, R. J., & Allen, M. J. (2020). Microbial risk assessment of drinking water sources in developing countries. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 86(12), e00218-20.
[8] Ezeokoli, R. N., Okonkwo, C. D., & Afolayan, M. O. (2023). Structural factors influencing microbial contamination of shallow wells in Nigeria. Journal of Rural Infrastructure Studies, 9(4), 150–161.
[9] Eze, C. N., Umeh, A. C., & Okoye, C. N. (2022). Emerging waterborne pathogens in untreated groundwater and their clinical implications in rural Nigeria. Journal of Water and Health, 20(2), 245–256.
[10] NIMET. (2023). Annual Weather Summary for Southwestern Nigeria. Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
[11] Nwachuku, N., Adekunle, R. A., & Adebayo, A. M. (2018). Prevalence of water-related dermatoses in rural Nigeria. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 9(2), 45–52.
[12] Nwachuku, N., Adekunle, R. A., & Adebayo, A. M. (2022). Prevalence of water-related skin infections in rural communities. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 11(1), 13–21.
[13] Nwachukwu, C. O., Akinbile, C. O., & Ajayi, A. M. (2022). pH-mediated skin barrier dysfunction in well water users. Journal of Environmental Dermatology, 18(3), 156–162.
[14] Odonkor, S. T., & Ampofo, J. K. (2021). Fecal contamination of groundwater in rural communities. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 193, 45.
[15] Odonkor, S. T., & Ampofo, J. K. (2022). Groundwater sampling strategies in rural Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Health, 84(6), 34–41.
[16] Ogun State Government. (2021). Odeda L. G. A. development plan 2021–2025. Abeokuta: Ogun State Government.
[17] Olalemi, A. O., Ayodele, B. A., & Ogunfowokan, A. O. (2020). Water quality and health risks in rural Nigerian wells. Journal of Water and Health, 18(3), 231–240.
[18] Olalemi, A. O., Ayodele, B. A., & Ogunfowokan, A. O. (2020). Bacteriological quality of hand-dug wells in rural Nigeria: Implications for public health. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 128(4), 1123–1135.
[19] Oluwasanmi, O., Adebayo, A. M., & Ogunleye, A. O. (2021). Microbial contamination patterns in rural Nigerian wells. Journal of Water and Health, 20(3), 275–284.
[20] Ugboko, H., Okoye, U., & Ajayi, A. M. (2019). Microbial contamination and dermatological impacts of well water. Tropical Medicine, 14(3), 201–209.
[21] Ugboko, H., Okoye, U., & Ajayi, A. M. (2019). Waterborne skin infections in Nigeria: Prevalence and microbial etiology. Journal of Medical Microbiology, 68(5), 789–797.
[22] WHO. (2022). Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality (4th ed., incorporating the 1st and 2nd addenda). World Health Organization.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Adetoun, A. A., Olalere, O. J., Babarinde, S. (2025). Groundwater Contamination in Hand-Dug Wells and Its Implication on Human Skin. American Journal of Applied Scientific Research, 11(4), 211-218. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20251104.14

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    ACS Style

    Adetoun, A. A.; Olalere, O. J.; Babarinde, S. Groundwater Contamination in Hand-Dug Wells and Its Implication on Human Skin. Am. J. Appl. Sci. Res. 2025, 11(4), 211-218. doi: 10.11648/j.ajasr.20251104.14

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    AMA Style

    Adetoun AA, Olalere OJ, Babarinde S. Groundwater Contamination in Hand-Dug Wells and Its Implication on Human Skin. Am J Appl Sci Res. 2025;11(4):211-218. doi: 10.11648/j.ajasr.20251104.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajasr.20251104.14,
      author = {Adekitan Abimbola Adetoun and Oyewumi Johnson Olalere and Samson Babarinde},
      title = {Groundwater Contamination in Hand-Dug Wells and Its Implication on Human Skin},
      journal = {American Journal of Applied Scientific Research},
      volume = {11},
      number = {4},
      pages = {211-218},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajasr.20251104.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20251104.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajasr.20251104.14},
      abstract = {Pathogenic microorganisms have been increasingly identified in untreated groundwater sources and are associated with skin infections ranging from mild rashes to invasive soft tissue infections. This study, investigates the physical, chemical and microbial quality of water sourced from hand-dug wells at Isolu, Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. Five wells were sampled and water parameters were analyzed. Result revealed that, the pH values were acidic and is given as (5.72–6.05), temperatures was moderate with a value of (27°C), Total Dissolved Solids ranged from (TDS 338–562 mg/L), and Electrical Conductivity (180–290 µS/cm), all of which create favorable conditions for microbial survival and proliferation. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) values ranged from (0.15–2.6 mg/L), and exceeded WHO, 2022 guideline for drinking water, while Dissolved Oxygen (DO) ranged from (2.55–3.75) mg/L, suggesting organic pollution in the water samples. The value of Total hardness obtained was (114–222 mg/L) and calcium concentrations (50–148 mg/L) which exceeded the recommended thresholds. The microbial result showed that Escherichia coli was absent, but total bacterial count and total coliform counts exceeded WHO permissible limits, indicating serious groundwater contamination. Also, One Hundred well-structured questionnaire was also administered, and result revealed that, 95% had experienced at least one water-related illness within the past six months, with rashes (40%) and itching (30%) being the most prevalent skin conditions. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis confirmed a strong positive relationship of (ρ = 0.949, p = 0.014) between bacterial load and the frequency of reported skin infections. Thus there is a link between the deteriorating conditions of the groundwater quality of hand-dug well around the community which poses dermatological health issues. Therefore, there is an urgent need for improved well protection and hygiene in the study area, in order to prevent infection that occurs as a result of using contaminated water.},
     year = {2025}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Groundwater Contamination in Hand-Dug Wells and Its Implication on Human Skin
    AU  - Adekitan Abimbola Adetoun
    AU  - Oyewumi Johnson Olalere
    AU  - Samson Babarinde
    Y1  - 2025/12/17
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    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20251104.14
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajasr.20251104.14
    T2  - American Journal of Applied Scientific Research
    JF  - American Journal of Applied Scientific Research
    JO  - American Journal of Applied Scientific Research
    SP  - 211
    EP  - 218
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2471-9730
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20251104.14
    AB  - Pathogenic microorganisms have been increasingly identified in untreated groundwater sources and are associated with skin infections ranging from mild rashes to invasive soft tissue infections. This study, investigates the physical, chemical and microbial quality of water sourced from hand-dug wells at Isolu, Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. Five wells were sampled and water parameters were analyzed. Result revealed that, the pH values were acidic and is given as (5.72–6.05), temperatures was moderate with a value of (27°C), Total Dissolved Solids ranged from (TDS 338–562 mg/L), and Electrical Conductivity (180–290 µS/cm), all of which create favorable conditions for microbial survival and proliferation. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) values ranged from (0.15–2.6 mg/L), and exceeded WHO, 2022 guideline for drinking water, while Dissolved Oxygen (DO) ranged from (2.55–3.75) mg/L, suggesting organic pollution in the water samples. The value of Total hardness obtained was (114–222 mg/L) and calcium concentrations (50–148 mg/L) which exceeded the recommended thresholds. The microbial result showed that Escherichia coli was absent, but total bacterial count and total coliform counts exceeded WHO permissible limits, indicating serious groundwater contamination. Also, One Hundred well-structured questionnaire was also administered, and result revealed that, 95% had experienced at least one water-related illness within the past six months, with rashes (40%) and itching (30%) being the most prevalent skin conditions. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis confirmed a strong positive relationship of (ρ = 0.949, p = 0.014) between bacterial load and the frequency of reported skin infections. Thus there is a link between the deteriorating conditions of the groundwater quality of hand-dug well around the community which poses dermatological health issues. Therefore, there is an urgent need for improved well protection and hygiene in the study area, in order to prevent infection that occurs as a result of using contaminated water.
    VL  - 11
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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