Distribution of Fluoride in Groundwater in Selected Villages in Northern Red Sea and Anseba Regions of Eritrea
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Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 6-2008 Distribution of Fluoride in Groundwater in Selected Villages in Northern Red Sea and Anseba Regions of Eritrea Filmon Tsegay Fisseha Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Geography Commons Recommended Citation Fisseha, Filmon Tsegay, "Distribution of Fluoride in Groundwater in Selected Villages in Northern Red Sea and Anseba Regions of Eritrea" (2008). Master's Theses. 4735. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4735 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DISTRIBUTION OF FLUORIDE IN GROUNDWATER IN SELECTED VILLAGES IN NORTHERN RED SEA AND ANSEBA REGIONS OF ERITREA by Filmon Tsegay Fisseha A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillmentof the requirements forthe Degree of Master of Arts Department of Geography Western MichiganUniversity Kalamazoo, Michigan June 2008 DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this thesis to all of my familyand friendsback in Eritrea. I appreciate the love and support that you have given me. Filmon Tsegay Fisseha Copyright by Filmon Tsegay Fisseha 2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would firstlike to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Chansheng He. His wide knowledge and logical way of thinking have been of great value for me. His understanding, encouraging and personal guidance have provided a good basis forthe present thesis. I would like also to thank, Dr. Kathleen Baker and Dr. Benjamin, their help has meant a world to me. Without these three individuals, it would be very difficultfor me to finishthe process very successfully. They are the most enjoyable persons to work with, and working with them also gave me a lot of personal help beyond academia. I would also like to thank, my fellow graduate students, facultyand staffhere at WesternMichigan University. I warmly thank Mrs. Alphenaar, Dr. Johnathan Bascom, Professorat Calvin College and his family fortheir friendshipand unprecedented support during my academic years. Last but not least, I would like to thank Mr. EfremGeberamalak, Ministry of Land, Water, and Environment-Eritrea, and Mr. Asmerom Taddess, Ministry of Health-Eritrea. The valuable informationthey have shared with me is greatly appreciated. Thank you! Filmon Tsegay Fisseha 11 DISTRIBUTION OF FLUORIDE IN GROUNDWATERIN SELECTED VILLAGES IN NORTHERN RED SEA AND ANSEBA REGIONS OF ERITREA Filmon Tsegay Fisseha, M.A. WesternMichigan University, 2008 The aim of the study is to describe the fluoride concentration of water samples primarily fromsources used forhousehold needs in selected villages of Eritrea, with emphasis on the most severely affectedparts of the country. Water sample quality data were collected from The Water Resource Department of Eritrea and water quality reports indicated that high levels of fluoridecontent were found forsome villages' groundwater sources. The highest concentration was foundin Aquar, 7.7 mg/L; NorthernRed Sea region, above the 1.5 mg/L Maximum concentration recommended by The World Health Organization. Waters with high fluorideconcentrations occur in extensive geographical belts associated with a) sediments of marine origin in mountainous areas, b) volcanic rocks, and c) granitic and gneissic rocks. Geological basis for high concentrations of high fluoride in Eritrea are presumed to be the pegmatite intrusion hosted by granitic batholiths and water interaction with volcanic rocks. Significant positive correlations were also observed between dental caries prevalence rate and high fluoride distribution in the study area. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS........................................................................................... n LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................-........................................... Vl LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................... Vll CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement............................................................................... 3 Research Objective.............................................................................. 4 Hypothesis........................................................................................... 5 Purpose of the Study........................................................................... 5 Significance of the Study.................................................................... 5 Eritrea.................................................................................................. 6 Climactic Patterns....................................................................... 7 Population and Regions.............................................................. 10 The Area of Investigation.................................................................... 12 Northern Red Sea Region........................................................... 12 Anseba Region............................................................................ 16 II. LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................. 21 Environmental Occurrence of Fluoride............................................... 21 Removal of Excessive Fluoride........................................................... 25 Bone Charcoal DefluoridationFilters......................................... 25 Household Filter......................................................................... 27 Institutional Filter....................................................................... 28 Community Filter....................................................................... 29 111 Table of Contents - continued CHAPTER Nalgonda Method...................................................................................... 31 Activated Alumina..................................................................................... 31 Clay ................................................................. :.......................................... 32 III. RESEARCH METHODS................................................................................ 34 Data Collection.......................................................................................... 34 Water Quality Data.................................................................................... 35 Equipment.................................................................................................. 35 Demographic and Health Data.................................................................. 36 Processing the Data................................................................................... 3 7 Analysis of Data........................................................................................ 38 Regression Analysis........................................................................ 39 Pearson's Correlation...................................................................... 40 Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW)........ ................. ........ .. ............... 40 Risk Zoning..................................................................................... 41 IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION..................................................................... 42 Results....................................................................................................... 42 Spatial Distribution of Fluoride in Eritrea....................................... 42 Anseba Region................................................................................. 49 NorthernRed Sea Region................................................................ 50 Risk Area Classification.................................................................. 51 Hydrochemistry and Statistical Analysis......................................... 53 Health and Fluoride......................................................................... 61 lV Table of Contents - continued CHAPTER Discussion.................................................................................................. 67 Anseba Region................................................................................. 67 NorthernRed Sea Region ..................... :.......................................... 69 V. CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................. 76 Limitations of the Study........................................................................... 77 VI. RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................. 79 Management Suggestions........................................................................... 80 REFERENCES........................................................................................................... 81 V LIST OF TABLES 1. Eritrea Population, Social, Economic and Health Indicators ......................... 11 2. Eritrea Region Population and Total Area.................. : .................................. 12 3. Hydrochemistry of DrinkingWater Sources in Villages in the Anseba Region ...........................................................................................................