Abstract

Assessment of Heavy Metals Concentration in Togona River of Goba Town, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Author(s): Fisseha G/Wold, Bereket Ayenew and Tanweer Ahmad

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.