Impacts of Artisanal Mining on Some Heavy Metals Concentration in Surface Water in Kutcheri, Zamfara State North-Western Nigeria

Abstract

This research assesses the concentration of Zn, Ag, Hg, Pb and Cu in surface water Kutcheri’s River Yankuzau and other streams coordinates range between longitude 11°48? N to 11°53?N and latitude 7°00? to 7°05?E using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometre(AAS). Artisanal mining has become prominent in these areas. It’s become imperative to analyze these metal concentrations because they are associated with gold mineralization. Apart from polluting the water by artisanal miners, heavy metals are released into the surface water which most villager drink without pre-treatment.

DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n7p74