Expanding Access to Safe Drinking Water Through Hydrogeologic Investigation and Contaminant Assessment

By Tosin Clegg

Access to safe and potable drinking water remains a persistent public-health challenge in many parts of Northern Nigeria, where surface-water availability is limited, and communities rely heavily on groundwater obtained through boreholes and wells. In these settings, the quality of drinking water depends not only on the presence of groundwater, but on whether wells are properly sited, constructed, and protected from subsurface contamination.
Hydrogeologist and environmental geologist, Fidelis Adigwe, has played a significant role in addressing this challenge through his hydro-environmental work focused on groundwater development and contamination risk assessment. As the founder and operator of a hydro-environmental services company, Adigwe has led groundwater investigations and well-siting activities that have resulted in the successful development of more than 1,000 water wells across communities in Northern Nigeria, aimed at improving access to potable drinking water.
Groundwater development in this region presents technical challenges. Aquifer conditions vary widely, and contamination risks from fuel storage, waste disposal, and agricultural activity are often poorly understood. Without adequate subsurface investigation, water wells may be drilled into vulnerable zones, drawing contaminated water into domestic supply systems. Adigwe’s work has focused on reducing these risks by applying hydrogeologic analysis before and during water-supply development.
His well-siting activities involve conducting subsurface surveys to assess soil stratigraphy, aquifer depth, groundwater flow direction, and recharge characteristics. These investigations are used to identify locations where groundwater quality is more likely to be protected from surface-derived contaminants. By integrating subsurface data into drilling decisions, hydro-environmental practitioners aim to ensure that wells access cleaner, more sustainable groundwater sources.
Contaminant assessment forms a key component of this work. Petroleum hydrocarbons and other pollutants can migrate through subsurface materials and compromise groundwater quality over time. Through hydrogeologic evaluation, professionals assess whether potential contamination sources pose a risk to proposed or existing wells and determine whether protective measures are required. In regions where fuel stations, septic systems, and water wells are often located in close proximity, such assessments are critical for safeguarding drinking-water supplies.
Adigwe’s hydro-environmental work also extends to water-works–related services, including the technical oversight of groundwater abstraction systems, designs, and the evaluation of well performance and sustainability. Environmental specialists note that improperly designed or poorly located wells can accelerate aquifer depletion or facilitate contaminant migration, creating long-term risks for communities that depend on groundwater as their primary water source.
Analysts emphasize that the cumulative impact of groundwater development at scale can be significant. The siting of hundreds of wells without hydrogeologic planning can degrade aquifers and compromise water quality across wide areas. Conversely, systematic subsurface investigation and contamination assessment can improve the reliability and safety of groundwater supplies. Adigwe’s work across more than a thousand well sites illustrates how applied hydrogeology can be used to support large-scale access to potable water while addressing environmental risk.
The relevance of this approach extends beyond Nigeria. Internationally, groundwater protection strategies increasingly emphasize source-water protection, contamination prevention, and science-based well siting as core components of water-supply planning. Adigwe’s professional experience reflects this broader trend toward integrating hydrogeologic science with practical infrastructure delivery.
Through groundwater investigation, well-siting, and contaminant risk assessment, Adigwe’s work demonstrates how Geoscientist expertise contributes directly to public-health protection by siting safe water wells free from contamination. By ensuring that water wells are located and developed based on subsurface conditions rather than convenience alone, applied geoscience plays a critical role in delivering safe drinking water to communities that depend on groundwater for daily life.