Groundwater Quality Monitoring in Selected Areas of District Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19810858
Abstract
The problem of water quality is becoming ever more serious as freshwater resources are severely degraded globally. Groundwater is the major source of drinking, domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes in the undeveloped countries including Pakistan. The current study was carried out to evaluate the groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes. The results of the physicochemical parameters were compared with the existing data of Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR). Standard methods were used to analyze groundwater samples. The result reveals that the pH of all the samples were above 7 (alkaline). However electrical conductivity (ECw) of the 92.84% samples were found non-saline. Turbidity of the (13%) 11 samples exceeded the permissible limit of 5 NTU in drinking water. In case of irrigation water, Sodium concentration with a mean value of 21.05 mgL-1 of the 5% samples were above the safe limit. However, the sodium concentration in drinking water were within the permissible limit. In irrigation water potassium concentrations with a mean value of 3.82 mgL-1 of the 10.92% samples were above the safe limit. Similarly, in drinking water the potassium concentration of the 9.24% samples were above the permissible limit. Calcium concentration with a mean value of 39.96 mgL-1 of all the samples were within the permissible limit. It was noted that magnesium concentration with a mean value of 39.16 mgL-1 of (38%) samples were within the maximum limit and suitable for drinking purpose. Carbonate and bicarbonate with a mean value of 0.53 mgL-1 and 123.87 mgL-1 respectively were within the safe limit. However, it was noted that in irrigation water bicarbonate concentration of the (8%) samples exceeded the safe limit. Both in irrigation and drinking water sulphate and chloride concentration were within the safe limit. The result of heavy metals Cu, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr and Pb were compared with the existing data of Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR). No major change in heavy metals concentration were observed and that all the samples were within the safe limit. The findings of this study are pivotal for effective groundwater management. Excessive marble industries are present in the study area; therefore, it is necessary to reduce metal contamination via proper disposal and treatment of marble wastewater, for which the government should take serious action in the study area.
