International Journal of
Water Resources and Environmental Engineering

  • Abbreviation: Int. J. Water Res. Environ. Eng.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-6613
  • DOI: 10.5897/IJWREE
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 345

Full Length Research Paper

Physiochemical evaluation of the drinking water sources from district Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Naeem Khan
  • Naeem Khan
  • Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat-26000, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
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Syed Tasleem Hussain
  • Syed Tasleem Hussain
  • Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat-26000, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
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Javid Hussain
  • Javid Hussain
  • Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat-26000, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
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Nargis Jamila
  • Nargis Jamila
  • School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, 11800, Malaysia.
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Shabir Ahmed
  • Shabir Ahmed
  • Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat-26000, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
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Riaz Ullah
  • Riaz Ullah
  • Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat-26000, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
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Zain Ullah
  • Zain Ullah
  • Department of Chemistry, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
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Abdus Saboor
  • Abdus Saboor
  • Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat-26000, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
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  •  Received: 20 March 2012
  •  Accepted: 18 June 2012
  •  Published: 31 October 2012

Abstract

Safe drinking water is a high priority issue for safeguarding health and well-being of humans  all over the world. Both in the urban and rural areas of Pakistan, the quality of drinking water are not being managed properly. Results of various studies provide evidence that most of the drinking-water supplies are physiochemically contaminated. In this study, a detailed investigation of the drinking water sources of both urban and rural areas of Kohat district was carried out to evaluate their suitability for drinking purpose. A total of 54 water samples were collected from the hand pumps, streams, tanks, tube wells and wells, at 15 sampling sites selected of the main population zones. Also, 6 bottled water samples were taken from the market. All these were analyzed for physicochemical parameters including pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), total solids (TS), chloride (Cl−), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), hardness, and alkalinity. The results of parameters showed variations from the WHO and Pakistan standard values for drinking water. Most polluted areas were Shakardara, Lachi and Ara Khail. Among the various sources, wells and tanks were highly polluted while tube wells were found to be the most suitable source for drinking water. The main purpose of this research was to make public awareness of the study areas, to avoid usage of contaminated water for drinking or other domestic uses and to reduce health risks.

Key words: Drinking water, sources, physiochemical evaluation, Kohat.

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This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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