EQA (Jul 2024)

Appraisal of piped water quality supplied to Liaquatabad Town, Karachi by using Water Quality Index and Geospatial Assessment

  • Aamir Alamgir,
  • Noor Fatima,
  • Shah Noor Khan,
  • Aliza Naseer,
  • Aliza Khan,
  • Muhammad Noman Siddiqui,
  • Fahim Jafri

DOI
https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2281-4485/19413
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 62
pp. 55 – 68

Abstract

Read online

In 2022, 23 piped water samples from Liaquatabad town were examined study for pH, TDS, turbidity, chloride, hardness, nitrate, and sulphate. Majority of these indicators, with the exception of TDS, hardness, and sulphate, complied with the standards given by WHO and NSDWQ. Ca > Mg > Pb > Fe > Ni > Cr > As were metals that were found in that order. E. coli was found in about 74% of the samples while MPN Technique's microbial assessment, which found that more than 70% of the samples were contaminated with faecal matter. Despite having adequate physico-chemical properties in 95.6% samples, the Water Quality Index (WQI) showed that they were unsafe for drinking due to metal contamination. The samples' microbiological quality was good in just 26% of them. Untreated sewage discharge, cross-contamination and presence of faeces were all blamed for the pollution in the samples and responsible for serious health dangers.

Keywords