Assessment of Drinking Water Quality of Selected Sources in Vicinity of Chenab River District Gujrat, Pakistan

Abstract

In this study, drinking water quality of nearby villages of Chenab River, Gujrat was analyzed. The main purpose of this study was to determine the quality of drinking water in selected areas of Chenab River. For this, 36 water samples were collected from river site. The study aimed to analyze physicochemical, microbiological analysis as well as heavy metal assessment. The result of this study showed that the concentration of all the physicochemical parameters far below the permissible limits while the concentration of biological parameters exceeded the permissible limits. Heavy metals like As and Cr are within the permissible limits in all the samples taken from tube well and bore well except one sample. The concentration of Ni is beyond the permissible limits mentioned by WHO that is 0.02 mg/L. In particular, the concentration of Cd is at its peak with a value of 0.025 mg/L while its lowest concentration is 0.008 mg/L. Furthermore, Pb concentration is below the permissible limit in only 8 samples with the lowest value of 0.036 mg/L whereas all other 28 samples are not fit for drinking purposes. However, the concerned authorities shall start focusing on the drinking water quality of the respective area. As most of the results of water sample were beyond the defined permissible limits by WHO