Quality of tube well water intended for irrigation and human consumption with special emphasis on arsenic contamination at the area of Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

In the present study, the tube well water quality and the associated health risks, emphasizing on arsenic contamination, were investigated in rural and urban samples from Tehsil Mailsi located in Punjab, Pakistan. Arsenic concentrations (μg/L) were ranged from 12 to 448.5 and which exceeded the WHO recommended limit (10 μg/L) in all cases. The calculated average daily dose (3.3 × 10 to 1.2 × 10 mg/kg day) and hazard quotient (1.1-40) reflected the potential health risk to local population due to tube well water consumption as drinking purpose. Sodium percent (Na%), sodium absorption ratio, residual sodium carbonate, Kelly's index and magnesium absorption ratio were also determined to assess the suitability of tube well water for irrigation purpose. The resulting piper plot revealed the Na-Ca-HCO type water chemistry of the area and generally alkaline environment. The spatial distribution of arsenic in the tube well waters pinpoints the significant contribution of anthropogenic activities to arsenic pollution. Nevertheless, different statistical tools, including principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and correlation matrices, revealed the contribution of both natural and anthropogenic activities and alkaline type of aquifers toward the high level of arsenic contamination.

Assessment of groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes using hydrochemical studies in Malwa region, southwestern part of Punjab, India

“…Excessive use of arsenical pesticides on crops may be a source of arsenic contamination due to leaching process of fertilizers and pesticides from soils to groundwater. The major source of metal pollution in water is use of pesticides in the form of calcium arsenate, lead arsenate, sodium arsenate and arsenic acid (Rasool et al 2016). …”

Use of Novel Composite Coagulants for Arsenic Removal from Waters—Experimental Insight for the Application of Polyferric Sulfate (PFS)

“…According to another study, where arsenic concentration in groundwaters of Northern Greece was investigated, this value is realistic and actually is at the lower end of values measured in the arsenic affected ground waters in this region [5]. Values of alkalinity ranged between 4 and 8 mM HCO 3 in this area, and similar or slightly higher concentrations were measured in other areas with arsenic polluted groundwaters, such as in Argentina [24], in the Pannonian basin [25], and in Pakistan [26]. Therefore, since alkalinity is known to affect the efficiency of coagulation, in the present study, alkalinity values from 1 to 8 mM were examined to evaluate the effect on As(III) removal.…”

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“…The PAK-EPA surveys reported more alarming figures for As in ground water and found 12-488 (µg L -1 ) As concentration in drinking water in Tehsil Mailsi, Punjab. These amounts are far greater than the permissible limit (10 µg L -1 ) by WHO (Rasool et al 2017). Afzal et al (2014) reported enhanced concentrations of Cd (37 mg kg -1 ) and Cr (2443 mg kg -1 ) in soils of Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan where industrial wastewater was used for irrigation.…”