Risk of groundwater pollution in open dug wells in the Pungudutivu Island of the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

Pathmaja, S.; Dharmagunawardhane, H. A.; Senthilnanthanan, Meena; Mikunthan, T.; Rajasooriyar, L.

doi:10.4038/jgssl.v20i2.30

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 7 publications

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“…Salinity in groundwater has been a permanent feature of the lived experience of communities in island landscapes and coastal areas of NP, which has had significant influence in many aspects of their livelihood including agriculture, employment, and demographics. The rising levels of salinization in recent times in the Jaffna islands have been recorded (Pathmaja et al, 2019;Wu et al, 2022). This process and its impact in Karainagar have followed its own course due to the island's nearness to the mainland and the benefits of being connected to it via a causeway since early 1900s.…”

Section: Current Status Of Groundwatermentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater mapping and locally engaged water governance in a small island terrain: Case study of Karainagar island, Northern Sri Lanka

Karthiga,

Rameshwaran,

Ketheesan

et al. 2023

World Water Policy

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Groundwater is a vital resource under threat in island communities. Karainagar, a 22 km2 island, is one of seven islands off the coast of Jaffna in Northern Sri Lanka, with its population of just about 11,000 persons, experiences seasonal water shortage, and salinity in groundwater as twin threats impacting on their lives. This paper reports on a 3‐year study (October 2019 to September 2022) to map groundwater dynamics of Karainagar island spatially and seasonally and discusses the patterns revealed in terms of community needs, policy implications, and governance ideas that could already be considered by relevant authorities and citizens jointly. Thirty‐six dug wells used for drinking, domestic, agricultural, and public purposes were selected, and water level, salinity, and pH changes recorded along with daily rainfall. This paper offers a thorough description of the geography, land use, distribution of wells, and water bodies, followed by discussion of the current status of the groundwater in Karainagar island. Year‐to‐year differences in rainfall pattern resulted in different rates of change and range in water level with a corresponding reverse pattern seen in salinity with some exceptions across the island. Cumulative rainfall required to reach full capacity of wells ranged from 652 to 892 mm over the 3 years with an average figure of 739 mm of rain. This implies that any further rainfall during early phase of the main rainy season is potential surface water for storage and runoff. Practices such as unregulated pumping and construction of tube wells are argued to be contributing to increase in salinity levels with health implications for residents. A participatory governance approach that overcomes limitations of the existing institutional approach is proposed. Its success based on broad stakeholder engagement, improved equity, and transparency when supported by adequate policies and village level aquifer monitoring will enable sustainability of groundwater resources in Karainagar.

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Section: Current Status Of Groundwatermentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater mapping and locally engaged water governance in a small island terrain: Case study of Karainagar island, Northern Sri Lanka

Karthiga,

Rameshwaran,

Ketheesan

et al. 2023

World Water Policy

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Faecal pollution source tracking in the holy Bagmati River by portable 16S rRNA gene sequencing

Pantha¹,

Acharya

Mohapatra

et al. 2021

npj Clean Water

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A suitcase laboratory was used for 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to assess microbial water quality in the holy Bagmati River, Kathmandu, Nepal. SourceTracker analysis and Volcano plots revealed that microbial communities in the downstream part of the river were mainly contributed by untreated sewage. Seasonal variability in the sewage microbiome was reflected in the downstream river water quality. The bacterial genera Acidovorax, Geobacillus and Caulobacter predominated in the upstream sites, while genera containing putative human pathogens and gut bacteria, such as Clostridium, Prevotella, Arcobacter, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus and Streptococcus become prominent in the downstream sites. Marker gene qPCR assays for total bacteria, total coliforms, Human E. coli, Arcobacter butzleri and Vibrio cholerae confirmed the sequencing data trends. Even though basic sanitation provision is nowadays near universal in Nepal, our findings show how inadequate wastewater management may turn an urban river into an open sewer, which poses a public health risk.

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Risk of groundwater pollution in open dug wells in the Pungudutivu Island of the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

Cited by 2 publications

References 7 publications

Groundwater mapping and locally engaged water governance in a small island terrain: Case study of Karainagar island, Northern Sri Lanka

Groundwater mapping and locally engaged water governance in a small island terrain: Case study of Karainagar island, Northern Sri Lanka

Faecal pollution source tracking in the holy Bagmati River by portable 16S rRNA gene sequencing

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