Abstract—A study was conducted in Jamber Khurd, a union council of Tehsil Pattoki, district Kasur in Punjab province, Pakistan, in order to determine the effects of using polluted water for irrigation which disturbed the quality of ground water and then its ultimate effects on the environment and health of common man living in the area. Different water quality parameters were studied in ground water samples that includes physico-chemical variables (pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity and total dissolved solids), anions (carbonates, bicarbonates and chlorides), cations (sodium, calcium and magnesium), biological variables like total coliform (faecal coliform and E- coli), heavy metals (manganese, nickel, chromium, lead, copper, cobalt, iron and zinc), sodium absorption ratio and residual sodium carbonate. The results were compared with National Environment Quality Standards. The results of the study show that, the use of polluted water increases the value of conductivity, total dissolved solids, sodium absorption ratio and residual sodium carbonate in ground water and exceeds the acceptable limits of National Environment Quality Standards. The increase in values was statistically significant. After detailed survey by conducting interview, it was concluded that the use of polluted water not only degraded the ground water quality but also have a severe health hazard on the residents of the area. The concentration of heavy metals was also found to be higher than acceptable range. Possible recommendations were given, in order to protect the area from pollution degradation.
Index Terms—ground water; pollution; health effects; people;Pakistan
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Cite: M. Aqeel Ashraf, K. Mahmood, M. Jamil Maah, I. Yusoff and A. Wajid, "Study of Health & Environmental Risks Associated with Polluted Water Irrigation," International Journal of Chemical Engineering and Applications vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 26-31, 2011.
