Citation: Imran S., L. N. Bukhari. and Gul S. (2018). Water Quality Assessment Report: District Nowshera Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2018. Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), pp. 42. © All rights reserved by PCRWR. The authors encourage fair use of this material for non- commercial purposes with proper citation. Authors: Saiqa Imran, Lubna Naheed Bukhari and Samar Gul, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, Pakistan. ISBN: 978-969-8469-67-2 Disclaimer: The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the institution. WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT REPORT DISTRICT NOWSHERA KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA Saiqa Imran Lubna Naheed Bukhari Samar Gul PAKISTAN COUNCIL OF RESEARCH IN WATER RESOURCES March, 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ....................................................................................................... v PREFACE ............................................................................................................................... vii SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. ix 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................. 1 2. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Project Area ................................................................................................................. 3 2.2 Sampling Design ......................................................................................................... 4 2.3 Sample Collection and Preservation ........................................................................... 5 2.3.1 Microbiological Sample Collection ..................................................................... 6 2.3.2 Type of Water Samples and Preservatives ........................................................... 6 2.3.3 Sample Labeling Strategy .................................................................................... 7 2.3.4 Sample Collection Profile .................................................................................... 7 2.4 Analytical Methods ..................................................................................................... 7 2.5 Water Quality Standards ............................................................................................. 9 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ..................................................................................... 11 3.1 Overall Water Quality of District Nowshera. ............................................................ 11 3.2 Water Quality of Different Sources .......................................................................... 12 a. Boreholes ................................................................................................................... 13 b. Dug/Open Wells ........................................................................................................ 13 c. Hand Pumps .............................................................................................................. 13 d. Storage Tanks ............................................................................................................ 13 e. Tube Wells ................................................................................................................ 13 f. Taps/Water Supply .................................................................................................... 14 4. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONs .......................................................... 16 4.1 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 16 4.2 Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 17 5. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 20 6. ANNEXURE.................................................................................................................... 21 i LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Water quality parameters and methods used for analysis ........................................ 8 Table 2: National Drinking Water Quality Standards for parameters analyzed .................. 10 Table 3: Types of contaminants found in drinking water ................................................... 11 Table 4: Water quality status of different drinking water sources ....................................... 12 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Project area of Nowshera District ............................................................................ 4 Figure 2: Water sample collection from drinking water sources ............................................ 6 Figure 3: Water quality analysis in the Laboratory ................................................................. 9 Figure 4: Levels of contaminants found in drinking water .................................................. 11 Figure 5: Water quality status of different drinking water sources ...................................... 12 Figure 6: Levels of contaminants found in different drinking water sources ....................... 14 Figure 7: Poor condition of water and sewage lines .............................................................. 15 ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviation Complete Name Alk Alkalinity As Arsenic Ca Calcium CFU Colony Forming Unit Cl Chloride CO3 Carbonate Col. Color EC Electrical Conductivity E. coli Escherichia coli F Fluoride Fe Iron Hard Hardness HCO3 Bicarbonate K Potassium Mg Magnesium mg/l Milligram per liter MPN Most Probable Number Na Sodium NEQS National Environmental Quality Standards N/F Not Functional NGVS No Guideline Value Set NO3 Nitrate NTU Naphlometric Turbidity Unit O. less Odor less ppm Parts per million ppb Parts per billion PHED Public Health Engineering Department SO4 Sulphate iii Abbreviation Complete Name SDG Sustainable Development Goal TDS Total Dissolved Solids TMA Tehsil Municipal Administration T. Col Total Coliforms TCU True Colour Unit Turb. Turbidity UN United Nations Unobj Unobjectionable UC Union Council µg/l Microgram per liter µS/cm Micro Siemens per centimeter WASH Water Sanitation and Hygiene WHO World Health Organization iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The research was conducted in collaboration with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). PCRWR highly acknowledges the financial support provided by UNICEF. We would like to extend our thanks and special complements to Mr. Muhammad Shoaib, Mr. Sajjad Akbar and Ms. Asiya Ashraf from UNICEF for their support and valuable contribution in report compilation. We also extend our thanks to Dr. Muhammad Ashraf Chairman PCRWR for his support in implementation of this study. Special complements and appreciation go to the members of sampling teams for their efforts in samples collection, processing and data generation. The efforts of, Mr. Sohail Anjum and Mr. Zeeshan Munawar in data compilation, data analysis and formatting are also acknowledged. v vi PREFACE Drinking water is one of the basic necessities of life and it is responsibility of the state to provide water to the people at their door’s step. The National Drinking Water Policy (2009) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Drinking Water Policy (2016) set a target of providing access to safe and sustainable drinking water supply to the entire population by 2025. Similarly, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 also sets a target 6.1 “by 2030 achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all”. However, monitoring of the drinking water sources is crucial to ensure safe water supply, because if we cannot measure a thing, we cannot manage it. Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) in 2016 monitored drinking water quality of 25 major cities of Pakistan. Only 31% were found safe whereas 69% samples were found unsafe for drinking purpose. However, Nowshera was not the part of the regular water quality monitoring program of PCRWR. PCRWR in collaboration with UNICEF conducted a detailed study of drinking water quality in the Nowshera District. This report is an outcome of the study. It is hoped that it would provide a baseline towards achieving goals set in the national and provincial drinking water policies and SDG 6. vii viii SUMMARY Overall 469 water samples were collected from Nowshera District, out of those 133 (27%) were found unsafe whereas 363 (73%) were found safe. The major source of water supply schemes in Nowshera is groundwater (tube wells). Out of the surveyed 123 tube wells, 14 were operated by TMA and 13 were operational, whereas 109 tube wells were under the control of PHED and 92 tube wells were operational whereas, 17 tube wells were non- operational. Water samples from 105 tube wells were collected and analysed. In the Nowshera District the tube wells depth ranged between 150 to 600 feet. The, 85% tube well sources were found safe whereas 15% were unsafe. Whereas, at consumer ends 23% sources (tap water) were found contaminated, major contaminants were bacterial. The cause of contamination in the distribution lines