Citation: Imran S., L. N. Bukhari. and Gul S. (2018). Water Quality Assessment Report Along the Banks of River Kabul Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2018. Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), pp. 45. © 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: 978-969-8469-64-1 Disclaimer: The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the institution. WATER QUALITY ASESSMENT REPORT ALONG THE BANKS OF RIVER KABUL KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA Saiqa Imran Lubna Naheed Bukhari Samar Gul PAKISTAN COUNCIL OF RESEARCH IN WATER RESOURCES March, 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................ iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...................................................................................................... vi PREFACE ..............................................................................................................................viii SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. x 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................. 1 2. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Project Area ................................................................................................................. 3 2.1.1 Shahi Katha Drain ................................................................................................ 3 2.1.2 Hazar Khawani Drain .......................................................................................... 3 2.1.3 Kalapani Drain Mardan........................................................................................ 4 2.2 Sampling Design ......................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Sample Collection and Preservation ........................................................................... 6 2.3.1 Microbiological Sample Collection ..................................................................... 7 2.3.2 Types of Water Samples and Preservatives ......................................................... 7 2.3.3 Sample Labeling Strategy .................................................................................... 8 2.3.4 Sample Collection Profile .................................................................................... 8 2.4 Analytical Methods ..................................................................................................... 8 2.5 Drinking Water Quality Standards ............................................................................ 10 2.6 National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) ................................................ 11 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ..................................................................................... 13 3.1 Overall Water Quality Along the Banks of River Kabul .......................................... 13 3.2 Water Quality of Different Sources .......................................................................... 14 a. Bores.......................................................................................................................... 15 b. Dug /Open Wells ....................................................................................................... 15 c. Hand Pumps .............................................................................................................. 15 e. Tube Wells ................................................................................................................ 15 f. Taps/Water Supply .................................................................................................... 16 g. Water Quality of Kabul River and Associated Drains .............................................. 17 4. CONCLUSIONS and RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................................... 21 4.1 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 21 4.2 Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 22 5. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 25 6. ANNEXURE.................................................................................................................... 27 i ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Water quality parameters and methods used for analysis ........................................ 9 Table 2: National Drinking Water Quality Standards for parameters analyzed .................. 10 Table 3: National Environmental Quality Standards for Municipal and Liquid Industrial Effluents (mg/L, unless otherwise defined) ........................................................... 12 Table 4: Types of contaminants found in drinking water .................................................... 13 Table 5: Water quality status of different drinking water sources ....................................... 14 Table 6: Level of pollution load in Kabul River and associated drains ............................... 18 Table 7: Levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Kabul River and associated drains ..... 19 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Project area along the banks of Kabul River ........................................................... 4 Figure 2: Water samples collection from water sources ......................................................... 7 Figure 3: Water quality analysis in the laboratory ................................................................. 11 Figure 4: Levels of contaminants found in drinking water ................................................. 13 Figure 5: Water quality status of different drinking water sources ....................................... 14 Figure 6: Levels of contaminants found in different drinking water sources ........................ 16 Figure 7: Poor condition of water supply and sewage lines .................................................. 17 iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviation Complete Name Alk Alkalinity As Arsenic ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry BOD Biological Oxygen Demand COD Chemical Oxygen Demand DO Dissolved Oxygen CFU Colony Forming Unit Col Colour Ca Calcium Cl Chloride CO3 Carbonate DDT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane DDE Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene DDD Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane EC Electrical Conductivity E. coli Escherichia coli F Fluoride Fe Iron GCMS Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer Hard. Hardness HCO3 Bicarbonate HCB Hexachlorobenzene IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer K Potassium Mg Magnesium Mg/l Milligram per liter m.mol Millimol MPN Most Probable Number Na Sodium NEQS National Environmental Quality Standards N/F Not functional iv Abbreviation Complete Name NGVS No Guideline Value Set NO3 Nitrate NTU Naphalometric Turbidity Unit O.less Odour less op Ortho para pp Para para POPs Persistent Organic Pollutants ppb Parts per billion ppm Parts per million PHED Public Health Engineering Department SC Sea Concentration SO4 Sulphate SDG Sustainable Development Goal TCU True Color Unit TDS Total Dissolved Solids TMA Tehsil Municipal Administration T. Col Total Coliforms Turb Turbidity µg/l Microgram per liter µS/cm Micro Siemens per centimeter UN United Nations Unobj Unobjectionable WASH Water Sanitation and Hygiene WHO World Health Organization v 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. vi vii PREFACE Drinking water is one of the basic necessities of life and it is the 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