Source identification of groundwater contamination in densely populated settlements

Abstract

Water is an essential resource for human health, so understanding the quality of the water sources is essential. Groundwater from the shallow wells is one of the water sources used by people worldwide, including in densely populated areas. Slum areas and densely populated areas generally have problems with limited land, causing pollution problems in shallow well water. The identification of well water pollution levels is an early effort to detect the water quality. This study aims to present the current state of water quality in shallow wells located in slum and densely populated areas and further analyze the potential source of shallow well pollution. This study was conducted by interviewing and distributing questionnaires at the Sub District of Tegalpanggung, one of the densest areas in Yogyakarta. The questionnaires included issues about social, economic, water sources, data on sanitation infrastructure. This study also discussed the characteristic of soil beneath the Sub District of Tegalpanggung, which determine the groundwater flow. This study found 79% of the population at Tegapanggung uses shallow wells as their primary water source and 70.3% of the population uses septic tanks as their wastewater treatment. Furthermore, the distance between the septic tank and the shallow well that does not meet the standards of SNI 2398:2017 (procedure for planning a septic tank with advanced treatment) is 92.03%. The results indicate that there is a possibility of water pollution in a shallow well. Therefore, it is indispensable to analyze further water quality in water sources in densely populated areas. This study will present information for the stakeholders at Tegalpanggung to design a mitigation strategy to provide healthy and potable water for densely populated areas.