Water quality assessment of Siran river, Pakistan

Abstract

Spatial variations in water quality of Siran river were analyzed in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK) province of Pakistan. The water quality was studied at eleven sites at upstream and downstream in Siran valley during 2009 to 2010. Physico-chemical and microbiological parameters of the samples were measured; moreover, possible sources of contamination were analyzed. The study showed that the pollution level in Siran river is rising because of discharge of domestic waste water effluent, agricultural activities and solid waste dumping directly into the river. The major contaminant found in the Siran river was fecal contamination, signifying the release of domestic waste water into the river without any treatment. Other parameters measured included chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolve oxygen (DO), pH, temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), total hardness (TH), total phosphorus (TP), total (nitrate + nitrite) nitrogen (TON), SO4 2, Cl – and Escherichia coli. The mean values of the measured parameters were compared with National Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards. The two downstream stations S-8 and S-9 were found more contaminated as compared to the other upstream stations.