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Surface water quality assessment of Skardu springs using Water Quality Index

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Abstract

Natural springs which originate from hilly areas of Skardu in Pakistan make their route downward and are utilized by the public as they passes from residential areas. Due to weathering processes in mountainous regions, these springs can be the source of various trace elements and pollutants. Keeping in mind the same concept, ten mostly used freshwater springs were selected to evaluate their drinking water quality in the Skardu region. Three samples of water from each spring (start/mouth, 100 m away from the mouth, and 200 m away from mouth) were collected and analyzed for water quality via Water Quality Index (WQI). The main parameters of spring water were recorded in the laboratory as electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), and secondary parameters, i.e., Kelley’s ratio (KR), permeability index (PI), and WQI, were derived. Besides these parameters, heavy metal pollutants (Cd, Cr, Mn, and Cu) were also determined from the water samples. The results showed that the assessed parameters TDS, SSP, KR, and PI were found within the safer limits of drinking water as prescribed by the Pak-EPA and WHO. However, among trace elements, only Cd (0.03 mg L−1) was found above the permissible limits of 0.01 mg L−1 as given by the GOP-EPA (2008) and WHO (1996) at Shigri Bala spring 200 m away. Similarly, at 2 ft from the mouth of Chumig S1 spring, its concentrations were recorded 0.03 mg L−1, and at Benazir Chowk spring (100 m away), it was found 0.02 mg L−1. In general, the Water WQI demonstrates that springs have good water quality. Our findings are useful for the environmental protection managers and citizens of the Skardu concerned with the water quality of the springs.

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Acknowledgments

The authors of the manuscript want to thank the Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, for their supports.

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Funded by University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Wazir Aitizaz Ahsan, Hamaad Raza Ahmad, Zia Ur Rahman Farooqi, Muhammad Sabir & Muhammad Ashar Ayub

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan

    Muhammad Rizwan

  3. PSRI Institute for Protection and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska, Vidovdanska 43, Banja Luka, 78000, Republic of Srpska

    Predrag Ilic

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  1. Wazir Aitizaz Ahsan
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Contributions

Wazir Aitizaz Ahsan: data curation, resources, formal analysis. Hamaad Raza Ahmad: resources, formal analysis, supervision, investigation, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. Zia Ur Rahman Farooqi: data curation, funding acquisition, methodology, software. Muhammad Sabir: writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. Muhammad Ashar Ayub: writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. Muhammad Rizwan: methodology, software, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. Predrag Ilic: writing—original draft, writing—review and editing.

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Ahsan, W.A., Ahmad, H.R., Farooqi, Z.U.R. et al. Surface water quality assessment of Skardu springs using Water Quality Index. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 20537–20548 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11818-5

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