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Evaluation of fresh and stored rainwater quality in fluoride and arsenic endemic area of Thar Desert, Pakistan

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Abstract

In the current study, the chemistry of fresh and stored rainwater of Thar Desert, Pakistan, was estimated during two consecutive monsoon periods. The present research deals with the variation in physicochemical parameters, total arsenic (Ast), inorganic arsenic species (Asi, AsV, AsIII), and fluoride (F−) in stored rainwater (SRW) at different time intervals (1 week to 3 months). The pH of fresh rainwater (FRW) samples showed slightly acidic to neutral in nature (6.08–7.06) which were inconsistent with the reference pH value (5.6) of rainwater. The resulted data indicated that Ast and F− levels in SRW were enhanced with time duration. The levels of Ast and F− in SRW after different time intervals were found in the range of 194–683 μg/L and 10–35.4 mg/L, respectively. The values of Ast and F− were 20–70 and 7–24 times higher than those of WHO permissible limits, 10 μg/L and 1.5 mg/L, respectively. The AsIII was dominant species in SRW, which corresponds to >60 % of Asi. The characteristics of the SRW revealed an unacceptable quality to consume for drinking and agricultural purposes in the studied area.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support of the Higher Education commission (HEC), Islamabad (Pin no. 112-26591-2Ps1-182).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, 76080, Pakistan

    Kapil Dev Brahman, Tasneem Gul Kazi, Hassan Imran Afridi, Jameel Ahmed Baig, Sadaf Sadia Arain, Naeem Ullah, Abdul Haleem Panhwar & Salma Arain

  2. Applied Chemistry Research Centre, PCSIR Laboratories Complex, Off University Road, Karachi, 75280, Pakistan

    Tahir Rafique

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  1. Kapil Dev Brahman
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  2. Tasneem Gul Kazi
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Brahman, K.D., Kazi, T.G., Afridi, H.I. et al. Evaluation of fresh and stored rainwater quality in fluoride and arsenic endemic area of Thar Desert, Pakistan. Environ Monit Assess 186, 8611–8628 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-4028-7

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