nto investigate the impact of prevailing microbiological contamination in the ground and surface...

7/25/2019 nTo Investigate the Impact of Prevailing Microbiological Contamination in the Ground and Surface Water

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To Investigate the Impact of Prevailing Microbiological

Contamination in the Ground and Surface Water

Word Count: 1000

!ame of the Writer"

!ame of the Institution"


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To Investigate the Impact of Prevailing Microbiological Contamination of Ground and Surface Water

#$ST%#CT

The current study has aimed to analyze the current water conditions in Karachi so that the

drinking water quality available in the form of ground and surface water should be investigated.

The data for observation was collected from the 18 towns of Karachi from the sources of ground

and surface water. The MTF rocedure! "! T#$ and turbidity test were accumulated in order to

analyze if the drinking water is safe and in accordance with the drinking water standards. The

results of the study indicated the occurrence of %&coli in the surface and ground water! the "

level of surface water was satisfactory whereas the " level of ground water was inaroriate.

The Turbidity results of the ground and surface water was high indicating the relation between

the M'( of %&coli and turbidity. There e)ists no indication of e)cessive T#$ in water. The study

has also rovided the measures to address the current water condition of Karachi and future

directions for research have been discussed.

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#C&!'W()*GM)!T

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Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Problem.....................................................................................

1.1 Introduction................................................................................................................

1.! Problem Statement....................................................................................................."

1.# Purpose Statement...................................................................................................1$

1.% &esearch 'uestion(s)................................................................................................1!

1.* Theoretical +rame,or-............................................................................................1!

1. Significance of the Stud/.........................................................................................1%

1.0 efinition of Terms..................................................................................................1*

1.*.1 Microbiological contamination............................................................................1*

1.*.+ Turbidity...............................................................................................................1*

1.*., T#$.......................................................................................................................1*

Chapter !: 2iterature &evie,...................................................................................................1

!.1 Introduction..............................................................................................................1

!.! Microbiological Contamination of Surface and Ground Water...............................1

!.# Turbidit/ and TS of Surface and Ground Water...................................................!!

!.% Water Contamination and its 3a4ards.....................................................................!

!.* Summar/.................................................................................................................#$Chapter #: &esearch Methodolog/..........................................................................................#!

#.1 Introduction..............................................................................................................#!

#.! &esearch Strateg/ and Procedure.............................................................................#!

#.# 3/pothesis of the Stud/...........................................................................................#!

#.% &esearch Methods....................................................................................................##

,.-.1 Multile&Tube&Fermentation MTF/....................................................................##

,.-.+ " .........................................................................................................................#%

,.-., Turbidity...............................................................................................................#%

,.-.- T#$.......................................................................................................................#*

#.* ata Collection Procedure.......................................................................................#*

,.0.1 'rimary esearch.................................................................................................#*

,.0.+ $econdary esearch.............................................................................................#

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#. Summar/................................................................................................................#

Chapter %: &esults....................................................................................................................#0

%.1 Introduction...........................................................................................................#0

%.! &esults and Interpretation.....................................................................................#0

%.!.1 Microbiological Water Contamination.................................................................#0

%.!.! Water Turbidit/....................................................................................................#"

%.!.# Water p3..............................................................................................................%$

%.!.% Water TS............................................................................................................%1

%.!.% MP5 and Turbidit/..............................................................................................%#

%.# Summar/.................................................................................................................%%

Chapter *: Conclusion and iscussion....................................................................................%*

*.1 Introduction..............................................................................................................%*

*.! iscussion................................................................................................................%*

*.# Conclusion...............................................................................................................%0

*.% Practical Implications...............................................................................................%

*.* 2imitation and +uture &esearch...............................................................................%"

&6+6&65C6S........................................................................................................................*1

7PP65I8..............................................................................................................................*0

7ppendi9 1.........................................................................................................................*0Microbiolog/ of Ground Water ;ia


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(ist of +igures

+igure 1 > The 3/rdological C/cle.................................................................................. 2

+igure ! > Theoretical +rame,or-...................................................................................2

+igure # Compliance With Pa-istan and W3? Standards.....................................................2

+igure % > ?ccurrence of 6Coli in McCon-e/ 7gar............................................................2

+igure * > @acteriological Standards of rin-ing Water........................................................2

+igure > ?ccurrence of 6Coli..................................................................................... 2

+igure 0 > W3? Water TS Standards.............................................................................2

+igure > Total issolved Solids....................................................................................2

+igure " > P3 Scale.....................................................................................................2

+igure 1$ > Water P3..................................................................................................2

+igure 11 > Sources of Water contamination......................................................................2

+igure 1! > MP5 of Surface Water..................................................................................2

+igure 1# > MP5 of Ground Water..................................................................................2

+igure 1% > Mean Turbidit/ of Ground Water.....................................................................2

+igure 1* > Mean Turbidit/ of Surface Water.....................................................................2

+igure 1 > Mean P3 Ground Water...............................................................................2

+igure 10 Mean P3 of Surface Water.............................................................................2

+igure 1 Mean TS of Ground Water...........................................................................2

+igure 1" Mean Turbidit/ of Surface Water......................................................................2

+igure !$ > &elation @et,een MP5 and Turbidit/ of Ground Water.........................................2

+igure !1 > &elation @et,een Mp5 and Turbidit/ of Surface Water.........................................2

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Chapter 1: Introduction to the Problem

1,1 Introduction

The inta-e of purified and filtered ,ater is necessar/ for individuals in order to endure

health/ life. The adeAuate Auantit/ of ,ater inta-e helps in the metabolism of humanbod/ and

maintains the bod/ temperature. MoreoverB the transfusion of bod/ fluids ta-es place properl/

onl/ ,hen the adeAuate amount of ,ater is available in the bod/. The total amount of ,ater that

e9ists on earth consists of # of fresh,aterB out of ,hichB onl/ $.$1 fresh,ater is found to be

accessible for humans (3inrichsen and TacioB !$$!). This has resulted in the shortage of ,ater

globall/ and has emphasi4ed on the proper management and filtration of ,ater.

Water is considered to be the adeAuate solvent due to ,hich other impurities are

dissolved in it ,hich ma-es it polluted and inappropriate for drin-ing purpose. The concentration

of cations and anions of minerals in terms of sodium and potassium is found dangerousl/ high

,hich ma-e the ,ater undrin-able and causes adverse effect on health (SiddiAui et alB !$$*D

Clar-e !$1#). In developing countriesB the industrial and agricultural discharge of ,aste has

caused ,ater pollution up to the ha4ardous e9tent. The agricultural discharge consists of harmful

pesticides that get mi9ed ,ith surface and ground ,ater b/ the process of underground ,ater

flo, and causes harmful effects on human health. MoreoverB stud/ conducted b/ 7li et al. (!$11)

proved that 6 > coli and fecal coliforms indicates the e9posure of ,ater ,ith human ,aste

,hereasB the inorganic acids present in ,ater indicate the industrial ,astage. This ,ater pollution

has increased the impurities in ,ater comprising of microorganisms ,hich cause d/senter/B

t/phoid and gastrointestinal diseases (3ashmi et al. !$$").

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In Pa-istanB drin-able ,ater is available to !*.* population ,hereas the rest population

is encountered ,ith the contaminated ,ater. The ,ater consisting of human ,asteB agricultural

,aste and industrial ,aste is discharged in river or nearb/ canal ,ithout an/ purification

procedure ,hich results in the contamination of surface ,ater. +urthermoreB subsurface flo, of

,ater or internal flo, causes the surface contaminated ,ater to be mi9ed ,ith ground ,ater

,hich in turnB also becomes unpurified and that is ho, the contaminated surface ,ater leads

to,ards the contamination of ground ,ater (74i4ullah et alB !$11). The surface ,ater is also

contaminated ,hen it is e9posed to chemical discharge and the h/drologicalc/cle causes its

flo, to,ards the ground ,ater ,hich also becomes contaminated and there e9ists large amount

of ironB chromium and arsenic e9ist in the ground and surface ,ater ,hich ma/ leads to,ards the

ha4ardous diseases li-e respirator/ diseasesB heart diseases and cancer (2agari et alB !$$%).

The current stud/ is profoundl/ comprised on the anal/sis of surface and ground ,ater

that is accessible in Earachi. The surface and ground ,ater is e9amined on the basis of its

contamination ,ith respect to harmful microorganisms present in it. +urthermoreB the

investigation for the current level of turbidit/ and TS is also measured in order to assess the

Aualit/ of the ,ater.

1,- Problem Statement

Water being the building bloc- of human life is considered to be the basic element of

human bod/ ,hich consists of **0 percentage of ,ater. The Aualit/ of ,ater needed to be

supplied to population ,ith respect to adeAuate amount in ,a/s that it ma-es certain that the

supplied ,ater is able to meet the standard h/gienic conditions is actuall/ the most debated topic

for researchers (3o,ard and @artamB !$$#). 7ccording to the World 3ealth ?rgani4ation (!$1%)B

the population of about % billion has access to the healthier source of ,ater and this availabilit/

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has almost doubled in last !$ /ears granting standardi4ed ,ater suppl/ in 11 countriesB ,hereas

the ,ater for drin-ing purpose is still unavailable to 0$$ million population in the ,orld ,hich

comprises of 01 countries. MoreoverB ,astage from agricultural and industrial process is

discharged in ,orldF ,ater sources ,hich is estimated to ,eight ! milliontons on ever/da/ basis

and out of ,hich $ percent of ,astage from the total of ! milliontons is discharged from the

developing countries ,hich contaminates the ,ater and causes ha4ardous microbial gro,th

,hich threatens health of the population.

Pa-istan as a developing countr/ is ran-ed $ out of the total of 1!! countries ,ith

respect to the available standardi4ed Aualit/ of ,ater. In Pa-istanB the rate of availabilit/ of

h/gienic drin-ing ,ater is !*. out of the total population ,hich indicates the maor threat for

the healthcare of population that is not provided ,ith safe and standardi4ed ,ater and the stud/

conducted b/ 74i4ullah et al. (!$11) indicates the ground ,ater pollution of * ,ith bacteria

and microbes ,hereasB surface ,ater ,as found 1$$ contaminated b/ both i.e. bacteria and

microbes. The presence of microbes in drin-ing ,ater contributes in diseases ,hich mainl/

comprises of diarrheaB t/phoidB d/senter/ etc. ,hich ma/ prove to be fatal (&ahman et al. 1""0).

ThereforeB the unavailabilit/ of h/gienic drin-ing ,ater has become a maor issue that has to be

addressed and eradicated in order eliminate the ha4ardous health threats for the population.

1,. Purpose Statement

This research is conducted to anal/4e the ha4ardous microorganismsF presence and attract

the attention of related authorities to,ards the ,ater pollution in the ground and the surface

,ater ,hich is not onl/ the source of drin-ing ,ater for people but also the source of other

domestic and industrial usages. In EarachiB there are man/ different areas that need proper

concern of the health and care authorities to search and eliminate one of the maor issues of

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,ater contamination (7sadullah et al. !$1#). It is important to provide people ,ith h/gienic

drin-ing ,ater and in order to do that it is important to anal/4e that ,hat bacteria and pollutants

are found in ,ater and ,hich in certain areas the/ are available (7li et alB !$11). If these

pollutants are -no,n geographicall/B then ho, much area is polluted then it ,ill become easier

to solve the ,ater issue. Specific measures ,ill be ta-en to depollute the ,ater and if it is -no,n

that the ,ater is polluted then people ,ill be given specific measures to utili4e that ,ater

properl/ and if the ,ater is dangerousl/ polluted then people ,ill be refrained to use that ,ater.

The current stud/ anal/4es the microbes present in the ,ater and their ha4ards and effects

on people of that specific area ,ho suffer from man/ lethal diseases due to polluted ,ater. 2ac-

of reAuired attention is ,hat causing this issue to spread ever/ da/ and as it gro,s it is getting

more difficult to cope ,ith this matter (Shei-h et al. !$$). The current stud/ is conducted to

highlight the possible dangerous of ,ater pollution b/ identif/ing the microbes in the ,ater andB

the conseAuences after,ards if it is not treated properl/. The stud/ is conducted to anal/4e the

current ,ater properties and provide all the concerns in the public ,ith the spar- to -no, ho,

serious this matter is and ho, important is it to cease it other,ise. Ehan et al. (!$1#) condemns

in his stud/ that human bod/ ,hich consists of about 0$$ percent of ,aterB ,hen not provided

,ith some pure drin-ing ,ater it reacts in less effective and efficient ,a/ and something needs

to be done to stop it immediatel/.

The polluted ,ater carries viruses ,hich spread Auic-l/ to other people around the

infected ones in man/ different ,a/s and due to lac- of a,areness people get infected and /et

the/ continue to do so (Il/as et al. !$$). The current stud/ is also persuasive in a ,a/ to spread

out the concerned a,areness to the people and to provide them ,ith the entire possible outcome

that the/ might have in future if nothing is done about it. The current stud/ is a ,a-eup call for

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all the responsible and a voice of people of all those areas ,hich are infested ,ith such ,ater

diseases. This stud/ not onl/ dra,s the higher attention but also signifies the importance of this

matter to be addressed ,hich needs to ta-e adeAuate and proper measures against this problem.

1,/ %esearch uestions2

The current stud/ is aimed to address the follo,ing Auestions:

What is the current microbiological contamination of ground and surface ,aterH

What is the current level of turbidit/ and TS in ground and surface ,aterH

What is the impact of microbiological contamination of ground and surface ,aterH

What is the impact of current level of turbidit/ and TS in ground and surface ,aterH

1,3 Theoretical +rame4or5

Water is an important source of human life and it is available for utili4ation in various

sources so that the basic activities can be carried out b/ the consumption of ,ater. The ,ater is

available in the form of rain ,aterB la-e ,aterB river ,ater and ground ,ater and people consume

,ater from sources that are mostl/ found ,ithin their range. The h/drologicalc/cle as described

b/ Clar-e (1""1) indicates that pure ,ater is melted do,n from the glaciers and become part of

rivers in the form of surface ,aterB ,hich streams to,ards the la-es and canals and spread

around to,ards the populated areas ,here it is consumed for domestic purpose. The internal flo,

of ,ater that streams under the ground is caused due to the absorption of rain ,ater in soil ,hich

ultimatel/ flo,s underground and comes across ,ith the surrounded riversB la-es and sea.

MoreoverB the precipitation process of riverB sea and la-e ,ater causes it to evaporate and form

clouds ,hich later rainsdo,nB absorbed in soil and becomes part of the ground ,ater. 3ammer

(1") describes ,aterc/cle as a continuous process in ,hich flo, of ,ater occurs throughout

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the /ear and ma-es the ,ater available in all the sources. 3o,everB the contamination of ,ater

occurs ,hen ha4ardous chemicals are discharged in sea ,ithout an/ prior treatment and the

internal flo, of ,ater

interchanges the ha4ardous chemicals underground and the precipitation of sea ,ater causes

acidrain on ground and rivers ,hich ultimatel/ gets absorbed in soil and causes the

contamination of ground and surface ,ater. MoreoverB the discharge of human ,ater in sea or

surface ,ater occurs ,hich contaminates the surface ,ater and ground ,ater through the internal

,ater interchange (assi et al. !$$1D Sar,ar et al. !$11). The distribution of surface ,ater to the

local population ta-es place ,ith the filtration and chlorination process but due to the bro-en

pipes of bothD se,erage pipes and ,ater distribution pipesB causes the encounter of contaminated

,ater ,ith fresh ,ater and ma-es it contaminated. MoreoverB this lea-age of blac- ,ater causes

the interchange of contaminated bacteria in soil and ma-es the ground ,ater contaminated. In

this ,a/B the ,ater c/cle that is essential for the availabilit/ of ,ater becomes the basis of the

interchange of contamination in ,ater. ThereforeB the availabilit/ of fresh ,ater for domestic

purpose has become a crucial issue ,hich needs to be addressed in order to revive the harmful

12

+igure 1 6 The 78rdological C8cle

Source: Clar-e 1""1


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1,9 Significance of the Stud8

Water is the basic component of life ,hether it contributes in the agricultural productionB

domestic usage or drin-ing purpose. 7ccording to the estimate b/ J56SC? (!$$#)B there e9ists

!.# billion people in the ,orld ,ho have access to purified ,ater and the rest of the population is

13

7dapted from: 74i4ullah !$11

+igure - 6 Theoretical +rame4or5


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encountered ,ith the contagious ,ater ,hich has proved to be fatal. The contamination of ,ater

not onl/ creates the ha4ardous effects on human life but it also indicates that necessar/ measures

for ,ater purification are sufficient enough to providing reAuired outcomes (Wright et alB !$$%).

The microbiological contamination in Pa-istan has led to the $ mortal rate of infants due to

the diseases caused b/ drin-ing of contaminated ,ater (@hutta et al. !$$*). ThereforeB the

availabilit/ of drin-able ,ater has become the maor issue ,hich has to be addressed in

s/stematic manner in order to eradicate the usage of infectious ,ater and ta-e necessar/ steps to

discontinue the processes that leads to the contamination of ,ater. This stud/ pla/s a crucial role

in the anal/sis of ground and surface ,ater to indicate ,hich harmful bacteriaB microorganismsB

to9ic compounds and minerals e9ist and ,hat impact these impurities cause on the health of

people. This stud/ attempts to anal/4e the Aualit/ of ,ater available in Earachi so that

preventive measure can be ta-en to eradicate this issue.

1, *efinition of Terms

1.7.1 Microbiological contamination

Microbiological contamination refers to the impurit/ or into9ication caused b/ the

presence of certain microorganisms and bacteria that are considered to be ha4ardous for

health. 69amples include 6coliB +ecal coliforms etc.

1.7.2 Turbidity

Turbidit/ in ,ater comprises of the e9tent to ,hich the ,ater is comprised of suspended

materials consisting of particles that cause ha4iness in ,ater and settle do,n ,hen the/

are contained in a container. The particles include cla/B algaeB microbes and sand.

1.7.3 TDS

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The inorganic substances present in ,ater ,hich could be found in the form of mineralsB

cations and anions that can be soluble in ,ater. These substances also contain calciumB

sodiumB sulfates and some other minerals and the/ are collectivel/ -no,n as Total

issolved Solids or TS.

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Chapter -: (iterature %evie4

-,1 Introduction

This chapter ,ill cover the literature that ,ill be in accordance ,ith the previous studies

,ith respect to the current stud/. +urthermoreB microbiological contamination of ,aterB TS and

turbidit/ of ,ater and the ha4ards caused b/ the utili4ation of contaminated ,ater ,ill be

focused discussed respectivel/.

-,- Microbiological Contamination of Surface and Ground Water

The usage of impure ,ater can cause malicious diseases and can be fatal if not treated

properl/B therefore the access to fresh and pure ,ater in not onl/ necessar/ for drin-ing purposeB

but it also adheres its importance in order to refrain and eradicate healthcare issues. The people

in urban areas have become a,are about the ha4ardous effects of contaminated ,ater and have

substituted the tap,ater for drin-ing purpose ,ith the mineral ,ater that is provided in mar-et.

The stud/ conducted b/ Ehatoon and Pir4ada (!$1$) attempted to find the occurrence of harmful

microbes and substances in the mineral,ater that is being available in Earachi from various

mineral,ater companies. The stud/ ,as constructed on the samples of ,ater that ,ere collected

from the 10 ,ater brands available in the cit/. The e9periment for the T;PC too- place in

,hich Merc- media ,as used to be mi9ed ,ith samples. 7fter,ardsB the samples ,ere filtered in

order to find the occurrence of 6coli and nitratefilter ,as used to find the presence of fecal

coliforms. The results of the stud/ specified that # percent of the total sample ,as not in

accordance ,ith the standards given b/ W3?B in ,hich the T;PC ,as at relativel/ high rateB

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indicating the presence of bacteria. MoreoverB 11 percent of these bacteria ,ere identified as

coliforms and the presence of 6coli indicate the fecalcontamination. The alarming result from

this stud/ ,as found ,hen these bacteria proved to be resistant to,ards the incision of antibiotic

,hich ultimatel/ proved the fatalit/ from the usage of this ,ater. ThereforeB the results of this

stud/ have Auestioned the Aualit/ that is being provided from the ,ater provision companies.

3o,everB it is also inferred that ,hen mineral

,ater is stored at unfavorable placesB then the

bacteria tend to gro, at higher pace ,hich can

cause fatal healthcare issues.

17

Source: Ehatoon K Pir4ada !$1$

+igure . ; Compliance With Pa5istan and

W7' Standards

+igure / 6 'ccurrence of );Coli in

McCon5e8 #gar

Source: Sulehria et al. !$11


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The ,ater is contaminated ,hen it is encountered ,ith human,aste and the e9istence of

fecal bacteria is found to be common in the drin-ing ,ater indicating that the large amount of

,ater is contaminated and is not as per the healthcare standards. The lea-age and crossover of

fresh ,ater lines and se,erage lines has caused the increased contamination of drin-ing ,ater

and this trend has been found enormousl/ in areas ,ith dense population (Il/as K Sar,arB !$$#D

LahoorullahB !$1#). The increased level of contaminated ,ater reported in Pa-istan has indicated

the incompetenc/ of concerned authorities and thereforeB it has been essentiall/ reAuired to

assess the ,ater Aualit/ in order to ta-e preventive measures. The e9perimental stud/ conducted

in 2ahore b/ Sulehria et al. (!$11) ,ith the #$ samples that ,ere collected from the main

reservoir of ,aterB distributive line and tapsB it made "$ samples from the three sources of ,ater.

The samples ,ere mi9ed ,ith MacCon-e/ agar and 6M@ agar respectivel/B and then the

samples ,ere incubated for 1 da/. The results indicated that $ percent coliform ,ere present in

the ,aterlines ,hereas the $ percent sample from consumertaps ,as found to be contagious

,ith coliforms. The T;C of the 6coli indicated that the number of 6coli ,as increased at the

consumertaps and thusB the stud/ proved that the contamination level of ,ater ,ith increasing

during its flo, from the reservoir to the taps. The healthcare issues are caused ,ith the usage of

this ,ater and the human life that is adhered to this ,ater is proved to be at ris- and preventive

measures should be ta-en b/ the municipal and ,ater committees in order to eradicate the health

issues.

The prevention of ,ater reserves has become a great challenge for the ,ater management

authorities due to the increasing rate of its contamination. The discharge of industrial and

se,erage ,aste has resulted in the contamination of ground and surface ,ater. The

microorganism present in drin-ing ,ater has become the source of harmful pathogens that are

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considered to be the main cause of ,aterborne diseases (Mahmood and MaAbool !$$). The

Aualit/ of ,ater has been

compromised in Pa-istan due to ,hich ,aterborne diseases are prone to be fatal speciall/ for

children and senior people ,ho tend to lac- immunit/ to,ards themB resulting !* percent

mortalit/ rate due to diarrhea i.e. ,aterborne disease. The stud/ conducted b/ 7li et al. (!$11)

emphasi4ed on the ,ater Aualit/ of Eh/ber agenc/B Pa-istan from ,here 1* samples ,ere

gathered from various sources. The samples ,ere -ept in air tight bottles in controlled

environment. The pourplate procedure ,as used for TPC and henceB the MP5 ,as assessed for

the presence of coliform. The fermentation process ,as used to anal/4e the coliforms and the gas

formation in samples ,as e9amined. +urthermoreB 6.C@roth ,as used to indicate ,hether the

fecal coliforms ,ere present ,hereasB 6M@ agar ,as used to find the e9istence of 6coli. The

results of the stud/ indicated increased TPC in all of the collected samples and the presence of 6

coli in percent of the total sample and coliform bacteria in $ of the total sample ,as also

found. The results ,ere relativel/ shoc-ing because the presence of 6coli proved the cross of

se,erage ,ater ,ith drin-ing ,ater and their Auantit/ ,as e9cessivel/ higher than the given

standards. ThereforeB the stud/ proposed that the ,ater provision should be maintained properl/

and the concerned authorities should be made liable for the ha4ards caused b/ the utili4ation of

contagious ,ater in order to provide people ,ith better health measures.

19

+igure 3 6 $acteriological Standards of *rin5ing

Water

Source: 7li el alB !$11


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7ccording to Ehan K @angash (!$$1)B the resources through ,hich ,ater is being

distributed in areas for domestic consumption should be chec-ed and maintained properl/ in

order to reduce the e9istence of harmful bacteria ,hich adheres number of diseases to the

population. The e9tent to ,hich the number of microbes present in ,ater var/ significantl/

throughout the distribution channel ,hich indicates the lo,er effect of chlorine and ,ater

treatment b/ the mi9ing of blac- ,ater in it. The diseases are found to be caused b/ the presence

of microbes that transfer in ,ater from the human or animal ,astage and results in the ,ide

spread of bacterial diseases (Shar et alB !$1!). The stud/ conducted b/ 7hmed et al. (!$$%) too-

place in Islamabad and consisted of three samples that ,ere collected from ,ater reservoirs. The

MP5techniAue ,as used to assess the availabilit/ level of microbesB the samples ,ere sterili4ed

and ,ere diluted and put in reAuired medium and gram straining of the samples too- place. The

results of the stud/ indicated that the ,ater from the ,ater reservoirs ,as highl/ contaminated

,ith pathogens. The results also proved that the filtration and chlorination of ,ater reservoirs

caused the observable decrease in pathogens. @utB there ,as not decrease found in the gro,th of

6coli ,hich indicated that the tan-s ,here ,ater ,as stored ,as unpurified. The samples

proved the presence of Cereus bacteria and 7ureus ,hich ,ere removed b/ the treatment of

chlorine. ThereforeB it ,as suggested to the concerned authorities that ,ater should be e9amined

periodicall/ in order to eradicate the harmful effects caused b/ the pathogenic bacteria.

20

Source: 6colitest-its

+igure 9 6 'ccurrence of );Coli


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The availabilit/ of purified ,ater to population has become a global concern and

impurities in drin-ing ,ater causes fatal healthcare issues. In Pa-istanB these e9ists no proper

management accountable for the e9amination and assessment of ,ater Aualit/ that is being

provided to the population (Eahlo,n and Maeed !$$#). The concerned authorities consider that

onl/ the provision of ,ater periodicall/ is essential to meet the ,ater reAuirements ,hereasB the

assessment of Aualit/ also comes under their accountabilit/. Most of the studies in this literature

refer to the presence of 6coli in drin-ing ,ater ,hich is specif/ing the presence of fecal

contamination in drin-ing ,aterB and according to Tallon et al. (!$$*)B fecalcontamination is not

onl/ the cause of impurit/ but has also proven fatal to human beings. The chlorination of ,ater is

found to be insufficient considered the level of contamination in ,ater. The stud/ conducted b/

+arooA et al. (!$$) is aimed to assess the ,ater Aualit/ and its distributive procedure in

&a,alpindi. The sample consisted from the eight sources of ,ater and the anal/sis for the

presence of coliforms too- place b/ the tubedilution procedure. The incubation and gas

formation led to the indication of coliforms to be present in drin-ing ,ater samples. The p3 and

TS level obtained from the samples proved to be according to the health standards. The

statistical anal/sis suggested that ,ith the decrease in chlorine in ,aterB the e9istence of

coliforms ,as increasedB ,hereasB the turbidit/ and temperature of ,ater caused the microbes to

gro, and contaminate the ,ater. ThereforeB preventive measures for the ,ater suppl/ procedure

are considered to be necessar/ for the provision of safe ,ater. MoreoverB the stud/ conducted in

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this regard b/ Shar et al. (!$$") ,as conducted ,ith the total sample of " from ground and

surface ,ater and 3PC ,as done in order to assess the present microbes. The results indicated

that all the samples ,ere contaminated ,ith 6coli coliforms and the results ,ere alarming due

to its e9tensive presence and raised Auestionable concerns for the municipal departments for the

health concerns. The fecal contamination ,as definitel/ the part of the contamination ,hereas

the total count of present microbes indicated the inadeAuate chlorination of ,ater. ThereforeB the

immediate concern of authorities ,as reAuired to eradicate the health ha4ards that could be cause

b/ the use of contagious ,ater.

-,. Turbidit8 and T*S of Surface and Ground Water

The ,ater is considered to be contaminated ,hen it is combined ,ith such substances

and microbes that are found to impose adverse effects on human health. 3o,everB there e9ists

some possibilit/ to anal/4e ,ater b/ acAuiring its taste and observing its color and odor. @ut the

comprehensive anal/sis of ,ater reAuires the detailed e9amination in laborator/ to assess

,hether the ,ater is drin-able and if it contains harmful microbes. SiddiAui et al. (!$1$)

condemned that the # percent of ,ater that is available in Earachi for drin-ing purpose is

contaminated ,ith bacteria and e9cessive metallic substances and ,ith respect to the findingsB

7sadullah et al. (!$1#) reiterated this stud/ b/ e9amining the ,atersamples of 0$ from

EarachiFs %"$ ,ater sources. The area covered for the collection of ,ater consisted of lo,erB

middleB uppermiddle and upper class areasF educational institutes. The e9perimental procedure

started b/ anal/4ing the p3 from electronicP3 meterB ,hereas the turbidit/ ,as e9amined b/

using the turbidimeter from the collected samples. The results of the stud/ indicated that

percent of ,ater is not in accordance ,ith the p3 standards as described b/ W3?. +urthermoreB

the taste obtained from the !.1 percent of the ,atersamples ,as observed to b obno9ious. The

22


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,ater obtained from the samples ,as not turbid at all and ,as found to be at the drin-able stage.

The stud/ inferred that the utili4ation of such ,ater that is not considered to be safe not onl/

proves to be harmful for drin-ing and

coo-ing purpose butB the activities li-e ,ashing etc. from this ,ater also encompasses s-in

irritationB e/e infections and causes adverse effects on hair. +urthermoreB the stud/ concluded

that 0* samples from the total ,atersample of 0$ ,as not in accordance ,ith the given W3?

standards and it ,as insisted that the Aualit/ of ,ater in educational institutions should be

maintained properl/ b/ the authorities ,ho are responsible for the provision of safe ,ater in

Earachi.

The availabilit/ of ground ,ater contributes in domesticB agricultural and industrial use

butB its Aualit/ for drin-ing purpose has become a great issue. In order to meet the domestic

demand of ,aterB it has become Auite essential to strategicall/ manage and improve the Aualit/ of

,ater (2am-a et alB 1"$D 3a/dar et alB !$$"). In Pa-istanB $ percent of ground ,ater is being

utili4ed for drin-ing purpose apart from the fact that the ,ater is not in accordance as per the

health standards. The large number of population in Earachi lives adacent to industries and thusB

adheres to the ground ,ater ,hich is contaminated b/ industrial ,astage. The lac- of se,erage

maintenance often causes overflo, of blac-,ater that eventuall/ crosses over the ground ,ater

and contaminates it. The stud/ proposed b/ Ehatta- and Ehatta- (!$1#) ,as conducted in order

to anal/4e the ground ,ater in Earachi and assess its negative effects on human life. The sample

of the stud/ consisted of three sources of ground ,aterB ,hich ,as selected on the basis of the

23

+igure 6 W7' Water T*S Standards

Source: World 3ealth ?rgani4ation


24/71


e9tent to ,hich population ,as denseB the number of adacent industries in the area and the

degree to ,hich the pollution occurred. These samples ,ere -ept in containers and ,ere soa-ed

,ith h/drogennitrate for t,ent/four hours and then the/ ,ere distilled. The p3 of ,ater

recorded and number of e9periments indicated that the ,ater contained hardiness and the TS of

the samples ,as either more than standard reAuirements or less than standard reAuirements. The

results indicated the e9cessive amount of sodiumB magnesiumB sulphurB potassiumB calcium and

chloride ,hich proved that the se,erage s/stem of industrial ,aste ,as bro-en. The ground

,ater also sho,ed its interaction ,ith salts indicating its interaction ,ith coastal ,ater. The

overall results indicated that neither of the samples from the ground ,ater ,ere according to the

W3? standards and proved to be contagious and harmful for drin-ing purpose. ThereforeB

preventive measures and remanagement of industrial ,aste is necessaril/ reAuired to provide

people ,ith safe drin-ing ,ater.

The emphasis on research related to ,ater properties has been increased due to the

e9cessive importance of ,ater in human life and the adverse effects related to the drin-ing of

polluted and unhealth/ ,ater. The stud/ conducted in EhairpurB Pa-istan b/ Pir4ada et al. (!$11)

consisted of samples from ground and surface ,ater sources in order to anal/4e the ,ater

Aualit/ as per Who standards. The results proved that the p3 ! out of samples ,as in

acceptable range and the overall p3 from ground ,ater ,as unacceptable for the domestic

utili4ation. The ,ater samples ,ere found hard ,hereas the TS of the samples ,as belo, the

standard limits. CalciumB potassium and magnesium ,ere also found under the standardi4ed

limits in # out of samples. The overall results indicated that onl/ # out of samples ,ere in

accordance ,ith the W3? guidelines and proved to be healthier for drin-ing and domestic use.

ThereforeB the stud/ made an attempt for the concerned authorities to ta-e preventive measures

24


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to utili4e the ,ater properl/ and loo- out the ,ater reservoirs that ,ere proved to be safe for

drin-ing purpose.

25

Source: 2ife Ioni4ers

+igure < 6 Total *issolved Solids


26/71


The stud/ conducted b/ Jllah et al. (!$11) infers that the scarcit/ of surface ,ater has

caused the shift in the consumer utili4ation for ,ater from ground resources ,hereasB the

increased level of vapori4ation has caused the gradual but continuous decrease in the Auantit/ of

surface ,ater. The underground ,ater reservoirs are found to be contaminated ,ith and are not

considered health/ as per the

,ater standards. The ,aterborne diseases have caused #$ deaths from the total mortalit/ rate

indicating the e9treme effects of contagious ,ater. The !* samples ,ere collected in Sial-ot in

order to assess the drin-ing Aualit/ of ground ,ater. These samples ,ere anal/4ed using the p3

meter and their turbidit/ ,as also assessed b/ the electronic meter. The results of the stud/

indicated that the p3 level of ground,ater ,as not found as per the W3? standards ,hereasB the

ground ,ater from *0 samples ,as found to be highl/ turbid and ,as not applicable for drin-ing

purpose. There ,as e9cessive presence of lead and iron found in the ground ,ater and henceB the

overall stud/ results suggested that ,ater did not meet the Aualit/ and health standards.

ThereforeB the stud/ insisted on the preventive measures to be ta-en b/ the authorit/ to eradicate

the Aualit/ issues of ,ater in order to provide healthier ,ater to the population and reduce the

scarcit/ of ,ater.

-,/ Water Contamination and its 7a=ards

26

Source: 2uminor 6nvironment

+igure > 6 P7 Scale


27/71


The ha4ards caused b/ the drin-ing of polluted ,ater have become the global concern

due to the increasing rate of health care issues generated b/ ,aterborne diseases. 7ccording to

7ccording to 74i4 (!$$*)B The gro,ing percentage of healthcare issues is not onl/ occurred due

to the lac- of the purification treatment of ,ater butB these ha4ardous concerns are caused due to

the outflo, and lea-age of human ,aste ,ater ,hich streams to,ards the fresh ,ater and

contaminates it. It has been estimated b/ the report proposed b/ J5IC6+ (!$1$)

+igure 10 6 Water P7

Source: 6nvironment Canada

that ten million children die in Pa-istan due to diarrheaB ,hich is one of the ,aterborne diseases

and caused due to the usage of contaminated ,ater. The ,ater pipes that suppl/ fresh ,ater pass

through the se,erage pipes and even slight lea-age among them causes the fresh ,ater to be

contaminated. The ,ater provision to +aisalabad ,as e9amined b/ Il/as et al. (!$$)B ,ho aimed

at the cause of diarrheal diseases reported b/ !*$ people in the cit/ and most of them ,ere

children. Children are more prone to be infected ,ith diseases because their immune s/stem is

found to be ,ea-er than gro,nups. Their stud/ anal/4ed the ,ater samples from %$ different

27


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sources and the samples ,ere mostl/ collected from the schoolsF ,ater sourcesB ,ith the total

sample si4e of $ to perform ph/sical and bacteriological e9amination respectivel/. These

samples ,ere sterili4ed and ph/sical anal/sis of %$ samples ,as conducted b/ measuring the p3

b/ follo,ing the Mil,au-ee procedure and after,ards turbidit/ ,as measured using the

5ephelometer. The presence of bacteria ,as e9amined on the rest %$ samples b/ filtering the

,ater b/ using $.%*microne membrane and the filter ,as then passed through the 6ndo7gar

and Maccon-e/7gar. The results indicated that the p3 of ,ater samples ,as found among 0.%

".#B ,hich is not as per the W3?standards. MoreoverB the ,ater ,as not turbid and hence met

the drin-ing standards. 3o,everB the samples collected from schools tan-s and ground ,ater

indicated the presence of 6coli in 10 samples from out of %$ samplesB ,hereas ,ater from

W7S7suppl/ and filtered ,ater ,as found drin-able. It ,as recommended that ,ater should

not be -ept for long in storage tan-s and should be mi9ed ,ith adeAuate amount of chlorine to

increase access to h/gienic ,ater.

The ,ater is considered to be health/ and drin-able ,hen it effectivel/ meets the ,ater

Aualit/ standardsB but unfortunatel/B blac- ,ater e9posure to the fresh ,ater in Pa-istan has led

to the e9cessive ,ater contamination ,hich has made it unavailable for the %$$ percent

population (Mumta4 et alB !$1$D 5asreen and 7,anB 1""*). The diseases caused b/ the microbes

found in drin-ing ,ater have ta-en a relativel/ higher percentage and it tends to increase

throughout the /ears (+arid et alB !$1!). The treatment of ,ater is not adeAuate enough to reduce

the ha4ardous effects of ,ater and the lea-age and transfer of blac- ,ater in the fresh ,ater in

underground pipes has made it impossible to be fi9ed immediatel/ for a developing countr/ li-e

Pa-istan (7n,ar et alB !$$%D 2angah et alB !$$). The stud/ formulated b/ 7min (!$1%) ,as

intended to find the microbes in drin-ing ,ater and anal/4e their resistance to,ards the

28


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antibiotics in order to provide the preventive measures. The bacteria and microbes tend to mutate

and form resistance to,ards the antibiotics and treatmentsB ,hich causes the diseases caused b/

these bacteria to be more fatal and ha4ardous. ThereforeB these mutated bacteria ,hen transmit in

children and senior adultsB ,ho tend to be ,ea-erB then these bacteria are found to be more

ha4ardous due to their immunit/ for antibiotic treatments. The stud/ conducted in this respect

consisted on 1$$ samples of ,ater in ,hich groundB filtered tap,ater and boiled ,ater ,as used

as a source. The results of the stud/ proved the presence of bacteria in all the ,ater samples. The

7PI method ,as used to find the presence of bacteria ,hich ,ere proven to be resistant to 1*

antibiotictreatments. The boiled ,ater had the least count of Elabsiellabacterium ,ith no other

microbial traces ,hereasD rest of all the samples ,ere contaminated from 6coli ,hich ,as found

the highest in sample ,ith ! percentB and presence of S7ureus and 7erugenosa bacteria ,as

also found. ThereforeB the stud/ proved that the ground ,ater ,as mostl/ contaminated ,ith all

t/pes of discussed microbes and the boiled ,ater had the least count of microbes. In order to

eradicate the negative effects of ,aterB it ,as highl/ suggested to utili4e boiling ,ater for

drin-ing purpose. The contaminated ,ater has become a great threat for the population of

Pa-istan due to its share in the spreading of harmful diseases. Water shortages in some areas

have caused the people to rel/ on ground ,ater more than surface ,ater. 3o,everB the presence

of chlorine in surface ,ater becomes useless ,hen the ,ater is crossed over ,ith se,erage ,ater

during the ,ater distribution process. The increasing demand of ,ater in densel/ populated cities

indicates the mismanagement of ,ater and the people are deprived from the basic necessit/ of

,ater from the life. The stud/ conducted b/ 74i44ullah et al. (!$11) emphasi4ed on the negative

effects of contagious ,ater ,ith respect to the health ha4ards. The surface ,ater becomes

contaminated due to the untreated discharge of industrial and human ,aste ,hich ultimatel/

29


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effects the ground ,ater due to the internal flo, of ,ater. The e9istence of coliforms in ground

and surface ,ater indicates the crossover of fresh,ater ,ith human ,aste ,hich has proven to

be highl/ contagious for human life and further leads to,ards the ha4ardous diseases. The ,ater

becomes more contagious than it is found in ,ater reservoirs ,hen it reaches consumertaps for

consumption that proves the underground lea-age and interaction of se,erage and fresh,ater

lines. The diseases caused b/ the drin-ing of ,ater ,hich is found to be contaminated b/ the

microbesB ,hich mainl/ consists of choleraB diarrhea and gastrointestinal sic-ness etc. and these

diseases are proven fatal speciall/ in children and old age people due to their lac- of immunit/.

The heav/ metals in ,ater also ma-es in contagious for domestic and drin-ing use ,hich mainl/

consists of 4incB leadB ironB cadmium and manganese andB their Auantit/ found in ,ater is proven

e9tensivel/ higher than the standardi4ed limits and causes heart and neurological diseases. The

presence of chromiumB nic-elB arsenic and mercur/ has found to be ha4ardous and causes fatal

diseases li-e cancer. MoreoverB the presence of calciumB potassium and sodium cat ions and

anions have ,orsened the situation has made ,ater unpurified and undrin-able. The occurrence

of 3epatitis6 is also follo,ed b/ the contamination of ,ater caused b/ the human ,astages.

+urthermoreB the application of pesticides has also resulted in the occurrence of pesticides in

ground and surface ,ater due to the under,ater molecules interaction and flo, of ,ater. The

stud/ has further provided the measures to eradicate the harmful effects of ,ater b/ suggesting

that people should be provided ,ith health measures and permanent source of ,ater is needed to

be managed properl/ b/ the concerned authorities. The concerned authorities should increase the

a,areness programs ,ith respect to the drin-ing of contaminated ,ater so that the usage of

contaminated ,ater can be reduced.

-,3 Summar8

30


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The under,ater interaction of ground and surface ,ater is useful to ma-e the

underground reservoirs available for ,ater during the scarcit/ of surface ,ater butB the

transmission of microorganism that tend to be harmful for human lifeB have considerabl/

impacted on the adverse effects

on the utili4ation of ground ,ater and has raised Auestions for the preventive measures against

the contamination of ,ater. The presence of fecal bacteria has indicated the crossover or brea-

through of se,erage ,ater in the fresh ,ater ,ith the occurrence of coliforms in it. The

coliforms are usuall/ the part of human and animal ,astage and are particularl/ found in the

intestinaltract of animals. These coliforms are secreted as human,astage and ,hen it is mi9ed

,ith drin-able ,aterB it not onl/ causes impurit/ the drin-ing ,aterB but also causes harmful

effects on the human life. The accessibilit/ of clean ,ater for drin-ing and domestic seem to be

entirel/ impossible to the large amount of population. The pure ,ater has become inaccessible

not because of its scarcit/ butB due to its contamination. 6ver/ /earB more than %$ die in

Pa-istan due to various ,aterborne diseases li-e diarrheaB choleraB t/phoid etc. and the

concerning authorities are not ta-ing sufficient preventive measure to eradicate or even reduce its

e9treme effects.

31

Source: Precision 5utrition

+igure 11 6 Sources of Water contamination


32/71


Chapter .: %esearch Methodolog8

.,1 Introduction

This chapter consists of the strategies that are used in this stud/ in order to conduct the

stud/ for the assessment of ,ater Aualit/ that is available in the to,ns of Earachi. The

h/potheses are formed ,ith respect to the aim of the stud/ and methods are discussed ,hich ,ill

be used to assess the ,ater Aualit/ ,ith respect to the Microbial ContaminationB P3B Water

Turbidit/ and TotalissolvedSolids.

.,- %esearch Strateg8 and Procedure

In this stud/B ,ater samples for ground and surface ,ater ,ere collected from the

different locations of Earachi comprising from @aldia To,n to Site To,nB covering 1 to,ns and

the sample consisted surface ,ater and # samples consisted ground ,ater. The total of *%

samples ,as collected in total. The collection of sample too- place from the month of 5ovember

!$1% to anuar/ !$1*. MoreoverB to,ns ,ere covered ever/ month in order to collect sample.

+or the identification of ,ater resourcesB coordinates from GPS ,ere observed and labeled the

samples respectivel/. These samples ,ere -ept at under the controlled temperature of # o C in

order to -eep the microbes from gro,th.

.,. 78pothesis of the Stud8

7'1: Ground and Surface ,ater is not contaminated ,ith ha4ardous microorganisms.

71: Ground and Surface ,ater is contaminated ,ith ha4ardous organisms.

7'-: Ground and Surface ,ater does not contain e9cessive Turbidit/.

32


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7-: Ground and Surface ,ater contains e9cessive Turbidit/

7'.: Ground and Surface ,ater does not contain inappropriate p3.

7.: Ground and Surface ,ater contains inappropriate p3.

70/: Ground and Surface ,ater does not contain e9cessive TS.

7/: Ground and Surface ,ater contains e9cessive TS.

.,/ %esearch Methods

3.4.1 Multiple-Tube-Fermentation (MTF)

The presence of the microbial population is indicated b/ the MT+TechniAue process.

This procedure consists of the follo,ing steps.

1 Presumptive Test

The distilled ,ater ,as mi9ed ,ith the 2actose@rothB ,hich ,as ,eighed 1# grams and

,hen it ,as mi9ed ,ith distilled ,aterB 1$$ ml of the mi9ed solution ,as prepared ,ith

gentle sha-e. This MacCon-e/Solution ,as inserted in testtubesB ,hich ,ere -no,n as

urhamtubes. It ,as made sure that ,hile the pouring of solution there ,as not

appearance of air bubbles. These test tubes ,ere further sterili4ed at 1!$ $Centigrade and

the pressuri4ed controlled environment of 1* lb ,as provided b/ using the autoclave.

7fter 1* minutes of controlled environment provisionB the solution provided ,ith room

temperature to be cooled do,n. 7fter,ardsB 1 ml of ,ater from each sample ,as inserted

in each test tube. These samples ,ere further incubated for 1 da/. The production of acid

,as observed due to the observable transformation of colors. The observance for gas

production ,as also considered to be formed as bubbles. The production of gas and acids

occurred in tests tubes proved the positive results of the tests.

33


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- Confirmed Test

In this stepB the 6M@7gar is used and the Auantit/ utili4ed is #.0* grams and after,ardsB

dissolved in distilled ,ater. The mi9ture of 6M@7gar and distilled ,ater is mi9ed and

the total volume of the solution is obtained as !$$ ml. The solution is further sterili4ed at

the temperature of 1!1 $Centigrade under the controlled environment pressure of 1* lb.B

the procedure of sterili4ation too- place in autoclave for the time period of 1* minutes.

7fter the process of sterili4ationB the solution ,as poured on petriplates ,hich ,ere also

sterili4ed. The solution ,as left to solidif/ at the room temperature. The solution results

,ith positive results ,ere obtained from the presumptive test ,as spread over the

petriplates and ,as further incubated for the time period of !% hours. The occurrence of

green and pin- colored metallicsheen ,as found. These findings ,ere isolated b/

pouring the 7M@7gar ,hich sho,ed the formation of pin- and green colored colonies.

3.4.2 p

The p3 for the ,ater samples ,as observed ,ith the use of p3meter (Mil,au-ee).

@uffer solution ,as added in the p3meter in order for the calibration. The ,ater sample

to be anal/4ed ,as added in the bea-er and after,ardsB electrode ,as immersed in the

bea-er. The procedure persisted till the reading of the p3 became stable. The repetitive

process too- place in order to assess the p3 of all the collected samples.

3.4.3 Turbidity

The turbidit/ of the ,ater samples ,ere measured b/ the 5ephelometer ,hich ,as

calibrated ,ith the standardi4ed ,ater solution having the turbidit/ level of $.1. The

34


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,ater sample to be anal/4ed ,as poured in the eAuipment and the readings ,ere recorded

respectivel/ and the process ,as repeated for each sample of ,ater.

3.4.4 TDS

The assessment of the totaldissolvedsolids in ,ater ,as accompanied b/ the

conductivit/ meter. The eAuipment ,as conducted ,ith the calibratedsolution of distilled

,ater. The sample ,ater ,as inserted in the bea-er and the electrode ,as mounted till the

reading ,as observed to be stable. The process ,as repeated to get the TS values for

each sample.

.,3 *ata Collection Procedure

The current stud/ has been emphasi4ed ,ith the data collected from the primar/ sources

and data that are obtained from secondar/ sources in order to get the better insights and results

about the stud/.

3.!.1 "rimary #e$earc%

The primar/ data for the stud/ ,as obtained in the form of ,ater samples from @aldia

To,n to Site To,nB comprising of 1 to,ns in total. The sample from each to,n

consisted of # samples of ground and # samples of surface ,ater that ,ere collected

during the months of 5ovember !$1% to anuar/ !$1*. The collected samples ,ere

observed b/ using the MultipleTube+ermentation processB gram staining and electric

eAuipment ,ere used to get the respective readings.

35


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3.!.2 Secondary #e$earc%

In this stud/B the literature for the revie, ,as obtained from the secondar/ sources

consisting of articles and ournals ,hich ,ere specificall/ acAuired from the reliable

sources li-e ST?&B S7G6PJ@B 6M6&72B J56SC? K W3?P7EIST75.

.,9 Summar8

The ,ater samples have been collected from the ground and surface sources from the 1

to,ns of Earachi in order to assess the overall ,ater Aualit/ that has been available locall/. The

,ater samples ,ere anal/4ed b/ using the MultipleTube+ermentation Procedure in order to

identif/ the presence of ha4ardous microbes. MoreoverB the p3 of the ,ater samples ,ere

observed b/ using the p3 meterB turbidit/ ,as assessed b/ using the 5ephelometer ,hereasB the

TS of ,ater ,as anal/4ed b/ using the Conductivit/Meter. The secondar/ data that has been

used in this stud/ ,as collected from the reliable sources i.e. ST?& K 6merald etc.

36


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Chapter /: %esults

/,1 Introduction

In the current stud/B the proposed h/potheses ,ere anal/4ed ,ith respect to the data

obtained from the anal/sis of ,ater samples that ,ere collected from the to,ns of Earachi. The

results ,ere obtained in order to anal/4e if the ,ater that is available in Earachi in the form of

ground and surface ,ater is in accordance ,ith the W3? standards of drin-ing purposes. In this

chapterB the results obtained from the stud/ are presented in order to found their recognition ,ith

the proposed h/potheses. The results of the h/pothesis are discussed ,ith respect to the finding

observed from the anal/sis of ground and surface ,ater samples from the to,ns of Earachi.

MoreoverB the results are also presented graphicall/ in order to describe the e9tent of the results.

/,- %esults and Interpretation

/,-,1 Microbiological Water Contamination

The results obtained from ground ,ater samples b/ using the MultipleTube

+ermentation TechniAue indicated the presence of Coliforms. @/ using the MP5 techniAueB it

,as observed that all the ,ater samples obtained from the to,ns of Earachi contained the

presence of 6Coli and the highest value of 6coli ,as observed in Malir To,n ,ith the mean

MP5 result of #!.# ,hereasB the lo,est value of 6coli ,as observed in Gulberg To,n ,ith the

mean MP5 result of %.#. 7ccording to the W3? standardsB the MP5 of 6coli should not e9ceed

more than # in the drin-ing ,aterB ,hich ultimatel/ ma-es the ground ,ater of Earachi

37


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contaminated ,ith 6coli. The mean MP5 results for the occurrence of 6coli in the ground

,ater from the to,ns of Earachi are sho,n in figure 1! and 7ppendi9 > 1.

The results that ,ere obtained b/ the NMultiple > Tube > +ermentation TechniAueF from

the anal/sis of surface ,ater in Earachi indicated the presence of 6coli in the ,ater. The values

obtained from the MP5 for the occurrence of 6coli indicated that the Eemari To,n has the

highest value ,ith $.# MP5. 3o,everB the lo,est value of MP5 results ,as observed in Gadap

To,n ,ith the MP5 value of *.. ThereforeB the surface ,ater of Earachi is found to be

contaminated ,ith the acceptable range of 6coli as standardi4ed b/ the W3?. The MP5 results

obtained from the surface ,ater of Earachi for the occurrence of 6coli are illustrated in figure

1# and 7ppendi9 !. Therefore the results of the stud/ accepted the 3 1 i.e. ground and surface

,ater ,as contaminated ,ith ha4ardous microorganism i.e. 6coli.

38

+igure 1. 6 MP! of Surface Water

+igure 1- 6 MP! of Ground Water


39/71


/,-,- Water Turbidit8

39


40/71


40


41/71


The samples obtained from the ground ,ater sho,ed that highest turbidit/ ,as found in

Malir To,n ,ith the turbidit/ of 10.# 5TJ ,hereasB the lo,est turbidit/ of !. 5TJ ,as

found in Gulberg To,n. The ground ,ater is not found to be appropriate for drin-ing purpose as

it contains the highest turbidit/ in some areas of ground ,ater ,hich is not found to be as per the

standards described b/ the W3? for drin-ing ,ater. The results accepted the 3 ! ,hich indicated

that the ground ,ater contains e9cessive turbidit/. The detailed illustration of turbidit/ of ground

,ater is presented in figure 1%.The results that ,ere obtained from the observation of the turdbit/

of the surface ,ater in the to,n of Earachi indicated that the highest turbidit/ is found the ,ater

of Eemari To,n i.e. !.# 5TJ ,heras the the lo,est turbidit/ in the surface ,ater ,as found in

the sample obtained from the Gadap To,n ,ith the #.#! 5TJ. The results of the stud/ indicated

that some areas of the -arachi contain the turbid ,ater ,hich is not appropriate for the drin-ing

purpose and henceB the 3! proposed in this stud/ is found to be acceptable indicating the

e9cessive turbidit/ in ,ater. The detailed illustration of the turbidit/ of surface ,ater is presented

in figure 1*.The detailed turbidit/ results are illustrated in 7ppendi9 #.

/,-,. Water p7

41

+igure 1/ 6 Mean Turbidit8 of Ground Water

+igure 13 6 Mean Turbidit8 of Surface Water


42/71


The results observed in the stud/ indicated that the ,ater sample obtained from the

amshed To,n possess the highest p3 value of .# ,hereasB the lo,est p3 of *.# ,as

possessed b/ the ground ,ater of 2/ari To,n. The results inferred that the ground ,ater

available in Earachi ,as not drin-able because it failed to meet the p3 range of .* to .*

according to standards described b/ the W3? and thereforeB the results of the stud/ accepted the

3# indicating that the ground ,ater in not drin-able. The mean p3 for the ground ,ater of

Earachi has been sho,n in figure 1 and 7ppendi9 #.

42

+igure 19 6 Mean P7; Ground Wat


43/71


The results for p3 observed from the surface ,ater in Earachi indicated that the surface

,ater in 2/ari To,n contains the highest level of p3 i.e. .$ ,hereasB the lo,est p3 value ,as

found in Eemari To,n i.e. .#. The results of the stud/ indicated that the p3 results for the

surface ,ater ,ere moderate and the surface ,ater ,as drin-able as described b/ the W3?

standards. The results of the stud/ partiall/ accepted the 3#indicating that samples of ground

and surface ,ater contained inappropriate p3. The detailed presentation of p3 results obtained

from the ground ,ater and surface ,ater are sho,n in +igure 10 and 7ppendi9 #.

/,-,/ Water T*S

The totaldissolved solids in the ground ,ater of Earachi to,ns ,ere observed and the

mean results indicated that the highest TS ,as found the in the Site To,n ,ith the total TS of

1$%%.# ,hereasB the highest TS ,as found in the 2/ari To,n ,ith the total TS of *1.. The

results for the TS ,ere found to be moderate for the stud/ and indicated that the h/pothesis %B

proposed in this stud/ has been reected and the ,ater is found to be drin-able as standardi4ed b/

the W3?. The TS results observed for the ground ,ater of Earachi are sho,n in +igure 1.

43

+igure 1 ; Mean P7 of Surface Water

+igure 1< ; Mean T*S of Ground Water


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The totaldissolvedsolids found in the surface ,ater of Earachi ,ere found to be highest

in the ,ater samples obtained from the Shah +aisal To,n i.e. 0* ,hereasB the lo,est TS

results ,ere found from the ,ater samples obtained from the @aldia To,n i.e. *%.#. The overall

results of the stud/ indicated that the ,ater is found to be appropriate for the drin-ing purpose

and is found to be in accordance ,ith the

standards described b/ the W3?.

ThereforeB the stud/ reected the

h/pothesis %B ,hich ,as proposed in

this stud/ and proved that the ,ater is

found to be drin-able and does not

contain e9cessive amount of total

dissolved solids. The detailed results of the totaldissolvedsolids found in the surface ,ater are

illustrated in +igure 1". The detailed results of TS are illustrated in 7ppendi9 #.

/,-,/ MP! and Turbidit8

44

+igure 1> ; Mean Turbidit8 of Surface Water


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1. 1 !$ !! !% !. ! #$ #! #%

$

1

!

#

%

*

%elation bet4een MP! and Turbidit8 of Ground Water

Turbidit8

MP!

The results of the stud/ indicated that

,ith the increase in the turbidit/ of ,aterB the MP5 contamination of microorganisms increased

in the surface and ground ,ater. 3o,everB the turbidit/ of ,ater indicates that the ,ater is not

drin-able and contains ha4ardous microorganisms li-e 6coli. The e9cessive turbidit/ is found in

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the ground ,ater of Malir To,n i.e. 10.# ,ith the MP5 count of #!.# ,hich indicate that the

higher the turbidit/ is foundB the greater the MP5 of 6coli e9ists. The lo,est turbidit/ of ground

,ater ,as observed in Gulberg To,n ,ith !. M5J ,ith the MP5 of %.#B ,hich has proved

that ,ith turbidit/ the presence of 6coli in ,ater has decreased. The turbidit/ and MP5 trend of

ground ,ater is illustrated in +igure !$.

MoreoverB the trend of surface ,ater has also remained the same ,ith the increased level

of turbidit/ i.e. !.# M5J in Eemari To,n ,ith the mean MP5 of $.#B ,hereas the lo,est

turbidit/ of #.#! in Gadap To,n has sho,n the MP5 of *.. The trend of MP5 and turbidit/ of

surface ,ater is sho,n in figure !1.

$ * 1$ 1* !$ !* #$

$

!$

%$

.$

$

%elation bet4een MP! and Turbidit8 of Surface Water

Turbidit8

MP!

46

+igure -0 6 %elation $et4een MP! and

Turbidit8 of Ground Water

+igure -1 6 %elation $et4een Mp! and

Turbidit8 of Surface Water


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/,. Summar8

The overall results of the stud/ indicate that the ,ater available in Earachi in the form of ground

and surface ,ater is highl/ contaminated ,ith 6coli and the occurrence of 6coli has made the

,ater turbid. The p3 of ground ,ater is not in accordance ,ith the drin-ing standards ,hereas

the surface ,ater has the acceptable ph. There e9ists no e9cessive TS in the ground and surface

,ater. The results of the stud/ provided the evidence about the ,ater Aualit/ and proved that the

,ater Aualit/ is not up to the standard ,ater Aualit/. The detailed results for the MP5 of ground

,ater and surface ,ater are illustrated in 7ppendi9 > 1 and 7ppendi9 > ! respectivel/B ,hereas

the turbidit/B TS and P3 results are illustrated in 7ppendi9 #.

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Chapter 3: Conclusion and *iscussion

3,1 Introduction

This chapter is intended to provide the brief discussion about the results generated from

this stud/ and to provide conclusion to the findings of this stud/. This chapter is also aimed to

provide the practical implications to ta-e the necessar/ steps to eradicate the problem that has

been addressed in the cit/. +urthermoreB future direction for research and limitations are also

discussed so that the gaps that came across in this stud/ can be addressed in future.

3,- *iscussion

The ,idespread availabilit/ of contaminated ,ater has imposed harmful threats to the

healthcare of population. The treatment of surface ,ater in terms of filtration and chlorination

has failed to provide the standardi4ed ,ater for the drin-ing purpose (3ashmi et alB !$$").

Microbial contamination of ,ater has imposed ha4ardous effects on the living ,hereasD the

Aualit/ ,ater does not seem to be provided to the peopleB and that has resulted in the rise and

increase of ,aterborne diseases. The ,aterborne diseases effect at the fatal level to the old age

people and infantsB thereforeB it is reAuired that the ,ater should be treated properl/ in order to

eradicate its harmful effects on people. 7ccording to 3ussain el aB (!$$0)B the healthcare

facilities available in the cit/ are not adeAuate enough to address the increasingl/ and ,ide

spread diseases ,ith respect to the alarmingl/ high availabilit/ of contaminated ,ater.

The current stud/ strived to observe the ,ater available in the to,ns of Earachi as the

ground and surface ,ater resource and the results of the stud/ indicated the alarming results that

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are ultimatel/ considered to be the threat for those ,ho utili4e this ,ater. The ,ater that has been

available locall/ in the to,ns of Earachi is highl/ contaminated ,ith ha4ardous microbes li-e 6

coli ,hich possess harmful effects on the population b/ ,hich this ,ater has been utili4ed for

drin-ing purposes. The consumption of contaminated ,ater in ,hich microbes li-e 6coli are

present then its consumption in domestic purposes paves ,a/ for the ,ide spread of bacterial

diseases li-e diarrheaB gastrointestinal diseasesB t/phoid and d/senter/B ,hich also proves to be

fatal for the senioradults and infants due to their lac- of immune s/stem(Chan et alB !$$0). The

diseases caused b/ the microorganisms have effected the healthcare issues in the cit/ and have

,idel/ spread due to its continuous consumption. The diseases prove to be fatal ,hen these

microorganisms generate resistance to,ards the antibiotic treatments due to their continuous

mutation in the favorable environment i.e. stagnant and contagious ,aterB and thus these diseases

become hard to be eradicated from the societ/ due to the scarcit/ of healthcare resources (7minB

!$1%). The discharge of human ,aste and chemical ,ater in the surface ,ater ,ithout an/

treatment has made the surface ,ater more contaminated and the underground flo, and

interchange of ,ater has polluted the ground ,ater as ,ell. The surface ,ater provided to the

populated areas through the distribution pipes is chlorinated and filtered but the ground ,ater

available domesticall/ is used ,ithout an/ treatment ,hich has Auestioned the drin-ing ,ater

Aualit/ of the ground ,ater.

The present stud/ indicates the presence of 6coli at alarming rate in the ground and

surface ,ater of EarachiB ,hereas the increased level of turbidit/ in relation ,ith the MP5 of 6

coli has postulated the positive relation bet,een the turbidit/ and microorganismFs

contamination. ThereforeB the areas ,here available ,ater in the form of ground and surface is

found to be turbidB then it is more li-el/ that the ,ater possesses the harmful bacteria through

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,hich the ha4ardous diseases can spread among those ,ho utili4e this ,ater. The to,ns in ,hich

turbidit/ and microbial contamination is found to be at the higher rate comprises of Malir To,nB

?rangi To,nB Sadar To,nB Eorangi To,n and 2/ari To,n. MoreoverB the p3 results of the

ground ,ater have been found at the alarming rate in almost all the areas ,hich imposes

distressing problems for those ,ho utili4e this ,ater. The utili4ation of ,ater that is not in

accordance ,ith the acceptable range of p3 causes various s-in irritation and e/e irritation

problems ,hich ma/ leads to,ards the ha4ardous diseases li-e cancer etc. 3o,everB the p3 of

surface ,ater of Earachi is found to be in the acceptable range of the ,ater standards and does

not impose the harmful effects on the people. The domestic use of ,ater that possess e9cessive

level of totaldissolvedsolids leads also leads to,ards the malnutrition of minerals and

misbalance the level of minerals in the bod/ and the e9cessive utili4ation of these minerals

results into the harmful diseases. The results of the stud/ did not find an/ observable proof ,ith

respect to the increased totaldissolvedsolids in the available drin-ing ,ater in the form on

ground and surface ,ater sources and henceB there e9ists no ha4ard or ,arning related to the

e9posure of e9cessive TS in ,ater. The unsatisfactor/ Aualit/ of ,ater observed in this stud/

demonstrates the alarming condition of available ,ater and health ha4ards generated b/ it. The

procedures and policies that are being applied b/ the concerned authorities do not seem adeAuate

enough to address the current drin-ing ,ater Aualit/ in Earachi. MoreoverB the role of concerned

authorities ,ho are responsible for the availabilit/ of safe ,ater in the cit/ has become

Auestionable and their incompetenc/ in providing the safe ,ater has become diminished.

3,. Conclusion

The available ,ater to the population of various to,ns in Earachi ,as observed and

samples ,ere collected from the available sources of ground and surface ,ater from the 1

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to,ns of Earachi. The MT+ procedure ,as conducted to anal/4e if ,ater is contaminated ,ith

harmful microbes and the results indicated the presence of 6coli bacteria and the MP5 results

further indicated that the ground and surface ,ater available in Earachi for domestic purposes is

highl/ contaminated ,ith 6coli. +urthermoreB the p3 results for the ground ,ater ,as also

alarming and inferred that the ground ,ater in Earachi is not according to the standards of

drin-ing purposeB ho,everB the p3 level of surface ,ater ,as found to be satisf/ing. MoreoverB

the turbidit/ results of the ground and surface ,ater ,as alarming and the turbidit/ of ,ater

proved its relation ,ith the occurrence of 6coli in ground and surface ,ater. The TS results

obtained from the ,ater samples of ground and surface ,ater sources did not provide an/

alarming results. ThereforeB the overall results of the stud/ indicated the alarmingl/ high

contamination of ground and surface ,ater ,ith 6coli and proved e9cessive turbidit/ under the

occurrence of 6coli and indicated that the ,ater available in Earachi in the form of ground and

surface ,ater is not drin-able and the measures ta-en b/ the concerned authorities for the

provision of ,ater to the cit/ are inappropriate and Auestionable.

3,/ Practical Implications

The consideration b/ the findings of the current stud/ provides the follo,ing practical

i

nto investigate the impact of prevailing microbiological contamination in the ground and surface...

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