A Detailed Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Kabul Basin, Afghanistan, and Suitability for Future Development
Kabul is one of the most populated cities in Afghanistan and providing resources to support this population in an arid climate presents a serious environmental challenge. The current study evaluated the quality of local Kabul Basin groundwater to determine its suitability water for drinking and irri...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-10-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/10/2890 |
| _version_ | 1797550716994191360 |
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| author | Hussain Ali Jawadi Jay Sagin Daniel D. Snow |
| author_facet | Hussain Ali Jawadi Jay Sagin Daniel D. Snow |
| author_sort | Hussain Ali Jawadi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Kabul is one of the most populated cities in Afghanistan and providing resources to support this population in an arid climate presents a serious environmental challenge. The current study evaluated the quality of local Kabul Basin groundwater to determine its suitability water for drinking and irrigation purposes now and into the future. This aim was aided through groundwater parameter assessment as well as determination of Water Quality Index (WQI) developed from 15 observation points near the city. The results of our physicochemical analysis illustrate that groundwater in the majority of areas of the Kabul Basin is not generally suitable for human consumption, and in some cases the concentrations of many contaminants are higher than accepted health standards or water quality benchmarks. The aquifer underlies an arid landscape, and because of this 85% of the samples tested are very hard while just over 13% are classified as hard. Groundwater in the Kabul Basin is typically high in calcium and magnesium and overall classified as a calcium bicarbonate water type. Overall, more than 60% of the analyzed samples had concentrations higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard of total dissolved solids (TDS), 10% in total hardness (TH), about 30% in turbidity and more than 90% in magnesium. The results show that based on WQI, without treatment, roughly 5% of groundwater in the studied area is unsuitable for human consumption, while 13.3% is very poor and 40% is poor quality water. Approximately 40% of the assessed groundwater has good quality and could be used as drinking water for future development. Groundwater in some areas shows evidence of pollution and high dissolved solids content, rendering these sources unsuitable for either drinking or irrigation purposes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:33:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-338f2af37cf34333896f7becab35aad4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:33:16Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-338f2af37cf34333896f7becab35aad42023-11-20T17:24:44ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412020-10-011210289010.3390/w12102890A Detailed Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Kabul Basin, Afghanistan, and Suitability for Future DevelopmentHussain Ali Jawadi0Jay Sagin1Daniel D. Snow2Department of Geology, Faculty of Geosciences, Bamyan University, Bamyan 1601, AfghanistanDepartment of Geosciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USAWater Sciences Laboratory, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68503, USAKabul is one of the most populated cities in Afghanistan and providing resources to support this population in an arid climate presents a serious environmental challenge. The current study evaluated the quality of local Kabul Basin groundwater to determine its suitability water for drinking and irrigation purposes now and into the future. This aim was aided through groundwater parameter assessment as well as determination of Water Quality Index (WQI) developed from 15 observation points near the city. The results of our physicochemical analysis illustrate that groundwater in the majority of areas of the Kabul Basin is not generally suitable for human consumption, and in some cases the concentrations of many contaminants are higher than accepted health standards or water quality benchmarks. The aquifer underlies an arid landscape, and because of this 85% of the samples tested are very hard while just over 13% are classified as hard. Groundwater in the Kabul Basin is typically high in calcium and magnesium and overall classified as a calcium bicarbonate water type. Overall, more than 60% of the analyzed samples had concentrations higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard of total dissolved solids (TDS), 10% in total hardness (TH), about 30% in turbidity and more than 90% in magnesium. The results show that based on WQI, without treatment, roughly 5% of groundwater in the studied area is unsuitable for human consumption, while 13.3% is very poor and 40% is poor quality water. Approximately 40% of the assessed groundwater has good quality and could be used as drinking water for future development. Groundwater in some areas shows evidence of pollution and high dissolved solids content, rendering these sources unsuitable for either drinking or irrigation purposes.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/10/2890groundwater developmentcontaminationKabul BasinWater Quality Index (WQI)physicochemical parameters |
| spellingShingle | Hussain Ali Jawadi Jay Sagin Daniel D. Snow A Detailed Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Kabul Basin, Afghanistan, and Suitability for Future Development Water groundwater development contamination Kabul Basin Water Quality Index (WQI) physicochemical parameters |
| title | A Detailed Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Kabul Basin, Afghanistan, and Suitability for Future Development |
| title_full | A Detailed Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Kabul Basin, Afghanistan, and Suitability for Future Development |
| title_fullStr | A Detailed Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Kabul Basin, Afghanistan, and Suitability for Future Development |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Detailed Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Kabul Basin, Afghanistan, and Suitability for Future Development |
| title_short | A Detailed Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Kabul Basin, Afghanistan, and Suitability for Future Development |
| title_sort | detailed assessment of groundwater quality in the kabul basin afghanistan and suitability for future development |
| topic | groundwater development contamination Kabul Basin Water Quality Index (WQI) physicochemical parameters |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/10/2890 |
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