Abstract
The safety of water is essential for life on earth. Drinking contaminated water can give rise to many health issues.To highlightthemajor causes of contamination in water, this study was carried out to determine the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of raw and chlorinated water. Raw and chlorinated water samples were obtained from three locations(zones)of a residential university (National University of Sciences and Technology, NUST). Ten physicochemical parameters were analyzed (pH, Electrical conductivity, Turbidity, Dissolved oxygen, Hardness, Alkalinity, Total suspended solids, Total dissolved solids, Total organic carbon,and Chlorine (free & total)). Bacteriological analysis was performed throughtheMPN technique. The results showed that all the physicochemical parameters were found within the permissible limits set by WHO and PSDWQfor rawand chlorinated water,except TSS and Chlorine (free & total).The TSSof raw and chlorinated waterranged from 3.3-14.3mg/L and 8.7-12.7mg/L,greater than the permissible limits.The freeChlorine for both raw and chlorinated water ranged from 0.04-0.09mg/L and 0.06-0.07mg/Land total Chlorine for both raw and chlorinated water in the range 0.10-0.09mg/L and 0.22-0.24mg/L,respectively,which werefar below the recommended limit required for water disinfection. The MPN index for raw and chlorinated water ranged from 23 to >23MPN/100ml and 16 to >23MPN/100ml, exceedingthe permissible limits. The results concludedthat the water,whether raw or chlorinated,wasnotfit for drinking purposes. Proper dosages of Chlorine and filtration techniques are required to make the water fit forconsumption.
Imran Hashmi*, Huda Kamal,. (2021) Water quality assessment of Raw and Chlorinated drinking waterof a Residential University, NUST Journal of Engineering Sciences , Volume 14, Issue 1.
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