Groundwater contamination study of the Islamabad aquifers has been investigated in sectors G-7, G-8, G-9, G-10, F-10, H-8, H-9, I-8 and I-9, and in the villages of Tarlai Kalan, Pandori, Alipur, Farash, Dhok Saknal, Jhang Saiyadan, Ziaratgah, Dhok Mori, and Dhok Chapran of the National Park Area (Figure 1). The whole area lies between longitudes 73° 0´ to 73° 15´ East and latitudes 33° 38´ to 33° 45´ North.
Water contamination is one of the important environmental issues in the world now a day. Water is an essential item to mankind, and the largest available source of fresh water lies underground. Due to increasingly felt demand for water among the community, a thorough study in the search of surface water storage, exploration / exploitation of groundwater, and procedures to avoid water contamination are being outlined by various agencies.
Pollution can impair the use of water and can create hazards to the public health through toxicity and the spread of diseases. According to World Health Organization (WHO) more than three billion people did not have enough clean water to meet their daily needs. Even more alarming above all is that 80% diseases and sicknesses are water borne.
Physiochemical and hydrochemical analyses of groundwater samples obtained from fifty-nine different tube / dug wells (Figure 1) were made in the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, and their results were used to study and interpret the aquifer’s chemical characteristics. Physiochemical analysis include the laboratory measurements of temperature, pH-value, electrical conductivity, hardness as CaCO3, whereas hydrochemical analysis entail determination of major dissolved ions such as Na+, K+, Ca+2, Mg+2, HCO3-, CO3-2, Cl-, SO4-2 and total dissolved solids (TDS). Ionic balance of each well was determined which lies within the range of 0.00% to 2.03% showing the results to be reliable.
Figure 1. Distribution of tube wells
Location Map showing the distribution of tube wells and dug wells (sampling sites) in Islamabad Sectorial and National Park area respectively.