Assessment of Groundwater Quality in Kabul City: A Case Study of District 15

Kawoon Sahak; Mohammad Dawod Shirzad; Sayed Kazem Hashmi; Hayatullah Mushwani; Latfullah Safi; Ahmad Edris Mouhseni

doi:10.62810/jnsr.v3i1.173

Authors

Kawoon Sahak Kabul University, Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Environment
Mohammad Dawod Shirzad Kabul University, Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Environment
Sayed Kazem Hashmi Kabul University, Department of Disaster Management, Faculty of Environment
Hayatullah Mushwani Assistant Prof. Dept. of Environmental Science, Faculty of Environment, Kabul University, Kabul 1006, Afghanistan
Latfullah Safi Kabul University, Department of Natural Resources Management, Faculty of Environment
Ahmad Edris Mouhseni Kabul University, Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Environment

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62810/jnsr.v3i1.173

Keywords:

Groundwater, Water Quality, Kabul City, District 15, Chemical Parameters

Abstract

In Kabul City, groundwater serves as the primary source of drinking water, but these resources are under immense pressure from both natural and human-induced activities. This study aims to assess the quality of drinking water in District 15 of Kabul city through the analysis of 14 groundwater samples, examining physical (electric conductivity, total dissolved solids, turbidity, and temperature), chemical (pH, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, boron, copper, cadmium, lead, manganese, and aluminum), and biological (total and fecal coliform) parameters using the standard method. Findings reveal that several sites exhibit exceedances in key parameters such as electric conductivity, total dissolved solids, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, boron, cadmium, and coliforms exceeding the WHO and ANSA permissible limits, posing significant health risks. To supply safe drinking water for Kabul city residents, it is recommended that future research should assess the groundwater quality across the 22 districts of Kabul city, factoring in seasonal variations over a year.

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