Assessment of water quality and health hazards using water quality index and human health risk evaluation in district Talagang Pakistan

• Nazir ur Rehman, 
• Mumtaz Ali Khan, 
• Shuja Ullah, 
• Afra Siab, 
• Fakhrul Islam, 
• Ahmed Elbeltagi & 
• Ali Salem 

Scientific Reports volume 15, Article number: 5191 (2025) Cite this article

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Abstract

This work was carried out for the determination of the water quality in the Talagang District of Pakistan, as water is essential for agriculture and drinking uses. This study aims to assess the water quality for irrigation, drinking, and health risks using the Water Quality Index (WQI) and Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) tools to identify regions with contaminated water, and to evaluate the associated risks. A total of 98 water samples were taken at various points from diverse sources such as hand pumps, streams, springs, dug wells, and tube wells for physio-chemical assessment. In the current study, the effectiveness of the irrigation water quality index (IWQI), human health risk assessment (HHRA), and water quality index (WQI) tools have been assessed. The characteristics of subterranean water are influenced by evaporation, ion exchange, rock-water interaction, and parent-rock weathering, as shown by the Piper and Gibbs diagram. According to the WQI results, the water quality is 20. 89% and 27.46% of the sample sites are moderate and poor, making them unfit for human intake. Based on HHRA, compared to adult males and females in the study area, children are deemed to be at a higher risk. A larger number of the sample localities are appropriate for irrigation purposes. The study assists in identifying contaminated regions and in monitoring newly implemented remediation actions to manage the source of contaminants in the study area.

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Introduction

Surface and subterranean water are essential sources of drinking, farming, industrial, and domestic uses worldwide and also have a substantial effect on shaping the quality of lives and sustainability of societies¹. Due to rapid growth and population increase, natural and human actions such as industry, urbanization, mining, and agriculture have resulted in water depletion and impairment issues^2,3. Water quality degradation and depletion have emerged as significant global challenges, directly impacting public health, agriculture, and the environment^4,5. The poor quality of water poses both direct and indirect health risks to the communities that rely on it, often leading to substantial public health issues and increased costs for water treatment and rehabilitation⁶. Direct health risks are associated with the consumption of contaminated water, such as heavy metal contamination, which can cause serious illnesses^7,8. Indirect health risks occur when contaminated water is used for irrigation, affecting agricultural crops, horticulture, and aquaculture, leading to bioaccumulation of toxins in the food chain⁹.Heavy metals including Zn, Cu, and Mn are naturally occurring in water in trace amounts and are significantly essential for human metabolism and the growth of living things¹⁰. However, excessive amounts of these metals pose chronic and acute health issues. Other heavy metals including Pb, Cd, As, Cr, and Ni are severely toxic although in very low concentrations¹¹. For example, the higher concentration of Pb is known to harm the development of the brain in children. Exposure to elevated concentrations of Cd causes chronic and acute diseases such as skeletal and kidney damage. The As causes many health problems in humans such as skin lesions, and cancer of the liver, brain, stomach, and kidney^12,13. Higher intakes of Cr and Ni have been linked with liver, kidney, and heart problems¹⁴. The WQI is a handy means for evaluating the quality of water that is appropriate for residential practice. The weighted arithmetic and integrated WQI are extensively used in India for assessing surface and subterranean water because it yield results with greater accuracy¹⁵¹⁶. investigatedthe chemistry and quality index of groundwater in northwest China and noticed that 11.43% of sample locations had poor water quality, and 17.14% had very poor water quality. Similarly¹⁷, used weighted overlay analysis to assess groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes in Bangladesh, revealing that 90% of water from deep wells and 57.6% from shallow wells were suitable for human consumption, according to the Drinking Water Quality Index (DWQI).

Several recent studies have employed various techniques to assess water quality, including the use of WQI, which integrates multiple physicochemical variables into a single dimensionless value representing overall water quality^{18,19,20,21,22}. The WQI is an assessment model that can be used for integrating a variety of physicochemical variables into a dimensionless value that may depict the overall quality of the water^18,20. n Pakistan, water quality contamination has been reported in several regions, affecting both surface and groundwater resources¹¹. Given the importance of water for human health, agriculture, and overall well-being, it is crucial to evaluate the water quality in various regions. The primary objective of this study is to assess the surface and subsurface water quality for irrigation, drinking, and health risks in Talagang District, Pakistan, using the Water Quality Index (WQI) and Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) tools. This research aims to evaluate the hydro-chemical parameters of groundwater in the study area for both irrigation and drinking purposes, and to assess the associated health risks using the WQI and HHRA models. The findings will contribute to identifying areas where water quality poses health risks and help in formulating strategies for water management and remediation.

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