The study analyses the effects of livestock farming on the physicochemical properties of groundwater utilized as drinking water in District Naushehro Feroze, located in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The total 26 groundwater samples were collected from residential areas where 13 of the sites were situated near animal farms and the rest did not contain livestock. The APHA standard methods for measuring turbidity (Lovibond TB-210IR), total hardness (EDTA titration), and ammonia (Hach DR1900) were used in the laboratory analysis at USPCAS-W, MUET, as well as field instruments (HANNA HI99301 TDS meter, HANNA HI 8464 pH meter). The WHO and Pakistan permissible limits were met by most test samples, but households situated near animal farms showed higher readings for TDS, EC, hardness, ammonia, and salinity potentially due to livestock waste and runoff activities. The Mann-Whitney U statistical test results showed there were no statistically important differences between the water quality indicators of the two sample groups which imply environmental and geological factors share equally in determining groundwater characteristics. The study reveals how groundwater pollution occurs through the combination of human-made and natural environmental factors. Households that keep farm animals exhibit higher levels of pollutants, while statistical analyses did not find evidence to support this difference, suggesting that environmental conditions and geology are an equivalent component of water pollution. To ensure the safety of drinking water in rural areas, it is important to maintain regular checks and improve waste control practices.

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Impact of Animal Farming on Household Groundwater Physicochemical Quality: A Case Study in Naushehro Feroze, Sindh, Pakistan

  • Oshaque Ali,
  • Pirom Noisumdaeng,
  • Manaporn Wongsoonthornchai

摘要

The study analyses the effects of livestock farming on the physicochemical properties of groundwater utilized as drinking water in District Naushehro Feroze, located in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The total 26 groundwater samples were collected from residential areas where 13 of the sites were situated near animal farms and the rest did not contain livestock. The APHA standard methods for measuring turbidity (Lovibond TB-210IR), total hardness (EDTA titration), and ammonia (Hach DR1900) were used in the laboratory analysis at USPCAS-W, MUET, as well as field instruments (HANNA HI99301 TDS meter, HANNA HI 8464 pH meter). The WHO and Pakistan permissible limits were met by most test samples, but households situated near animal farms showed higher readings for TDS, EC, hardness, ammonia, and salinity potentially due to livestock waste and runoff activities. The Mann-Whitney U statistical test results showed there were no statistically important differences between the water quality indicators of the two sample groups which imply environmental and geological factors share equally in determining groundwater characteristics. The study reveals how groundwater pollution occurs through the combination of human-made and natural environmental factors. Households that keep farm animals exhibit higher levels of pollutants, while statistical analyses did not find evidence to support this difference, suggesting that environmental conditions and geology are an equivalent component of water pollution. To ensure the safety of drinking water in rural areas, it is important to maintain regular checks and improve waste control practices.