TY - JOUR
T1 - Application of GIS for the identification and demarcation of selective heavy metal concentrations in the urban groundwater
AU - Ashraf, Sobia
AU - Abbas, Farhat
AU - Ibrahim, Muhammad
AU - Rashid, Umer
AU - Khalid, Shoaib
AU - Ahmad, Hammad Raza
AU - Hakeem, Khalid Rehman
AU - Majeed, Tahir
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Science in China Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
PY - 2015/2
Y1 - 2015/2
N2 - Groundwater is the most appropriate and widely used source of drinking water, which is increasingly threatened by pollution from industrial and agricultural activities. To check the severity of the problem, 156 groundwater samples were collected from various depths (60–110 ft) of 52 different localities in Faisalabad city, the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, and analyzed for the metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, Mn and Fe) concentration in 2009. Quantification was done by using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer technique and the results were compared with WHO standards for drinking water quality. Results showed that the levels of Cu, Mn and Fe were below the WHO standards while the concentrations of Zn, Cd, Ni and Pb were above the recommended levels of safe drinking water. Correlation analysis among the occurrence of these heavy metals revealed a highly significant and positive correlation of Mn with Zn and Fe. A significant and positive correlation of Cd was also found with Cu and groundwater depth showing that there is strong association between Cu-Cd pair and that the Cd concentration varies with depth of groundwater in the study area. Regional patterns of heavy metals occurrence were mapped using Geographical Information System (GIS) for the identification and demarcation of risk areas. The concentration maps may be used by policymakers of the city to mitigate groundwater pollution.
AB - Groundwater is the most appropriate and widely used source of drinking water, which is increasingly threatened by pollution from industrial and agricultural activities. To check the severity of the problem, 156 groundwater samples were collected from various depths (60–110 ft) of 52 different localities in Faisalabad city, the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, and analyzed for the metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, Mn and Fe) concentration in 2009. Quantification was done by using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer technique and the results were compared with WHO standards for drinking water quality. Results showed that the levels of Cu, Mn and Fe were below the WHO standards while the concentrations of Zn, Cd, Ni and Pb were above the recommended levels of safe drinking water. Correlation analysis among the occurrence of these heavy metals revealed a highly significant and positive correlation of Mn with Zn and Fe. A significant and positive correlation of Cd was also found with Cu and groundwater depth showing that there is strong association between Cu-Cd pair and that the Cd concentration varies with depth of groundwater in the study area. Regional patterns of heavy metals occurrence were mapped using Geographical Information System (GIS) for the identification and demarcation of risk areas. The concentration maps may be used by policymakers of the city to mitigate groundwater pollution.
KW - Faisalabad
KW - groundwater contamination
KW - heavy metals
KW - pollution mitigation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84920436814&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11442-015-1164-0
DO - 10.1007/s11442-015-1164-0
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84920436814
SN - 1009-637X
VL - 25
SP - 225
EP - 235
JO - Journal of Geographical Sciences
JF - Journal of Geographical Sciences
IS - 2
ER -