Detailed evaluation of physicochemical properties and microbial activities of Hanna Lake and Spin Karez

Abstract

Access to clean drinking water is a major issue in many regions of the world, particularly in areas where groundwater is scarce. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the water in these Lakes could be consumed. The study found that most of the parameters were within the range of the WHO guidelines, with the exception of a few that were above the WHO limits. For instance, the average value of electrical conductivity in Hanna Lake was 537.4 μS/cm, while it was 758.9 μS/cm in Spin Karez, which was above the WHO limits (>500 μS/cm). Turbidity in Hanna Lake was 4.17 nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU), which was within the WHO limits (<5 NTU), while in Spin Karez, it was above the WHO limits (9.5 NTU), and dissolved oxygen concentrations average values were (9.06 mg/l in Hanna Lake and 8.86 mg/l in Spin Karez) above-permitted limits provided by the WHO (6.5–8 mg/l). The study also found that both lakes had high concentrations of microbial colonies, with 65 CFU/100ml in Hanna Lake and 56 CFU/100ml in Spin Karez. Based on these findings, an efficient water treatment technique should be adopted to remove these highly concentrated parameters in both lakes for purified water and for future water demands.