Preliminary Study and Assessment of Drinking Water from Almaty, Kazakhstan

Abstract

Drinking water samples from eight districts of Almaty, Kazakhstan was collected and physical and chemical analysis of the samples was carried out. Quality indicators of drinking water, such as organoleptic characteristics of water (smell, taste, color, and turbidity), general characteristics (pH, total hardness, permanganate demand, and dry residue), inorganic substances (cations and anions) and contaminants (heavy metals and total petroleum hydrocarbons) were determined, except pesticide residues which will be analyzed for further analysis with a wide range of pollutants. According to all indicators obtained for all districts of Almaty, the anthropogenic impact on drinking water in Almaty districts is assessed as low, not exceeding the permissible maximum allowable concentrations (MAC) values, and drinking water in Almaty corresponds to the approved standards and rules for drinking water of Kazakhstan. Despite of the fact that studied pollutants are below their MAC values, they still pose threat to public health due to their accumulative properties. The study of drinking water in the districts of Almaty made it possible to assess the ecological state in the studied districts of Almaty, as well as to propose recommendations for improving the quality of drinking water in areas where water quality indicators are closer to their MAC values.

Health Risk Assessment of Nitrate in Drinking Water with Potential Source Identification: A Case Study in Almaty, Kazakhstan

“…Depending on the depth of the aquifer, the wells at the Almaty and Talgar water supplies are operated by three groundwater areas with different depths: soil surface to 150 m, 50-300 m, and 300-500 m. About 170 wells operate daily, and a total of 386 artesian wells have a 1,092,000 m 3 /day water intake capacity [29]. The surface water sources include the Aksay, Bolshaya Almatinka, Malaya Almatinka, Kargaly, and Kim-Asar rivers [27]. According to [31], the city's water consumption was 172,000,000 m 3 in 2021.…”

“…Water and wastewater service infrastructure has not been properly maintained for decades [25,27]. As a result, the existing infrastructure needs renovation.…”

“…Improving and expanding sewage collection networks and wastewater treatment systems should be prioritized to improve groundwater quality [42,47,48]. It has been observed that specific districts of Almaty (Alatau, Auezov, and Nauryzbay) have high concentrations of nitrate where local inhabitants have constructed improper sewage tanks that leak into the soil and contaminate the groundwater [27].…”

“…High nitrate content in surface and groundwater is causing concern over environmental and human health. Previous studies have shown that nitrate may constitute a major groundwater pollutant at various locations in Kazakhstan [27]. Urban and industrial pollution levels remain high despite a decrease in manufacturing, possibly due to wastewater discharge or the heavy use of fertilizers [28].…”