The Impacts of Urbanization on Kabul City’s Groundwater Quality

Abstract

The quality of water is usually described according to its physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. This study aims to assess the impacts of urbanization on the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of Kabul City’s groundwater, which is used for the drinking purpose in both shallow wells and tap water cases. The samples are collected from 39 sampling points in 10 most populated and urbanized areas of Kabul City, where both in-situ and ex-situ analysis are conducted. The gained values are tabulated and compared to ANSA and WHO standard guidelines. The results show that some parameters, i.e., dissolved oxygen, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, manganese, total coliform, and fecal coliform of the groundwater in mentioned areas, are higher than the national (ANSA) and international (WHO) standards. The remaining parameters of water quality are within the range of national and WHO standards, so the water is needed to be treated prior to use for drinking purposes.