Water Pollution and Its Impacts on Public Health in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the current knowledge about the biological effects and the sources responsible for drinking water contamination in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. For this purpose, this review article has summarized data extracted from various national and international journals and relevant reports published by government and non-governmental organizations. The KP province faces water pollution as a major public health problem. This review shows a detailed layout of the water quality with special emphasis on major pollutants, pollution sources, and their impacts on public health. The study revealed that drinking water sources in KP province are highly polluted with microbes and heavy metals. The physicochemical parameters were noted above the World Health Organization’s permissible limits. The trend of toxic metals has been reported as Fe > Ni > Pb > Cd > Cr in the drinking water of KP. An overview of relevant reports and published articles reported the presence of Coliform bacteria (CB) in the drinking water of Peshawar (1740 MPN/100), Abbottabad (2–600 MPN/100), Nowshera (2–1800 MPN/100), Charsadda (5–1600 MPN/100), Swabi (21 MPN/100), and the Northern Areas (38 MPN/100). The study highlighted those key sources responsible for water contamination are anthropogenic activities such as improper waste handling and agricultural inputs. Various health problems, such as diarrhea, dysentery, other gastrointestinal problems, and skin diseases, have been reported due to waterborne diseases. To shrink the risk of waterborne diseases, it is important to enhance the monitoring and sustainable techniques for the effective management of water resources.