RISK ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS IN POTABLE WATER OF COASTAL AREA OF TALUKA JATI, SINDH, PAKISTAN

Abstract

This study evaluates the level in mg/L and health risk assessment of heavy metals in drinking water across several sampling sites from coastal area of Taluka Jati (JT-50 to JT-84). The ranges of Heavy metals were observed as Cd (0.001 - 0.012), Cr (0.03 - 0.06), Cu (0.01 - 0.05), Co (0.03 - 0.18), Mn (0.00 - 0.50), Fe (0.09 - 0.26), Ni (0.01 - 0.04), Zn (0.01 - 0.05), Na (118.0 - 279.0), Ca (23.2 - 97.1), Mg (23.67 - 81.67) and K (1.53 - 6.43) mg/L. The assessment also focused on the Average Daily Dose (ADD), Hazard Quotient (HQ), Hazard Index (HI), and Total Cancer Risk (TCR) for metals including Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Cobalt (Co), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Nickel (Ni), and Zinc (Zn). The results indicated that the cumulative non-carcinogenic risk, represented by the Hazard Index (HI), exceeded the safety threshold of 1.0 at multiple locations, with the highest values observed at sites JT-76 (1.260) and JT-59 (1.240). Furthermore, the Total Cancer Risk (TCR) for almost all sites fell within the range of 10^-4 to 10^-3, which exceeds the USEPA's generally acceptable risk limit of 1×10^-4. Chromium and Nickel were identified as the primary contributors to both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks. These findings suggest that the drinking water in the studied areas poses a significant health threat to the local population, necessitating immediate environmental intervention and water quality management.