Physico-Chemical Quality Of Drinking Water At Mushait, Aseer, South-Western Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The physico-chemical quality study of different drinking water sources used in Khamis Mushait, southwestern, Saudi Arabia (SA) has been studied to evaluate their suitability for potable purposes. A total of 62 drinking water samples were collected
randomly from bottled, desalinated and groundwater located around the study area. The parameters determined in this study were Turbidity; Conductivity; Total solids; pH; Chlorides; Hardness; Sulphate; Ammonia; Nitrite; Nitrate; Iron; Manganese;
Copper and Zinc. Most examined parameters were higher in groundwater, followed by desalinated water except for Manganese and Zinc levels. Manganese level was highest in desalinated, followed by bottled water, while Zinc was higher in groundwater
than bottled and desalinated water. Most examined groundwater samples had the highest physico-chemical levels as compared with guideline of international and Saudi standards, followed by desalinated and lastly bottled water. Desalinated water showed the higher Manganese value more than the recommended level followed by bottled water, while all the examined water samples had Zinc content lower than the guideline values of international and Saudi standards. Strict hygienic measures should be applied to improve quality of drinking water and to avoid deleterious effect on human health. This could be achieved by working towards a proper monitoring program of drinking water supply and sources

Keywords: physico-chemical quality, Drinking Water Quality, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia

African Journal of Clinical and Experimental Microbiology Vol. 10 (2) 2009: pp. 117-127