The document analyzes the quality of drinking water in Islamabad. It tests water samples from various areas on physical, chemical, and microbial parameters. Sample 1 from I-8/1 was found to have microbial contamination while the other samples met WHO standards. The conclusion recommends chlorination at water sources and maintaining chlorine residuals to eliminate bacteriological contamination found in some areas.

1. Quality Of Drinking Water In Islamabad
By:
Aneela Ishfaq
Reg. # 1457-114651
(MSc. Biotechnology)

2. Introduction
The quality of water is a vital concern for mankind,
since it is directly linked with human welfare. It is a
matter of history that fiscal pollution of drinking water
caused water born diseases which wiped out entire
population of these cities. At present, the menace of
water born diseases and epidemics still booms large on
the horizons of developing countries. Polluted water is
the culprit in such cases

3. Objective of the study
To determine the Quality of drinking water in
Islamabad, by checking the parameters of drinking water
i.e. color, odor, pH, minerals, TDS, coliform count, E.coli
count etc. These could be Contamination after a certain
range. This Project will be useful to public health
authorities, those responsible for setting standards and
for surveillance of drinking water quality, and water
supply agencies responsible for water quality
management in Islamabad.

4. PCRWR
All the Experimentations and testing for this Project are done at
PCRWR
(Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources)
Islamabad

5. Materials & Methods
• Various treatment methods are adopted to raise the
quality of drinking water. Water should be free from the
various contaminations viz. Organic and Inorganic
pollutants, Heavy metals, Pesticides etc. as well as all its
parameter like pH, Electrical Conductivity, Calcium,
Magnesium, Total Hardness, Carbonate, Bicarbonate,
Chloride, Total Dissolved Solid, Alkalinity, Sodium
Potassium, Nitrate, DO should be within a permissible
limit according to the WHO standards

6. Materials & Methods
• Sample Collection & Storage:
For Physical & Chemical Parameters: Simply clean
vacant bottles rinsed 2-3 times with the sample water are
taken. Tap is flushed sufficiently to ensure that sample is
representative of source. And then sample is collected
from the source in the presence of flame that serves as
anti-microbes. Samples are then stored at 4°C.

7. Materials & Methods
For Microbial Parameters: Samples for microbial
parameters are collected with special precautions.
Sterilized bottles were taken. And flame as anti-microbes
is taken near the mouth of the bottle. Then sample
collected is stored at 4°C
Reagents are also required according to the
experiments

8. Sampling Areas
Samples are collected from Municipal Corporation
sources (Tankies) of drinking water, from the sectors I-8
and I-9 of Islamabad.
 Sample # 1
I-8/1 Islamabad
 Sample # 2
I-8/2 Islamabad

9. Sampling Areas
 Sample # 3
I-8/3 Islamabad
 Sample # 4
I-8/4 Islamabad
 Sample # 5
I-9 Islamabad

10. Parameters Tested
Nineteen water quality parameters (five physical,
twelve chemical, and three microbiological) were tested
for the samples collected for this research work.
Physical & Aesthetic Parameters are color, EC
(electrical conductivity) pH and turbidity

11. Parameters tested
Chemical Parameters are alkalinity, bicarbonates,
calcium, carbonates, chloride, hardness, magnesium,
potassium, sodium, sulfate, nitrate and TDS.
Microbial Parameters are total coliforms, fecal
coliforms and E.coli.

12. Materials & Methods
Methods Used at PCRWR are as below:
• Sensory method (for Color & Odor)
• E.C meter (for E.C and TDS)
• pH meter (for pH)
• Turbidity meter (for Turbidity)
• Turbidity method (for Sulfates)

13. Materials & Methods
• Titration method for (Alkalinity, Bicarbonates, Calcium,
Carbonate, Chloride, Hardness, Magnesium, )
• UV Spectrophotometric Screening Method (for Nitrates)
• Flame Photometer (for Potassium & Sodium)
• Turbidity Method (for Sulfates)
• Membrane filtration method (for T.C, F.C & E.coli )

14. Methods
All these methods are Standard Methods with
reference to “APHA (American Public Health Association
Guidelines for Drinking Water) 22nd
Edition”.

15. Results:
According to the results of different tests and experiments:
 Sample # 1(I-8/1 Islamabad)
Is not safe for all the parameters, having
Microbial contamination.
 Sample # 2(I-8/2 Islamabad)
Is safe for all the parameters, having almost no
contamination.

16. Results
 Sample # 3 (I-8/3 Islamabad)
Is safe for all the parameters, having almost no
contamination.
 Sample # 4 (I-8/4 Islamabad)
Is safe for all the parameters, having almost no
contamination.
 Sample # 5 (I-9 Islamabad)
Is safe for all the parameters, having almost no
contamination.

17. Conclusion
Water is one of the basic needs, though there is a
system but extra efforts required. In the distribution
system, physicochemical quality of water was
satisfactory while 20 to 30% of the samples ( I-8/1
Sample) contained bacteriological contamination. This
percentage will raise if proper care is not taken.

18. Continued.......
Possible causes of contamination were leaking
water mains and cross connections between water
mains and sewers due to close proximity. It is
recommended to carry out compulsory chlorination at
water sources while maintaining reasonable residuals at
the consumers’ end to eliminate the bacteriological
contamination.