Assessment of Cadmium Level in Water from Watershed of the Kowsar Dam

The Kowsar dam supply water for different usages such as drinking, industrial, agricultural and aquaculture farms usages and located next to the city of Dehdashat in Kohgiluye and Boyerahmad province in southern Iran. There are some towns and villages on the Kowsar dam watersheds, which Dehdasht and Choram are the most important and populated cities in this area. The study was undertaken to assess the status of water quality in the urban areas of the Kowsar dam. A total of 28 water samples were collected from 6 stations on surface water and 1 station from groundwater on the watershed of the Kowsar dam. All the samples were analyzed for Cd concentration using standard procedures. The results were compared with other national and international standards. Among the analyzed samples, as the maximum value of cadmium (1.131 μg/L) was observed on the station 2 at the winter 2009, all the samples analyzed were within the maximum admissible limits by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, EU, WHO, New Zealand , Australian, Iranian, and the Indian standards. In general results of the present study have shown that Cd mean values of stations No. 4, 1 and 2 with 0.5135, 0.0.4733 and 0.4573 μg/L respectively are higher than the other stations . Although Cd level of all samples and stations have had normal values but this is an indication of pollution potential and hazards because of human activity and waste water of towns in the areas, which can effect on human health implications in future. This research, therefore, recommends the government and other responsible authorities to take suitable improving measures in the Kowsar dam watershed-s.

Authors:

• Fardin Boustani

Keywords:

• Kowsar dam
• Drinking water quality
• Cadmium
• Maximum admissible limit
• World health organization

References:

[1] TWAS. 2002. Safe drinking water-the need, the problem, solutions and
an action plan, Third world academy of sciences, Trieste, Italy.
[2] Anonymous, 1992. Report on UN Conf. on Environ. and Development,.
A/CONF. 151/26.,1, 277
[3] Singh, S & Mosley, L.M. 2003. Trace metal levels in drinking water on
Viti Levu, Fiji Islands. S. Pac. J. Nat. Sci., 21:31- 34.
[4] Anawara, H.M., Akaib, J., Mostofac, K.M.G., Safiullahd, S & Tareqd,
S.M. 2002. Arsenic poisoning in groundwater- health risk and
geochemical sources in Bangladesh. Environ. Int., 27:597-604.
[5] Friberg L, Nordberg GF, Vouk VB, eds. (1986) Handbook of the
toxicology of metals. Vol. II. Amsterdam, Elsevier, pp. 130-184.
[6] WHO/UNEP (1989) GEMS , Global fresh water quality. Published on
behalf of the World Health Organization/United Nations Environment
Programme. Oxford, Blackwell Reference.
[7] ARW (1988) 45. Jahresbericht 1988. [45th annual report, 1988.]
D├╝sseldorf, Arbeitsgemeinschaft Rhein-Wasserwerke e.V.
[8] AWBR (1988) 20. Jahresbericht 1988. [20th annual report, 1988.]
Karlsruhe, Arbeitsgemeinschaft Wasserwerke Bodensee-Rhei
[9] Ros JPM, Slooff W, eds. (1987) Integrated criteria document. Cadmium.
Bilthoven, National Institute of Public Health and Environmental
Protection (Report No. 758476004).
[10] WHO(1993) Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality. Vol. 1:
Recommendations. 2d ed. Geneva.
[11] Ware GW, ed. (1989) Cadmium. US Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Drinking Water health advisories. Reviews of Environmental
Contamination and Toxicology, 107:25-37.
[12] ISO (1985) Water quality ÔÇö determination of cadmium. Geneva,
International Organization for Standardization (ISO 5961:1985).
[13] ISO (1986) Water quality ÔÇö determination of cadmium. Geneva,
International Organization for Standardization (ISO 8288:1986).
[14] WHO(2004) Cadmium in Drinking-water,Background document for
development of WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, 7 pages.