Suitability of Groundwater Use for Drinking and Irrigation Purpose, Case Study of Kien Svay District, Kandal Province, Cambodia

Abstract

In Cambodia, some studies found that groundwater in some areas was contaminated by heavy metals and chemicals. Those contaminants can harm to human health if it is not properly treated. The research aims to analyze groundwater quality to find out the suitability of parameters for drinking and irrigation purpose, and to understand the condition of groundwater quantity used by local farmers. The study was conducted in Sre Ampil II Village, Chheu Teal Commune, Kien Svay District, Kandal Province in June 2017. Water samples from 6 tube wells with the depth ≥ 20 m and ≥ 50 m were collected to analyze its water quality. The sampling sites were done at the front-part, middle-part and rare-part of the village. Some parameters of drinking water: pH, TDS, EC, turbidity, hardness, As, Fe, Mn, Cl^-, F, NO₃^-, NO₂^-, SO₄^2-, Escherichia coli and total coliform were collected to analyze its concentration while the parameters such as pH, TDS, EC, hardness, salinity, As, Mn, Fe, SO₄^2-, Cl^-, NO₃^-, PO₄^3-, NH₄^-, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Na⁺ were collected to analyze water quality for irrigation purpose. The results showed that only three of fifteen parameters exceeded desirable limit of FAO and the national standard of Cambodia as Mn concentration averagely was surpassed the standard limits (0.4 mg/L), especially in well 6 (2.64 mg Mn/L). For the concentration of harness, it was happened only in well 1 and 2 with its concentration of 306 mg/L and 360 mg/L, respectively, which was above the national standard (300 mg/L), yet it is below the standard recommended by FAO. E. coli and total coliform were also presented in all wells while its concentration were highly exceeded the guideline. The results of parameters in irrigation water from three tube wells showed that Mn (2.64 mg/L) and K⁺ (5.19 mg/L) surpassed the guideline of FAO as it was only 0.2 mg/L and 2 mg/L, respectively, while other parameters were below the guideline. Considering this value as standard, the waters in the well 2 and 3 could problematic for long-term irrigation. Based on the groundwater testing, it could be concluded that water quality in the study is good for drinking and irrigating purpose as most of the parameters are below the guideline of Cambodia national standard and FAO.