Evaluation of Pesticide Residues in Drinking Water in Different Areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Pesticide Residue Evaluation in Drinking Water

Abstract

Flood in 2010 severely effected different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, lower Punjab as well as some parts of Balochistan, Pakistan. After the flood, samples of drinking water were collected from the affected areas i.e. Akora Khattak and Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and pesticides residues were determined quantitatively in these samples employing GC-MS technique. Among the samples collected from Akora Khattak, chlorpyrifos was found in high amounts i.e. 0.040 ppm, in sample no. 6 while methamidophos and methiocarb were found in appreciable quantities i.e. 0.026 ppm and 0.038 ppm, respectively, in sample no. 4. Methamidophos and methiocarb were found in appreciable amounts i.e. 0.039 ppm and 0.034 ppm, respectively, in sample no. 17 among the samples obtained from Buner. Concentrations were found at the level below 0.01 ppm in most of the pesticides under study. From the results it appears that drinking water sources in the area under study have been contaminated with pesticides which is a health hazard and may be a source of various diseases in these areas.