Soil erosion vulnerability and soil loss estimation for Siran River watershed, Pakistan: an integrated GIS and remote sensing approach.

Soil erosion is a problematic issue with detrimental effects on agriculture and water resources, particularly in countries like Pakistan that heavily rely on farming. The condition of major reservoirs, such as Tarbela, Mangla, and Warsak, is crucial for ensuring an adequate water supply for agriculture in Pakistan. The Kunhar and Siran rivers flow practically parallel, and the environment surrounding both rivers' basins is nearly identical. The Kunhar River is one of KP's dirtiest rivers that carries 0.1 million tons of suspended sediment to the Mangla reservoir. In contrast, the Siran River basin is largely unexplored. Therefore, this study focuses on the Siran River basin in the district of Manshera, Pakistan, aiming to assess annual soil loss and identify erosion-prone regions. Siran River average annual total soil loss million tons/year is 0.154. To achieve this, the researchers integrate Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) data with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. Five key variables, rainfall, land use land cover (LULC), slope, soil types, and crop management, were examined to estimate the soil loss. The findings indicate diverse soil loss causes, and the basin's northern parts experience significant soil erosion. The study estimated that annual soil loss from the Siran River basin is 0.154 million tons with an average rate of 0.871 tons per hectare per year. RUSLE model combined with GIS/RS is an efficient technique for calculating soil loss and identifying erosion-prone areas. Stakeholders such as policymakers, farmers, and conservationists can utilize this information to target efforts and reduce soil loss in specific areas. Overall, the study's results have the potential to advance initiatives aimed at safeguarding the Siran River watershed and its vital resources. Protecting soil resources and ensuring adequate water supplies are crucial for sustainable agriculture and economic development in Pakistan.

Groundwater quality assessment and its vulnerability to pollution: a study of district Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Groundwater is the drinking water source for the majority of rural settlements of district Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The study aimed to analyze the groundwater quality and its vulnerability to pollution and to develop its spatial distribution mapping. For this purpose, forty-eight groundwater samples were collected from dug wells, tube wells, and hand pumps of sixteen villages and analyzed for physicochemical parameters. The XY coordinates of the sample's sources were marked by Magellan Triton 1500 handheld global positioning system (GPS). The results were compared with WHO and Pak-EPA guidelines. The results of the majority of selected parameters were found within the WHO and Pak-EPA guidelines; however, in certain areas the concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS), chlorides (Cl-), and alkalinity were higher than the guideline limits. Based on cumulative water quality the excellent water quality prevails over an area of 376 km2 (21% of district area), good water quality 726 km2 (42%), poor 424 km2 (24%), very poor 116 km2 (6%), and unfit for drinking 84 km2 (4%). The water of the Nizampur and Rashaki areas were categorized unfit for drinking. The groundwater quality of nearly one-half of the district varies from poor to very poor, and the soil type and vadose zone sediment/material was found the key reason for groundwater contamination. Based on the infiltration capacity of vadose zone material, the study area was divided into four water pollution vulnerable zones. The low vulnerable zone covers an area of 104 km2, moderate 862 km2, high 667 km2, and very high 93 km2. The most important factor which determines the vulnerability of the groundwater to contamination is the vadose zone material/sediment which in turn determines the soil infiltration capacity. The generated groundwater susceptibility and water quality maps provide critical information for identifying optimal locations for supply wells.

Impact of land use/land cover changes on water quality and human health in district Peshawar Pakistan.

The quality and quantity of groundwater resources are affected by landuse/landcover (LULC) dynamics, particularly the increasing urbanization coupled with high household wastewater discharge and decreasing open lands. This study evaluates temporal changes of groundwater quality for 2012 and 2019, its relation to Landuse/landcover, and its impact on Peshawar's residents (study area), Pakistan. A total of 105 and 112 groundwater samples were collected from tube wells in 2012 and 2019. Samples were then analyzed for seven standard water quality parameters (i.e., pH, electric conductivity (EC), turbidity, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and nitrate). Patient data for waterborne diseases were also collected for the years 2012 and 2019 to relate the impact of groundwater quality on human health. Landsat satellite images were classified for the years 2012 and 2019 to observe landuse/landcover dynamics concerning groundwater quality. Results manifested a decrease in groundwater quality for the year 2019 compared to 2012 and were more highlighted in highly populated areas. The nitrate concentration level was found high in the vicinity of agricultural areas due to the excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers and pesticides, and thus the methemoglobinemia patients ratio increased by 14% (48-62% for the year 2012 and 2019, respectively). Besides, Urinary Tract Infections, Peptic Ulcer, and Dental Caries diseases increased due to the high calcium and magnesium concentration. The overall results indicate that anthropogenic activities were the main driver of Spatio-temporal variability in groundwater quality of the study area. The study could help district health administration understand groundwater quality trends, make appropriate site-specific policies, and formulate future health regulations.

Contamination of soil with potentially toxic metals and their bioaccumulation in wheat and associated health risk.

The present study was conducted to investigate the concentrations of potential toxic metals (PTMs) in agricultural soil (n = 25) and their bioaccumulation in wheat crop (n = 25) collected from alongside the Kurram River, Pakistan. The highest concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in soil samples were 0.16, 19.5, 14.7, 46.5, 13.5, 14.5, 14.0, and 19.7 mg kg-1, respectively. In the edible tissues of cultivated wheat crop, the highest concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were 0.15, 10.00, 8.75, 22.25, 11.00, 11.25, 10.50, and 7.50 mg kg-1, respectively. The selected PTM concentrations in soil samples were observed within their respective permissible limits set by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) China, while in wheat crops, the Cr and Pb concentrations were above the permissible limits of both FAO and SEPA China. The results showed that the orders of PTMs were Fe > Zn > Cr > Cu > Ni > Pb > Mn in soil and Fe > Ni > Mn > Pb > Cr > Cu > Zn in wheat. The highest PTM concentrations were reported in the sample collected near dumping sites. The results of different soil pollution indices including geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), and enrichment factor (EF) indicated that the soil of the study area was moderately to severely contaminated. The ADI values of wheat crops were less than 1, while the HQ varied among different PTMs with the highest value of 2.118 for Pb, and the lowest for Zn (0.007). The results indicated that anthropogenic intervention has made a substantial contribution to soil contamination with PTMs and subsequent uptake by wheat, which may exert potential human health risk.