Qualitative evaluation of water from a number of wells in Taza, Kirkuk district, for drinking and human use

Abstract

This descriptive and experimental study assessed the quality of water from wells in Taza district, Kirkuk, for drinking and other human uses using the National Sanitation Foundation water quality index (NSF-WQI). Samples were collected monthly from three randomly selected wells from October 2023 to March 2024, and the water was periodically tested for temperature, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, phosphate, nitrate, total dissolved solids, and faecal coliform bacteria. The NSF-WQI placed the water of all the wells (100%) in the medium-quality class, owing to some parameters exceeding Iraqi and international (World Health Organization) standards. This does not prevent the use of the water: the wells can be considered suitable for human use after the addition of disinfectants such as chlorine in appropriate quantities.