Abstract:
For most households in Kamburupitiya area, well water and pipe borne water from springs are
the major source of water supply for domestic consumption. In recent years the incidences of
cancer and other digestive tract ailments were rapidly increased in this area. The relationship
between the presence of heavy metals in drinking water and the prevalence of such diseases is
very important. Hence, continuous monitoring of drinking water quality is essential to identify
the chemical toxicity in terms of heavy metals. According to the statistics, the highest number of
cancer patients was found in Kamburupitiya area especially in Lenabatuwa GN division during
past few years. The Iiriyathota GN division has 4 natural springs in Iiriyathota. Two of these are
used to distribute pipe borne water to most of the households in Kamburupitiya. Therefore, the
main objective of this study is to assess the groundwater quality in terms of heavy metals. Water
samples from three identified water sources which are domestic wells (W1-W10), lake (L1) and
natural water springs (S1-S5) used by the locality for the drinking purpose were collected
separately and their heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe, Ni, and As), pH, electric conductivity, and
total dissolved solids were chemically analyzed by using standard methods. The data were
analyzed statistically. The results revealed that the drinking water quality is not according to the
WHO standards. Heavy metal content also higher than WHO standard and some samples
contained higher amounts of Pb, As and Fe and was exceeded permissible levels. According to
the results, the average concentration of heavy metals such as Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe and As were
0.017 ppm, 0.001 ppm, 0.014 ppm, 0.009 ppm, 0.163 ppm and 0.004 ppm respectively. The pH
level was very low in all domestic wells and in one water spring (S1) which was below the
recommended level of 6.5-8.5. Therefore, overall low pH in majority of the samples and high
level of heavy metals in some samples could impose a threat to human health. Therefore, it is
recommended for a routine monitoring in potable water sources in the study area to examine its
suitability for drinking purposes.
