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Over the last decade, the rapid growth of population, urbanization, industrialization, increased demand for water and energy for a better quality of life, has been the talk of the town these days, which illustrates the future of wastewater in developing countries. The sudden increase in population and the mismanagement of water put stress on the supply of water which resulting in the reuse of untreated wastewater for agriculture. It will affect other life activities, such as those that pose a significant risk to global food security. The waste water itself doesn’t only contain the nutrients which can be used by the plants for their growth but also contains the chemicals and heavy metals which pose a greater negative impact on environment and human health. The food irrigated by the wastewater is consumed by humans, then it becomes a part of the food chain and causes health issues. Present research is carried out for the characterization and risk assessment of wastewater at different locations of Gujarat city, Pakistan. Different parameters were analyzed which showed that majority of samples have a concentration of pH from (7.96-8.74), temperature (31-38 ºC), which is under acceptable limit by the national environment quality standard of pH (6.5-10) and temperature (40 ºC), Sodium (139.750-172.500 mg/L), and heavy metals such as iron (0.273-0.473 mg/L), manganese (0.048-1.35 mg/L) within standard limits. However, due to the contamination and leakage of the sewage system and mixing of different solvents in water, there is an increase in the concentration of residual sodium carbonate, heavy metals such as lead, and total dissolved solids, more than the accepted limits of the national environmental quality standard. Due to the contamination of water, the prevalence of waterborne diseases like cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and diarrhea increases. Regular monitoring of the quality of water using physicochemical parameters will provide a better quality of public health and the environment.
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