Assessment of Seven Conventional Natural Drinking Water Sources in the Periphery of Chamba Town of Himachal Pradesh in India

Abstract

Chamba town of Himachal Pradesh in India is renowned for its conventional natural underground drains, springs and well water sources known as Panihar, Nara and Boury in the local dialect. These are the major traditional freshwater sources for human consumption in the valley. Water is one of the most essential natural sources required for the survival of human beings. But the quality of water in these natural sources is deteriorating day by day due to the universal impact of climate change and the increasing pollutant load of unplanned human activities. The deterioration of natural water sources is a major concern to human well-being all around the world. Therefore, a study was designed for the assessment of the quality of drinking water from randomly selected seven major traditional water sources in the periphery of historic Chamba town. This paper consists of the historic importance of these water sources, the perception and perspectives of their users along with qualitative analysis of total dissolved solids, total hardness and metal salts. The qualitative and physiochemical analysis confirms that the quality of water in all these sources is still within the safe limits of drinking water with limited variation in range but requires special attention for their safe guard.