Drinking water quality is one of the most important aspects affects water consumption in every human community. The water used by humans is never pure, naturally. Natural water contains many physical and chemical pollutants which can endanger human life with different threats. It was so crucial to assess drinking water quality in Kandahar city. People in Kandahar; depend on ground water resources for their daily water needs. This study was conducted to assess the drinking water quality of Kandahar, both physically and chemically. 15 samples were taken from 9 districts of Kandahar City, which almost represent the water of whole city. Samplings were done with coordination of Public Health department of Kandahar. Some of the parameters; such as, Color, Odor, Taste, and Temperature were tested on the sampling site. At the result, the color of sample no.2 was slightly reddish, the taste of sample no. 3, 5 and 11 were slightly bitter, but the Odor of all samples was non-objectionable. Physical parameters; such as, Turbidity, TDS, EC (Electrical conductivity), and color were measured in the lab using several high-tech machines. The results of Turbidity measurement described that sample no.2 and 3 were above the standard regulations of WHO, U.S.EPA, PSDWQ and ANSA. EC results of all samples were over range, which prove the water containing dissolved salts and ions. TDS and Salinity had very close values in each sample. TDS results showed that all the samples were in normal range set by ANSA. Salinity of sample no.3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14 were over the range of standards set by WHO and EU. Regarding to chemical parameters, only sample no.5 had a pH of 6.2 which is out of the standard range of 6.5-8.5 set by WHO, U.S.EPA, EU, IL, PSDWQ, and ANSA. The rest of the samples were in normal range of pH. Luckily, the drinking water in Kandahar city proved to be in safe condition for the parameters studied in this study. Moreover, the team recommends permanent hardness assessments in some areas of the city and recommends a biological assessment of drinking water quality in Kandahar city.

Keywords : Water Quality, Sources of Contamination, Physio-Chemical Parameters, Kandahar, Afghanistan.