An Assessment of the Effects of Groundwater Quality Parameters in Proximity to the Open Dump Site in the Perimeter ofPNG University of Technology

Abstract

The study, which investigated physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of drinking water quality, was carried out near the dumpsite. The physical parameters were conductivity and total dissolved solids (TDS), the chemical parameters were silica (SiO₂), nitrate (NO₃), sulfate (SO₄), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), and total hardness (TH), and the biological parameters were coliform bacteria. The study utilized the use of cutting-edge equipment, including an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS), an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, and a colony counter. Coliform bacteria maxima are 760,000 cfu/100 ml, conductivity and TDS range from 80 to 785 μS/cm and 5 to 560 mg/L, respectively, and the chemical properties analysed in bore wells near the dumpsite were noteworthy, according to the investigation's findings. High levels of microbiological and chemical contaminants may spread through soils and contaminate groundwater, which is the source from which Water PNG Limited extracts, treats, and distributes water, according to the results of the groundwater analysis.