Assessment of Water Quality and Treatment Efficiency in the Southwestern Region of Bangladesh: A Case Study on KUET Campus

Rapidly growing population and migration to urban areas in developing countries have resulted in a vital need for the establishment of centralized water supply systems to distribute potable water to households. In the south-western region of Bangladesh at the KUET campus, there is a shortage of drinking water due to an unacceptable level of salinity and iron in the groundwater source. This study was conducted to assess the quality of water that is supplied to the people and students of the KUET campus. The sample water was collected from different locations and assessed through various water tests. The investigation shows that the values of water parameters after treatment were within the standard limit, except for iron, whose value was 0.37 mg/L. The parameters, such as TDS, hardness, and chloride, were quite high. The WQI before treatment was found to be almost 31, but after treatment, the value decreased to 10. However, at the distribution sites, the value of WQI again rose to 22 due to some microbiological contamination. The removal efficiency of all the parameters was quite satisfactory, except some parameters such as TDS (46.30%), hardness (20.37%), and chloride (50.70%). The analysis indicates that the treatment plant's performance is satisfactory, but it is not suitable for drinking purposes due to the comparatively high levels of iron, color, hardness, and TDS. This water is well enough for domestic use. For maintaining proper water quality and a sustainable water supply, the treatment plant requires routine monitoring, post‐treatment remineralization, and stakeholder education.