Drinking Water Quality on Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Aetiology (CKDu) in Ulagalla Cascade, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown aetiology (CKDu) is one of the major health issues in Northern part of Sri Lanka that recorded highest mortality and morbidity rates. The main responsible reason for the CKDu has not yet been identified and hence many scientists have suggested number of certain risk factors where the CKDu-mfo (CKDu multi-factorial origin) term derived. However it relates with certain drinking water quality parameters strongly. This study was focused on evaluating the drinking water quality of Ulagalla cascade in Anuradhapura district with admiration to CKDu. Thirty wells and twenty tanks were selected as sampling locations for groundwater (GW) and surface water (SW) respectively from the cascade. Water quality parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity, Sodium (Na+), Magnesium (Mg2+), Calcium (Ca2+), Potassium (K+), Arsenic (As2+), Lead (Pb2+), Cadmium (Cd2+), Ammonium Nitrogen (NH4 +-N), Nitrate Nitrogen (NO3 - -N), alkalinity, Sulphate (SO4 2-, Chloride (Cl- ) and Phosphate (PO4 3-) were analysed and observed parameters were compared with drinking water quality standards. In GW turbidity, Mg, Cland Cd were not significantly different from the maximum permissible level (p>0.05) while SW has shown significant difference only for the turbidity (p>0.05). Both well and tank water samples from Thodamaduwa were polluted by Cd which exceeded the maximum permissible level standards. It was recorded as averages of 0.15, 0.13 and 0.019 ppb for 3 identified polluted wells in GW and 0.01ppb in tank water. Accordingly the study it can be suggested that cumulative levels of heavy metals (such as Cd) may be aggravating the CKDu in the Northern Central Parts in Sri Lanka.