Tourism Impact on Water Quality in Swat during Winter and Summer Seasons

Tourism may be a source of income or it may pose harm to the environment. This study examines the effects of unplanned tourism on the degradation of essential resource like clean water. This study includes fieldwork and lab analysis to evaluate the consequences of tourism activities on water quality...

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Main Authors: Rizwan Ali, Saeeda Yousaf, Taqweem Ul Haq, Anis Safir, Sidra
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Society of Economic Geologists and Mineral Technologists 2024-12-01
Series:International Journal of Economic and Environment Geology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.econ-environ-geol.org/index.php/ojs/article/view/460/289
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author Rizwan Ali
Saeeda Yousaf
Taqweem Ul Haq
Anis Safir
Sidra
author_facet Rizwan Ali
Saeeda Yousaf
Taqweem Ul Haq
Anis Safir
Sidra
author_sort Rizwan Ali
collection DOAJ
description Tourism may be a source of income or it may pose harm to the environment. This study examines the effects of unplanned tourism on the degradation of essential resource like clean water. This study includes fieldwork and lab analysis to evaluate the consequences of tourism activities on water quality. Forty-eight samples were analyzed for physicochemical and microbiological characteristics collected from four sampling sites. During the busiest travel seasons, tourist destinations samples had greater amounts of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), conductivity, chloride, and coliform bacteria than specimens from non-tourist and off-season locations. TDS varying from 87. 34 mg/l to 112. 29 mg/l to 223. 26 mg/l; conductivity ranged from 150. 32 µs/cm to 199 µs/cm, increasing to 307 µs/cm; and chloride varied from 5. 37 mg/l to 7. 1 mg/l, and reached up to 18. 89 mg/l. The range of fecal coliform bacteria was 1. 0 to 3. 6 (MPN/100ml), while the range of coliform bacteria was 1. 0 to 2. 8 (MPN/100ml) and up to 5. 1 (MPN/100ml). More than half (52%) of the hotels evaluated had inadequate waste management procedures, which led to waste being discharged into nearby rivers and streams. The industry needs environmentally responsible strategies, as suggested by the 76% of travelers who support sustainable tourism practices. The findings demonstrate a direct correlation between rising tourism and deteriorating water quality.
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issn 2223-957X
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publisher Society of Economic Geologists and Mineral Technologists
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spelling doaj-art-9ffbefd79f504e45906d092926af53482025-08-20T02:33:09ZengSociety of Economic Geologists and Mineral TechnologistsInternational Journal of Economic and Environment Geology2223-957X2024-12-0115 41824https://doi.org/10.46660/ijeeg.v15i4.460Tourism Impact on Water Quality in Swat during Winter and Summer SeasonsRizwan Ali0Saeeda Yousaf1Taqweem Ul Haq2Anis Safir3Sidra4Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanDepartment of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanState Key Laboratory, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Government College and Women University Sialkot, PakistanTourism may be a source of income or it may pose harm to the environment. This study examines the effects of unplanned tourism on the degradation of essential resource like clean water. This study includes fieldwork and lab analysis to evaluate the consequences of tourism activities on water quality. Forty-eight samples were analyzed for physicochemical and microbiological characteristics collected from four sampling sites. During the busiest travel seasons, tourist destinations samples had greater amounts of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), conductivity, chloride, and coliform bacteria than specimens from non-tourist and off-season locations. TDS varying from 87. 34 mg/l to 112. 29 mg/l to 223. 26 mg/l; conductivity ranged from 150. 32 µs/cm to 199 µs/cm, increasing to 307 µs/cm; and chloride varied from 5. 37 mg/l to 7. 1 mg/l, and reached up to 18. 89 mg/l. The range of fecal coliform bacteria was 1. 0 to 3. 6 (MPN/100ml), while the range of coliform bacteria was 1. 0 to 2. 8 (MPN/100ml) and up to 5. 1 (MPN/100ml). More than half (52%) of the hotels evaluated had inadequate waste management procedures, which led to waste being discharged into nearby rivers and streams. The industry needs environmentally responsible strategies, as suggested by the 76% of travelers who support sustainable tourism practices. The findings demonstrate a direct correlation between rising tourism and deteriorating water quality.https://www.econ-environ-geol.org/index.php/ojs/article/view/460/289tourismwater qualityphysicochemicalmicrobiological analysis
spellingShingle Rizwan Ali
Saeeda Yousaf
Taqweem Ul Haq
Anis Safir
Sidra
Tourism Impact on Water Quality in Swat during Winter and Summer Seasons
International Journal of Economic and Environment Geology
tourism
water quality
physicochemical
microbiological analysis
title Tourism Impact on Water Quality in Swat during Winter and Summer Seasons
title_full Tourism Impact on Water Quality in Swat during Winter and Summer Seasons
title_fullStr Tourism Impact on Water Quality in Swat during Winter and Summer Seasons
title_full_unstemmed Tourism Impact on Water Quality in Swat during Winter and Summer Seasons
title_short Tourism Impact on Water Quality in Swat during Winter and Summer Seasons
title_sort tourism impact on water quality in swat during winter and summer seasons
topic tourism
water quality
physicochemical
microbiological analysis
url https://www.econ-environ-geol.org/index.php/ojs/article/view/460/289
work_keys_str_mv AT rizwanali tourismimpactonwaterqualityinswatduringwinterandsummerseasons
AT saeedayousaf tourismimpactonwaterqualityinswatduringwinterandsummerseasons
AT taqweemulhaq tourismimpactonwaterqualityinswatduringwinterandsummerseasons
AT anissafir tourismimpactonwaterqualityinswatduringwinterandsummerseasons
AT sidra tourismimpactonwaterqualityinswatduringwinterandsummerseasons