International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology (IJEAB) Vol-3, Issue-3, May-June- 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijeab/3.3.51 ISSN: 2456-1878 www.ijeab.com Page | 1104 Variation of Drinking Water Quality in Rural Areas of Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka KAKA Samarasinghe 1 , MB Samarakoon 2 1 Department of Civil Engineering, General Sir John Kotelawala Defense University, Sri Lanka Email: kavianuruddha90@gmail.com 2 Senior Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, General Sir John Kotelawala Defense University, Sri Lanka Email: methsiris@gmail.com Abstract—Due to the human activities, the natural water system gets contaminated with various chemical substances which can be harmful for the human health. In this research, it was attempted to find out the variation of drinkingwater quality in rural areas of Kurunegala district, Sri Lanka. Five GramaNiladari (GN) divisions in Ibbagamuwa Divisional Secretariat (DS) Division, were selected as the study area for this research. Seven water quality parameters were investigated in laboratory scale, which were basically divided in to physical and chemical parameters. Altogether 150 samples were collectedand all the parameters were investigated in the laboratory scaleunder the standard specifications given in SLS 614:2013 part 1. In this research, it was identified that Ibbagamuwa DS Divisionwas badly contaminated with water hardness (exceeded the standard limit of 200 mg/l). Further, several areas were identified as not suitable for drinking purposes. Most of the time, these unsuitable areas were reported around the Kibulwanaoya reservoir, one of the main irrigation reservoirs located inIbbagamuwa DS Division. This area was highly contaminated with chloride and fluoride iron. There were several places that were appropriately identified as safe for drinking purposes because all the water quality parameters in that area were within the standard limit. The areas with suitable water resources have been identified around the rocky areas. It was also identified that the ground water around the highly cultivated areas and irrigation reservoir were not in good condition. The design of separate maps for each water quality parameters were very important for people in this area. By referring these maps, they will be able to identify what are the suitable and unsuitable areas to take water for the purpose of drinking. Keywords—Ibbagamuwa Divisional Secretariat Division, North Western Province, Drinking water quality parameters, Kibulwanaoya Irrigation Reservoir. I. INTRODUCTION Water is the most considearable and valuable wealth for living beings. All the living beings are consuming water for their daily needs. Without having water, there is no existence of lives on planet. In Sri Lanka, most of the time, people use ground water sources as their source of water but in most of the urban areas, people use tap water as their source of water. Tap water is mainly supplied by the Water Board of Sri Lanka and few other relevant organizations. Fig. 1: Location of the selected Study Area As for rural areas, most of the time people use well water for their daily drinking purposes. In this case, there might be a risk of water borne diseases because in Sri Lanka there is no any regulations or law to determine the quality of these ground water resources. As a result, many rural districts such as Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kurunagala etc. are highly affected by water borne diseases. Chronic kidney disease, renal disease, Dental fluorosis, Bladder stones are some of the drinking water related long term diseases. These diseases are very dangerous and the ultimateresult can be death. As an outcome of this research, proper solutions can be