Hydro-geochemistry of trace elements in groundwater of Chakari Plain, Kabul River Basin, Afghanistan

Hydro-geochemistry of trace elements in groundwater of Chakari Plain, Kabul River Basin, Afghanistan | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Hydro-geochemistry of trace elements in groundwater of Chakari Plain, Kabul River Basin, Afghanistan Batoul Janjaneh, Abdulhalim Zaryab, Rohullah Sediqi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8112712/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study presents an assessment of groundwater quality with a focus on trace elements in the Chakari Basin of Afghanistan. The area, located in the south of Kabul City, is largely uninhabited. Thirteen groundwater samples and one river water sample were collected in January 2013 to measure physical characteristics, major ions and trace element concentrations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential hazards of heavy metal contamination using pollution indices, including the Water Quality Index (WQI), Nemerow Integrated Pollution Index (NIPI), Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI), Heavy Metal Evaluation Index (HEI), and the degree of Contamination (C d ). The results revealed that the concentrations of copper, cobalt and chromium in the Chakari Basin groundwater are considerable. However, all heavy metal pollution indices were within permissible limits. The study infers that anthropogenic activities, particularly mineral exploration, could pose a future risk of heavy metal contamination in the area. These findings underscore the need for ongoing monitoring and management to mitigate potential risks and long-term safety of groundwater resources. Trace elements Heavy metal contamination Human health risks Groundwater quality Chakari Basin Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 07 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 22 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 14 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Nov, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 20 Nov, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 18 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 18 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 14 Nov, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8112712","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":551042273,"identity":"c9be00ec-5a54-4a67-924f-7cae0b4365fc","order_by":0,"name":"Batoul Janjaneh","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shahid Beheshti University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Batoul","middleName":"","lastName":"Janjaneh","suffix":""},{"id":551042274,"identity":"d03b1a19-b718-4aac-b07e-ab9f571ee580","order_by":1,"name":"Abdulhalim 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