Impact of massive flood on drinking water quality and community health risk assessment in Patna, Bihar, India

Many places on Earth have been experiencing the impact of climate change. Due to a rise in the frequency of hydrological and climatic events, the worsening trend of potable water quality due to floods has increased, which has possible health repercussions. Hence, the present study was planned to examine the water quality following a flood event. This study determined water quality by estimating physicochemical parameters and quality indices. Moreover, health risks associated with water intake through ingestion and dermal contact were assessed. Consequently, all of the samples were found to be polluted to varying degrees, and the majority of them were found unsuitable for human consumption as the high values of total dissolved solids (TDS) 1120 mg/L, total hardness (TH) 575 mg/L, total alkalinity (TA) 3516.75 mg/L was observed. Further, 60