摘要：The use of wastewater for diverse applications is gaining popularity for protecting scarce freshwater resources. The global supply of freshwater is limited and is threatened by the masses. Communities are competing over the allocation of limited freshwater resources to meet the increasing demand for water for agriculture, industry and cities. Wastewater treatment units are being used to treat wastewater for irrigation, firefighting, and other domestic purposes. The environment and human health can be adversely affected if wastewater is not accurately treated. Treated wastewater if free from toxicity can help in preserving the natural environment. In the present work, the synchrotron-based Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) has been used to assess the trace elements present in the treated wastewater collected from a sewerage treatment plant in the study area. The results are compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended values and concluded that the concentration of all detected elements (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb) are within permissible limits (except iron). Investigations are further incorporated in calculations of the water quality index (WQI) that is used for the treated water standards. The present WQI 82.70 lies in the good quality range 80-94 by Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME 2001) standards and does not pose any hazard to the environment, therefore, recommended for irrigation, toilet flushing, firefighting etc.
