Hydrochemistry and pollution probability of selected sites along the Euphrates River, Western Iraq     

Salih Muhammad Awadh  Rasol Muhamad Ahmed 《Arabian Journal of Geosciences》2013,6(7):2501-2518

The hydrochemistry of Euphrates River in the study area which extended from Hit to Al-Saqlawia was studied in order to determine the physical, chemical, and biological properties in addition to the radiation level. Thirty-one stations along the Euphrates River were chosen, 17 of them represented the Euphrates River itself, whereas the other stations are considered as point pollution sources which all empty their load directly in the Euphrates River with an average total discharge of 32 m³/s. Twenty-eight samples of the Euphrates water of both high- and low-flow periods were analyzed for cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, and K⁺), anions (SO ₄ ⁼ , Cl^?, CO ₃ ⁼ , HCO ₃ ^? , NO ₃ ^? , PO ₄ ^?3 ), H₂S boron, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, bacteriological tests, radiation levels in addition to physical parameters such as hydrogen number (pH), total dissolved solid, electrical conductivity, total suspended solid, and temperature. This study showed that the cations and anions during periods of high and low flows are within acceptable limit with exceptional Cl^?. Hydrochemical formula during the high flow was Na-Ca-Mg-Cl-SO₄, then it changed into Na-Ca-Mg-HCO3-SO₄-Cl during the low-flow period. The average output cations and anions at downstream (Saqlawiya area) was relatively higher than those of input at upstream (Hit area); this attributed to the natural and anthropogenic activities originated mainly from agricultural activity and population communities around the river. Radiation level for ²¹²Pb, ²¹⁴Pb, ⁴⁰k, ²²⁰Ac, and ²¹⁴Bi showed that the higher level of radiation is concentrated within sediment rather than in water, but the radiation in both is within acceptable limit.  相似文献   

The study of environmental effects of chemical fertilizers and domestic sewage on water quality of Taft region, Central Iran     

Taher Farhadinejad  Ahmad Khakzad  Mohamadreza Jafari  Ziaodin Shoaee  Khosro Khosrotehrani  Rasol Nobari  Vahid Shahrokhi 《Arabian Journal of Geosciences》2014,7(1):221-229

One of the important indicators to show the quality of water for drinking and irrigation is nitrate values in water and soil. Nitrate enters surface water and groundwater through degradation and decomposition of human and animal wastes, industrial productions, and agricultural runoff. The present paper focuses on the concentration of nitrite (NO₂ ^?1) and nitrate (NO₃ ^?1) of the groundwater in Taft region, Central Iran. Sixty-one samples of the region’s aqueducts, wells, and springs were collected in September 2008 and May 2009 and analyzed by ICP-MS method. However, distribution maps of nitrate and nitrite and their frequency diagram in the pertinent samples have been generated. Then, they were compared to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and WHO international standards. The mean of nitrate content measured in the samples was 18.52 mg/l, maximum was 115 mg/l which is higher than the EPA standard (i.e., 10 mg/l), and the mean of nitrite content was about 0.06 mg/l. According to the distribution maps, concentration of these anions is high in the downstream of settlements and farmlands of Taft region. With respect to the penetration of agricultural wastes, flooding irrigation, thin layer of alluvium, sandy texture, and the amount of fertilizer consumed in the region, and also absence of any natural source for these anions and absence of the major industrial activities in the region to produce sewage, it seems that nitrate and nitrite originated from the agricultural sewage and human waste. As the content of nitrate in drinking water in the region is higher than WHO and EPA standards, so there is the risk of methemoglobinemia disease in infants. In addition, nitrate content within the stomach and lungs interacts with amine and nitrosamines are made up which are potentially the initial cause of all cancers in human.  相似文献