Detection of Heavy Elements and Pathogenic Microorganisms in the Water and Sediments of Domestic Water Tanks in the Center of AL- Nasiriyah

Abstract

The current study was conducted to show the presence of heavy elements and pathogenic microorganismsand the quality and validity of water and sediments in the household water tanks at the city center of Nasiriyahand their suitability for household and drinking uses from the autumn 2019 to summer 2020. Physical,chemical and biological checks of water were carried out in three stations, two selected stations located inthe center of Nasiriyah city (1- Erido 2- Al-Salhiya), and the third station, Al-Asalah, which is located inAl-Shatrah district. Samples were collected monthly and quarterly, with three replications per station. Thestudy included measuring the temperature of air and water, the pH, salinity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen DO,and the Biological Oxygen Demand BOD5. In addition, the concentration of four heavy elements (cadmium,copper, lead and zinc) in the water was measured in its entirety. The study included measuring the TOCcontent and mixing the sediment, and also the concentration of four heavy elements (cadmium, Copper,lead and zinc) are completely sediment. The study also included investigation of bacterial contamination bydetecting the total numbers of aerobic bacteria, the number of coliform bacteria, the number of fecal coliformbacteria, the numbers of fecal and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa bacteria in the water and sediments. The resultsof the physical and chemical tests of water in the study stations showed that the values of air and watertemperatures ranged between (20.1-40) C and (17.50-30) C, respectively, and that the water of the studiedstations was basic as the pH values ranged between (7.00-8.20) The salinity values ranged between (485-837) ppm, and the turbidity values were between (2.50-6.79) NTU. The dissolved oxygen values rangedbetween (5.39-8.01) mg/liter, and the Biological Oxygen Demand BOD5 were between (2.93-8.5) mg/liter.