Investigation of Rainwater Quality in Erbil Province and the Feasibility of Various Uses

Abstract

Climate change, industrialization, global warming, dust storms, etc. influence rainfall, and rainwater quality. The current research aimed to examine rainwater quality parameters in Erbil Province, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Additionally, the evaluation of rainwater quality for various uses and mapping using a Geographic Information System (GIS) were other goals for the present work. Rainwater samples were collected from December 2019 to February 2020. The samples were collected at Erbil City Center and outside of Erbil City Center, which are represented by plain, hilly, and mountain zones. Rainwater samples were collected from Global City Quarter, New Zanco Village Quarter, Qalat (Citadel) Area, Bakhtiyari Quarter, Zamzamok Village, and Hujran Area. 21 rainwater quality parameters were tested for the collected samples. Further, the measured parameters were sulfate, turbidity, total solids, electric conductivity, pH, etc. Maps for the rainwater quality index were illustrated by the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation method using GIS. The findings showed that samples of rainwater taken from outside Erbil City were cleaner than those taken from the center of Erbil City. Furthermore, rainwater from the hills was cleaner than that from plain areas and the city center. The study found that Erbil Province rainwater may often be used immediately for irrigation, fish production, swimming, and building. However, for drinking and domestic purposes, only sedimentation and disinfection are needed.