Measuring the Levels of Heavy Metal Pollution in Al - Diwaniyah River Water Using Oomycetes Fungus

Abstract

The research included, for a period of 6 months, a study of two aspects. The first was the isolation and diagnosis of oomycetes in the water of Al-Diwaniyah River in five sites. The sites where pollution increased were chosen, namely textile, rubber factories, and sites before water treatment, compared to two sites: Sadr Al-Daghara and a site under Al-Diwaniyah Bridge, which had little pollution, as the percentage of pollution increased. Ovomycetes in pollution sites in order to increase the organic matter in them and to provide many nutrients, knowing that these fungi were isolated from control areas, but in small proportions, in addition to other groups of non-oomycetes and the previously dominant types of Oomycetes. Some physical tests were conducted on the water of the Diwaniyah River in the study sites to observe the suitability of the physical characteristics for the presence of these fungi, namely temperature, PH, alkalinity, hardness, and others. The second aspect is to consider these fungi as indicators of pollution in the river water when they are present in polluted areas by analyzing the enzymatic filtrate to measure The percentages of presence of heavy metals, such as cadmium, mercury, lead, and selenium, which appeared in high percentages that exceeded the permissible limits for their presence, whether in river water or in the bodies of living organisms. The percentages of cadmium were (0.012)% in Saprolegnia sp. and Pythium sp., while the percentages of lead were (1.5, 1.3).)% in Saprolegnia sp and Fusarium sp, while mercury recorded a percentage of (0.3, 0.05, 1.2)% in Achlya., Apodachlya sp.,. Fusarium sp. Selenium appeared at a rate of (0.2)% in Apodachlya sp, Arsenic in Pythium sp. At a rate of (0.02%) also for the purpose of comparison of these results, tests were conducted for heavy metals in the water at the selected sites (L3, L2, L1) (fabric, rubber, and site before treatment) respectively. The results showed the appearance of heavy metals (cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic, selenium). In high percentages compared to sites L4 and L5, their percentages were very small, almost reaching zero.