Abstract
The distribution of pollutants in the Litani River is almost severe. It resulted from domestic, sewage, agricultural and industrial sources. In this study, the distribution of metals (Cu, Fe, Cd, Mg, Zn, Pb , Al, Ba, Ni, Mn, Ag and Cr) were measured in river water and the bed sediments of the Lower Litani River Basin (LLRB). The impacts of metals on the water quality were monitored during the rainy, mid rainy and dry season in the year 2012. The objectives of this study were first to identify possible sources of metals (i.e. geological and/or anthropogenic) and then to characterize the chemical behavior of these metals in water and bed sediments. Water and bed load sediments were sampled at six sites along the LLRB main watercourse, The metal concentrations in the river sediments were remarkably high, but varied between different sampling sites, and the concentrations in water were mainly within the permissible limits. The metal contents in bed sediment were highest during closure of summer period. By applying the principal component analysis applied to total and extractable metal contents as a tool for studying metal pollution in the LLRB, it was useful to distinguish between anthropogenic and natural sources.
Highlights
Most environmental regulations have established limitations for the total heavy metal concentration in water, they must not exceed some quality criteria for the protection of the environment and human life Sediments act as a major source of heavy metals [1] and as a source of Contaminants.the determination of the extent of pollution by a given heavy metal requires that the pollutant metal concentration must be compared with an unpolluted reference material
The results showed that, most of the heavy metal concentrations are in surface water of Lower Litani River Basin (LLRB)
The results of water analysis of the LLRB showed that the heavy metals concentrations were mainly within the permissible limits according to the norms introduced by WHO and Libnor
Summary
Most environmental regulations have established limitations for the total heavy metal concentration in water, they must not exceed some quality criteria for the protection of the environment and human life Sediments act as a major source of heavy metals [1] and as a source of Contaminants.the determination of the extent of pollution by a given heavy metal requires that the pollutant metal concentration must be compared with an unpolluted reference material. The Litani River drains nearly one fifth of the waters of Lebanon and has a 2170 km watershed that extends between latitudes 33050‟ N and longitudes 35015‟ E. The Litani River Basin is divided into two sub-basins (Figure 1), with the upper one stretching from the Bekaa plain to the Qaraoun dam and the lower part extended from the Qaraoun dam to reach the coast [3]. Sediment analysis is important in evaluating qualities of total ecosystem of a body of water, in addition to water sample analysis practiced for many years because it reflects the long term quality situation independent of the current inputs [6]
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