Pollution of Tehran groundwater

Abstract

Tehran Regional Water Board (TRWB) began a programmed effort aimed at assessing the likely magnitude and extent of biological and chemical contamination of Tehran ground water. According to the collected data by TRWB in the city of the Tehran, from 1987 to 1991, ground water plain was studied and divided into two regions, the areas were called highly contaminated and low contaminated areas. The comparison of pollutant concentration for the years 1990 to 1992 showed that the highly contaminated areas are spreading from central area to the other part of the aquifer. Beside the pollution problem, because of the substantial quantities of water transmitted from Karaj, Lar, and Latian dams, cause a rise in the groundwater table. This rise in groundwater table makes serious prolems. Studies on groundwater quality showed that the central part of the aquifer is highly polluted. On the other hand, due to the limited surface water resources, the Tehran ground water is considered as a vital source for the future needs of water in the region. To combat the pollution and other ground water problems, this study shows: 1. In most of the case-studies, lowering the ground water table by local pumping does not have a significant effect on solving the problem. 2. Proposed method is to develop an underground draining network to lower the water table.