Abstract
ABSTRACT This research aimed to investigate the relation between sanitary situation and groundwater quality, using the concentration of nitrogenous compounds. The aquifer studied is unconfined and situated in the periurban zone of Fortaleza (NE Brazil). Through the Geographic Information System (GIS), a relational database was created using data from the IBGE demographic census (2011), to analyze numbers of households linked to septic tanks or rudimentary cesspit. The groundwater quality was evaluated based on nitrogen compounds (N-NH3 +; NO2 -; N-NO3 -), pH, and total dissolved solids (TDS). The highest concentrations of nitrates are found in areas with a higher density of septic tanks and rudimentary cesspit. Furthermore, nitrate was more present in water table above 6.6 m, mainly in the interfluvial zones, which have a high oxidation potential. The results contribute to the loss of contamination, based on the number of households with septic tanks and rudimentary cesspit, in unconfined aquifers, which were more vulnerable to contamination, mainly in peripheric expansions areas in the cities, where the deficit in sewage services tends to be high.
Highlights
Basic sanitation has been understood as the control of factors from the anthropic influence that can generate harmful effects on their physical and mental welfare (WHO, 2015)
The sanitary situation exerts a direct influence on nitrate concentrations in groundwater
The censing sector with larger septic tank densities are spatially associated with nitrate contamination, the density of rudimentary cesspit are most determinants to this contamination
Summary
Basic sanitation has been understood as the control of factors from the anthropic influence that can generate harmful effects on their physical and mental welfare (WHO, 2015). For the cities, meanly, the necessity of efficient sewage systems has been increasing (YAMAMOTO, 2008; NARAIN, 2012; BANANA et al, 2015). Domestic sewage has many organic compounds and high variable composition. Huang, Li and Gu (2010) attest that around 64% of the domestic sewage is organic material. Nitrogen compounds are the most critical contaminants in urban areas, the high concentrations occur due to sewage systems inefficiency (BARRETT et al, 1999; FOSTER; CHILTON, 2004). Nitrate is the most problematic nitrogen compound due to the ionic form in water, and is not removed for conventional treatment (ZHAO et al, 2012). Nitrate can generate complications in human health, such as: cancer, miscarriage, infant mortality, abdominal pain, and diarrhea (EBRAHIMI; ROBERTS, 2013)
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