Shatt Al-Arab River Research Articles

Removal of Turbidity from Raw water by Novel Coagulant Based on PVC Pipe Waste and Sodium Alginate

In the current study, waste polyvinyl chloride pipes were used as a primary material in the reactions, which are widely used for water supply and drainage systems where the waste pipes were prepared by cleaning them from suspended materials and grinding them into small particles, then reacting natural polymers from a plant; Alginic acid. We have obtained modified polymer (PVC/Alginate) or AL-PVC which have been grinded to obtain a powder. Four methods were used to characterize the properties of natural and prepared polymers: Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetry (TGA-TG). The effectiveness of AL-PVC polymer as a coagulant flocculant in the treatment of surface water has been studied. Tests were carried out in the laboratory on two kinds of water (50 NTU and 100 NTU). The first one is the synthesis of water mixed with high and low concentrations of bentonite, simulating thus turbid water. The second one is raw water from the treatment station of the Shatt Al-Arab River. The performance of the coagulation-flocculation process has been assessed by measuring the supernatant turbidity for different pH, doses, and flocculation times of the AL-PVC polymer. The obtained results show that AL-PVC polymer effectiveness was strongly dependent on pH and the doses of AL-PVC polymer, the initial turbidity, and the water quality. The physical and chemical methods used in the present study of water treatments are mainly due to their simplicity, ease of use, low cost as well as excellent removal efficiency.

Effect of some heavy metals in the industrial flows on the Shatt Al-Arab River

The current study was conducted in three stations (Alsibah, Alnajibiya and Almas-hab marsh) from December 2020 to November 2021 during the course of the Shatt Al-Arab River. A flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS) was used to measure the quantities of several heavy metals (lead, cadmium, copper and iron) in water. The results revealed a noticeable seasonal variation of heavy metals in the Shatt Al-Arab water. Lead concentration was 3.246 mg/l in Autumn. Cadmium concentrations reached 0.001 mg/l to 0.008 mg/l during Spring and Winter, respectively. Whereas copper ranged between 0.001 mg/l- 0. and 319 mg/l in Spring and Winter, respectively. The iron ranged from 0.703 mg/l - 9.00 mg/l in Winter and Summer, respectively. According to a recent study, the water of Shatt Al-Arab was contaminated with some heavy metals (lead, copper, and iron ) that reached the concentrations of standard Iraqi criteria. In contrast, cadmium concentrations were still within the standard levels. Keywords: Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Shatt Al-Arab, Heavy metals, Water contamination

The fragile ecology in Iraq’s Mesopotamian marshlands endangered and restructured by a sharp increase in salinity

In southern Iraq, the Mesopotamian marshes have suffered for decades from a decrease in freshwater input from both rivers Tigris and Euphrates. The Shatt Al-Arab River and East Hammar marsh in southern Iraq were affected by a salt wedge that advanced from the Arabian Gulf during July and August 2018, causing a rapid and sharp increase in salinity levels. A monthly monitoring program has revealed an invasion of saltwater species from the Gulf accompanied by the disappearance of native species of freshwater. Seven submerged aquatic plant species disappeared. Thus, the number of freshwater phytoplankton species decreases. It was found that the quality and quantity of small zooplankton significantly changed, resulting in the disappearance of many freshwater species, and the number of freshwater mollusks significantly decreased. A marsh was invaded by two species of marine shrimp that were previously unrecorded, and native freshwater fish species were drastically affected. East Hammar’s fragile ecology is rapidly shifting from oligosaline to estuarine, devastating an important environmental resource and endangering a culturally unique setting.

The Effect of Organic Pollution on the Severed Limbs of Namalycastis indica (Southern 1921) in Shatt Al-Arab River - Iraq

The Effect of Organic Pollution on the Severed Limbs of Namalycastis indica (Southern 1921) in Shatt Al-Arab River - Iraq

Assessment of Ingested Plastic Particles in the Guts of Seventeen Fish Species from Shatt Al-Arab River

Plastic materials were evaluated in the guts of fish in Shatt Al Arab river from four stations Al-Najebia, Al-Dakier, Al-Ashar and Al-Bradieyha at the middle section. Seventeen fish species were caught seasonally during the study period from January 2022 to December 2022. Projectina microscope was used to measure the lengths of plastic particles for the first time from Shatt fish, their lengths ranged between 0.04 mm to 1.75mm. Different plastic materials were identified in guts of fishes, and they constituted 54.24% fibers, 35.94% fragments, 7.18%. films and 2.61% pigments. Total Density of plastic materials accumulated on the banks of the four stations 638 particales / m2. Four environmental factors were measured, water temperature, oxygen concentration, water turbidity, and total suspended solid ranged 26-33C°;5-6.9 mg/l;1-45 NTU;0.001-0.006mg/l.

Morphological asymmetry in two marine fish species Acanthopagrusarabicus (Family: Sparidae) and Planiliza klunzingeri (Family: Mugilidae), collected from brackish and freshwater environments in southern Iraq

Morphological asymmetry was analysed in two marine fish species Acanthopagrus arabicus and Planiliza klunzingeri, in brackish and freshwater habitats in southern Iraq. For both species, specimens from the Shatt al-Arab River and Shatt al-Basrah Canal exhibited greater asymmetry values for snout length. In both locations examined, the levels of asymmetry of the physical traits increased as the fish grew. The high levels of asymmetry in the two fish species may be linked to heavy metal pollutants in the two aquatic environments studied.

Diversity of Macrobenthic invertebrates at three stations from the middle part of Shatt Al-Arab River

The present study aimed at the community of macrobenthic invertebrates in three stations of the Shatt Al-Arab River, including Al-Muftia, Sendibad, and Al-Mohammadiat, and samples were collected for a period of six months, from July 2018 to December 2018, during which some environmental factors were measured. The macrobenthic invertebrate samples collected in three monthly replicates for each station were isolated and identified, and the densities, relative abundance, and ecological indices such as diversity, richness, and evenness were calculated. The results showed that the ranges of environmental factors measured for the water of the study stations, in general, were as follows: air temperature (26-39 ℃), water temperature (20-32 ℃), pH (7.1-8.1), electrical conductivity (5.1-10.7 mS/cm), dissolved oxygen (6.6-9.8 mg/L), and calcium between (80.2-160.3 mg/L). During the study, 12 species of invertebrates were recorded, two of which belonged to the phylum Annelida, five to the phylum Arthropods, and five to the phylum Mollusca. The highest density of registered species was recorded (944 ind/m2) during December at the Mohammadiat station for the species Melanoides tuberculata of Mollusca, and the highest relative abundance of registered groups was for the Mollusca group and amounted to 95%.As for the diversity indices, the highest value of diversity was 1.42 in Mohammadiat station during September, the highest value of richness was 1.61 in Sendibad station during November, and the highest value of evenness was 0.82 in Mohammadiat station during October.

The impact of buildup proposed barrage on tidal hydrodynamics in the Shatt Al-Arab ‎River, South of Iraq

The influence of the suggested regulator barrage of the Shatt Al-Arab river on water level ‎fluctuations was tested by using a one-dimensional model. The numerical model period ‎covered six months in 2017. The performance of the model was evaluated by comparing ‎the estimated water level at two locations, Sihan, and Abu Flous. A good fit between the ‎observed and simulated water levels at the two locations was achieved with root mean ‎square error at 0.13 and 0.06 m, respectively. The model results showed that there is an ‎increase in high water levels near areas located below the barrage in both the spring and ‎neap tidal phases. The increasing of water level below the barrage could be attributed to ‎behave the river as a convergent tidal channel that characterizes by the increasing water ‎level as tidal wave propagated further toward inland areas. The highest increase in the ‎water level reaches about 0.4 m below the barrage. Additionally, the tidal range also ‎increased along the river course. The maximum increase in tidal range reaches about 0.9 m ‎below the barrage. The results obtained could be useful for a general assessment of the ‎hydrodynamic of the Shatt Al- Arab river and could give a general view in the case of the ‎construction of such a barrage to tackle the salinity intrusion problem in this river.

Contamination of Southern Iraq Waterways

In this study a certain chemical elements Cu, Mn and Pb were ‎determined in water, and another set of Cd, Cu, Fe, and Zn were ‎determined in sediments from selected sites (1) Qurnah, (2) Al-‎Noor Bridge, (3) Saad Bridge, (4) Sindbad Island, (5) Al-Ashar, ‎‎(6) Abu Al-Khaseeb, (7) Seebah, and (8) Al-Faw along the ‎Southern Iraqi water ways during the year 2015. Low levels of ‎heavy metals were recorded in the water of Shatt Al-Arab river, ‎they were in the range 0.00735 - 0.02090, 0.00505 - 0.02145, ‎and 0.00150 - 0.0837 µg/l for Cu, Mn, and Pb respectively, and ‎lower values recorded were for the toxic Pb metal. On the other ‎hand levels of heavy metals in the sediments were little bit high ‎and in the range 0.1172488 - 0.614806, 17.175343 - 40.156639, ‎‎8156.970 - 21021.63, and 31.864781 - 79.160779 µg/g dry ‎weight for Cd, Cu, Fe, and Zn respectively. Fe recorded the ‎highest levels of heavy metals in all sites due to the nature of the ‎sedimentary valley in Iraq. Low levels of heavy metals Cu, Fe, ‎and Zn were recorded in the sediments of Seebah (site no.7) due ‎to the effect of sediment movements through Karun River from ‎the Iranian territories. More over levels of all investigated heavy ‎metals were recorded high values in the water from Ashar (site 5) ‎due to corrosion of marine vessels sunk in the area since the Iraqi-‎Iranian War 1980-1988.‎

Integration of numerical models to simulate 2D hydrodynamic/water quality model of contaminant concentration in Shatt Al-Arab River with WRDB calibration tools

Abstract The hydrodynamic model is essential for building a water quality model for rivers, lakes, estuaries, and other water systems. Most model software, such as HEC-RAS, can perform a complex hydrodynamic surface water body and limitations to represent water quality for the corresponding area. In contrast, other models, like WASP, can simulate a wide range of contaminants in a multidimensional geometry of rivers, estuaries, lakes, and reservoirs. Still, it requires flow information from separate hydrodynamic models. This article aims to develop a comprehensive water quality model of the Shatt Al Arab River south of Iraq by linking HEC-RAS with WASP. A variety of software techniques has sequentially been used. This software includes GIS for DEM modification, HEC-RAS for the hydrodynamic model, Python code with PyCharm to run the external coupler, WASP software for advective and dispersive contaminant transport, and finally, WRDB software for full calibration process and results display. The results showed successful transportation of flow information had been achieved. Moreover, the article described an effective calibration process by plotting comparison graphs and statistical summaries to make the appropriate decision. Another goal of this work is to collect the equations and associated reaction rates of source/sink kinetic for eutrophication’s state variables.

Review of Mathematical Surface Water’s Hydrodynamic/Water Quality Models with Their Application on the Shatt Al Arab River Southern Iraq

The hydrodynamic/water quality model is an important tool in water environment management. It is used to gain a deeper understanding of physical, chemical, and biological processes and to develop models capable to represent surface waters with realism. A hydrodynamic model can give essential data to sediment, noxious, and eutrophication modelling. Models enable decision-makers to select alternatives for water quality management that are superior and more scientifically justifiable. They also provide a basis for economic analysis to evaluate environmental significance and cost-benefit ratio. The presented study reviewed a variety of research that used various techniques for surface water modeling. The first section focused on the studies conducted on the Shatt Al Arab River and its branches in Basrah province southern Iraq. The second section included studies conducted on various local and global applied cases. As for the third section, it reviewed the studies that used the method of linking models to produce a more effective system, which is the approach we recommend using it in building a comprehensive model of the Shatt al-Arab river. The model will connect the HEC-RAS software, which is known for its competence in modeling complex two-dimensional situations, with the WASP program, which has a high ability to represent a wide range of water pollutants that HEC-RAS cannot represent, especially in a two-dimensional model.

Development of salinity intrusion model (Munaf Q. 2019) In the Shatt Al-Arab River

Mathematical model (Munaf Q. 2019) was developed to predict the intrusion of salt into the Shatt Al-Arab River, which addresses the problem of the difficulty of measurements and prediction of the level of salinity along the Shatt Al-Arab River during the measurement period and in a very short time, where it is possible to identify the level of salinity along the Shatt Al-Arab River when it changes at the estuary. In this article, a mathematical model was used with an automatic computing system to predict the penetration of the salt intrusion into the Shatt Al-Arab, based on the development of a previous mathematical model. The results obtained through the application of the model showed that there is a great convergence between the results at a high level and at most of the stations under study (Al-Fadaqhiyah, Seyhan, Basrah, Al-Hartha) for the field-measured values with the theoretical values respectively, as follows: 27-26 ppt., 2.6-2.9 ppt., 1.85-1.96 ppt., 0.86-0.92 ppt., when the flow is 50m3/sec. When the flow is 5m3/sec, the results are as follows: 30.4-30.2 ppt., 25.3-25.1 ppt., 11.4-12.6 ppt., 1.50-1.97 ppt., Therefore the adoption of this mathematical model can be enhanced to predict the penetration of the salt as a result of any situation that may occur at any time along the Shatt Al-Arab River. The reason for using mathematical models is because it is an easy, cheap and fast way of obtaining the desired results to address some of the problems that occur for many reasons, the most important of which are direct events that may occur as a result of a sudden change in the variables dependent on them.

Effect of Some Heavy Metals in the Industrial Flows on Shatt al-Arab River

Effect of Some Heavy Metals in the Industrial Flows on Shatt al-Arab River

The Effect of Environmental Fluctuations on Fish Diversity at the Lower Ends of the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq

The Effect of Environmental Fluctuations on Fish Diversity at the Lower Ends of the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq

Macro-invertebrates response to acute salinity changes in the Shatt Al-Arab River system, Southern Iraq

The stress of acute salinity increase on the life of macro-invertebrates in Shatt Al-Arab River system were investigated based on their abundance estimation acute salinity increase during the year 2018,where the salinity of the River at central, Basrah City became above 5 ppt and reached up to 25 ppt. Review work was done to determine the sizes and densities of the species during the normal conditions in past decades (1975-1995). The results of observations, photography and semi-quantitative sampling which were taken during many visits in the years 2012, 2015, 2016, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 at Al-Salhia, Abo Al-Kassib, Al-Garmma and Al-Gurnah, were expressed in an ordinal six abundant scales (SACFOR), modified for species sizes and densities. All the species were have superabundance or common scale during the period 1975-1995, whereas at 2018-2020 the abundance of all species except M. affinis, were declined in general, 7 species were absent and 3 more were rare. The amphipods Parhyale basrensis, Platorchestia monodi, the isopod Sphaeroma annandalei and the annelid Namalycastis indica were commonly or frequently found at good state indicating their ability to resist the mesohaline conditions, the euryhaline species M. affinis and B. amphitrite weren’t affected. The study concluded that, in case of long term mesohaline conditions, most of the estuarine macro-invertebrates will be unable to persist and may be shifting to the upper reaches of the River.

Comparing Study Between Water Parameters of the Tide and Ebb Phase in Shatt Al-Arab River

The water (physical, chemical and biological) parameters can vary significantly due to the change of the climate conditions of water samples were collected monthly from four stations along the middle part of the Shatt al-Arab River during the tide and ebb phases from October 2021 – July 2022 to measure the change in eighteen parameters such as (Water temperature, pH, Turbidity, CO2, DO, EC, light penetration Secchi disc, water depth, TSS, total hardness, PO4, NO3, SO4, Na, Mg, Ca, K and FC)

Study of some toxic metals in parts from catfish (Silurus triostegus) in Shatt Al-Arab river

According to their toxicity, toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury, cadmium, copper, zinc, and lead are believed to be the most harmful to humans, fish, and the environment. Because their levels are rising due to human activities endangering aquatic species and people, the current study sought to ascertain the level of toxic heavy metals in five catfish parts (skin, liver, muscles, gills, and ovaries). In the northern part of the Shatt Al-Arab, catfish samples were collected in March 2022. ICP-MS was used to detect target metal levels. According to the results, arsenic accumulated in the skin and muscles at a rate of 0.22 and 0.21ppm, respectively. In contrast, the levels of arsenic in the various body parts are not statistically different. Additionally, cadmium showed no noticeable variances in the studied body parts. Furthermore, the liver had the most significant copper accumulation 18.72ppm. Furthermore, mercury accumulation in various body parts was shown to vary statistically, with the highest levels in muscles 0.66ppm. In addition, zinc was accumulated in the body parts in the following sequence: gills, ovaries, liver, skin, and muscles, respectively, while in the following sequence: muscles, skin, gills, liver, and ovaries respectively in the lead. Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences in the quantity of zirconium that accumulated. According to the current study, the catfish’s body parts did not accumulate toxic heavy metals at high rates. This may be due to study area the environment and the mechanisms of treating these types of metals by catfish.

Evaluation of Spatio-Temporal Changes in Water Quality in the Middle Section of Shatt Al-Arab River, Southern Iraq

Evaluation of Spatio-Temporal Changes in Water Quality in the Middle Section of Shatt Al-Arab River, Southern Iraq

Shatt Al-Arab River and the seawater intrusion: causes and solutions

Shatt Al-Arab River and the seawater intrusion: causes and solutions

Shatt Al-Arab River and the seawater intrusion: causes and solutions

. The scarcity and pollution of water resources led to environmental deterioration in Iraq, where the water needs for agricultural purposes are estimated at about 51 billion m3 annually to irrigate 11.3 million dunums and about 10 billion m3 annually for social health needs and 5 billion m3 annually for industrial, oil needs and electricity production. This paper addresses another factor exacerbating the crisis and posing another challenge to competition, which is pollution from seawater intrusion. Take the Shatt al-Arab as a case study. Shatt al-Arab is the main water source for the city of Basra in southern Iraq, where the Tigris River contributes (35%), the Euphrates River (24%), in addition to the sub-basins of the Karkheh River by (8%) and the Karun River by (33%) in its composition. The water supply in Shatt Al-Arab has significantly decreased and losing over 50% of its water supply Due to the water control by the riparian countries is conducted either through rivers diversions (Iran model) or by building massive dams (Turkey model). This has caused severe deterioration in the water quality and quantity of Shatt al-Arab River, and has also allowed seawater to intrusion, which is known to harm the ecosystem and threaten the city and the region with an environmental disaster. Field data related to the salt’s concentration at the population centers on Shatt al-Arab’s path were collected as a measure of the salinity impact of the Gulf waters on it, and then solutions were proposed to get mitigate of this effect. This present paper will provide an environmental assessment based on real data analysis and propose practical solutions to mitigate the risk of water pollution.