Pollution by heavy elements of the water of the Tigris River near the Wasit thermal power station and its impact on the drinking water of the neighboring areas

Abstract

Surface water in Iraq faces major challenges, including heavy metal pollution. Where the research dealt with the analysis of samples of the water of the Tigris River before and after the mixing point of the wastewater of the Wasit thermal power station with the water of the Tigris River, and nine samples were taken in the study area, five samples of which were of the water of the Tigris River at a distance of 250 meters for each sample, where one sample came before the mixing point and four samples after the point of mixing, and four samples of drinking water for the settlements adjacent to the station. Analyzes were made of the river water and the drinking water of the neighboring areas to find out the effect of the waste water on the river water, as well as the drinking water that comes from the Tigris River. Among the most important analyzed characteristics are (pH,TDS, Ec, Do,COD) and some heavy metals (Zn, cd, pb, Cr) , and the results were compared with local and international standards, as the results indicate that the concentrations of (TDS, Ec, Do, COD) is higher than the global and local standards after the mixing point,except for (pH) whose concentrations were higher than the global and local standards for a sample (2) at the mixing point only, but before the mixing point (pH, TDS, Do, COD) came within the permissible limits Except for (EC) , its concentrations were higher than the permissible limits for the winter and summer seasons.The results also indicate that the concentrations of heavy metals increase after the mixing point of the wastewater in the river, and this is a dangerous indicator, which was reflected in the drinking water due to the presence of high concentrations of some heavy metals.