INVESTIGATION OF GROUNDWATER WELLS POLLUTION DUE TO WASTE WATER IN THE ERBIL CENTRAL SUB-BASIN (ERBIL, IRAQ)


Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Van Yüzüncü Yil University, Mühendislik Fakültesi, Çevre Mühendisliği Bölümü, Turkey

Approval Date: 2021

Thesis Language: English

Student: Jawhar Mohammed-Shukur TAWFEEQ

Principal Supervisor (For Co-Supervisor Theses): Erkan Dişli

Co-Supervisor: Masuod Hussen Hamed

Abstract:

The study area, the Erbil Central Sub-Basin, is located within the foothill zone in the stable shelf tectonic unit of Iraq (northern Iraq) in the Arabian plate. Recently, groundwater demand has increased significantly due to insufficient surface water resources for agricultural, industrial, and domestic water uses depend on ever-increasing socio-economic development and population in the Central Sub-Basin of Erbil. In this study, sampling studies were carried out in two different periods, May 2020 and September 2020, to determine the water quality in water resources located throughout the sub-basin. For this purpose, a total of 30 samples, including 27 groundwater wells, and 3 waste water samples from channels, were collected and analyzed.The general hydrochemical analysis indicates that overall water quality suitable for drinking purposes except where elevated NO3, COD, BOD5 concentrations are found. Most trace metal analysis results (except for  Fe)  in wells and wastewater channels show that they are below the permissible limits (0.3 mg/L)   from IQWS (2010) and WHO guidelines (2011).  The results of the factor analysis for the wet and dry season hydrogeochemical indicate that the first five and six-component extracted have eigenvalues>1 and correspond to approximately 94.844 and 96.26 % of the total variance, respectively. The factor analysis indicated that groundwater quality in the wet and dry season are significantly associated with anthropogenic pollution sources such as leaching from soil layers,  cesspools wastes, industrial wastes, and agriculture activities rather than natural, geogenic processes such as reverse ion exchange, the weathering of carbonate minerals from geologic formations outcropping throughout the Erbil Central Sub-Basin