Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T20:31:05.377Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Assessing changes in seawater intrusion and water quality of the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2013

H.A. Hameed ,
M.H. Ali ,
Y.S. Aljorany ,
W.F. Hassan  and
A.A.Z.N. Al-Hello
H.A. Hameed*
Affiliation:
Department of Marine Chemistry, Marine Science Center, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
M.H. Ali
Affiliation:
Department of Marine Chemistry, Marine Science Center, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
Y.S. Aljorany
Affiliation:
Department of Marine Chemistry, Marine Science Center, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
W.F. Hassan
Affiliation:
Department of Marine Chemistry, Marine Science Center, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
A.A.Z.N. Al-Hello
Affiliation:
Department of Marine Chemistry, Marine Science Center, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Many adverse environmental factors influencing the Shatt-al Arab River, southern Iraq, during the past century and especially in recent years, combined with the ever-increasing demand for freshwater in the region, indicate the need to obtain information about its salinity regime. The aim of our study was both to find out what historical data there are and then to compare these with the results of a survey of the salinity and water quality of a stretch of the present river over the year October 2009–September 2010. The evidence suggests that there has been a marked upstream shift in the influence of sea water. Salinity values of 2 and 8‰ were found at two sites where elevated salinity had never been reported previously. Water quality variables indicated increased concentrations over the previous four decades and were beyond the national and international standards. As such changes in a major water resource have serious implications for the inhabitants of Basrah, the biological diversity in the river and the whole Gulf ecosystem, it is suggested that there should be a much more detailed study to provide the evidence needed to convince upstream water users of the need to conserve water and manage the whole catchment properly.

Keywords

Seawater intrusionwater qualitymonitoringShatt Al-Arab riverwater management
Type
Research Article
Information
Annales de Limnologie - International Journal of Limnology , Volume 49 , Issue 3 , 2013 , pp. 199 - 206
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Afkhami, M., 2003. Environmental effects of salinity in the Karun-Dez Basin, Iran. In: Seventh International Water Technology Conference, Egypt.
Al-Asadi, M.S., Salman, N.A. and Mahdi, A.A., 2006. Effect of waste discharges on nutrients content and growth of Chlorella sp. from Shatt Al-Arab River. J. King Abdulaziz Univ. Mar. Sci., 17, 89–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Al-Aubaidy, A.H.M.J. and Al-Hello, A.Z.A.A., 1996. Monthly variations of the nutrients and other related factors in Shatt Al-Arab River, Basrah, Iraq. Marina Mesopotamica, 11, 365–383.Google Scholar
Al-Essa, S.A.K., 2004. Ecological study of the aquatic plants and epiphytic algae in Shatt Al-Arab River. Ph. D. thesis, University of Basrah, 191 p.Google Scholar
Al-Hello, A.A.Z.N., 2001. Some characters of Shatt Al-Arab River water and its suitability for different uses. Marina Mesopotamica, 16, 295–308.Google Scholar
Al-Mahdi, A.A., Abdullah, S.S. and Husain, N.A., 2009. Some features of the physical oceanography in Iraqi marine water. Mesopotamian J. Mar. Sci., 24, 13–24.Google Scholar
Al-Mahmood, H.K., 2009. The monthly variation of discharge and its effect on total dissolved solids and salinity in Shatt Al-Arab River (South of Iraq). Iraqi J. Sci., 50, 355–368.Google Scholar
Al-Mousawi, A.H., Hadi, R.A., Kassim, Th.I. and Alaami, A.A., 1990. A study on the algae in the Shatt Al-Arab Estuary, Southern Iraq. Marina Mesopotamica, 5, 305–323.Google Scholar
Al-Ramadhan, B.M. and Pastour, M., 1987. Tidal characteristics of Shatt Al-arab River. Marina Mesopotamica, 2, 15–28.Google Scholar
APHA (American Public Health Association), 1999. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 20th edn, American Water Works Association, Washington, DC.PubMed
Ayoade, A.A., Agarwal, N.K. and Chandola-Saklani, A., 2009. Changes in physicochemical features and plankton of two regulated high altitude rivers Garhwal Himalaya, India. EJSR, 27, 77–92.Google Scholar
Boeckman, C.J. and Bidwell, J.R., 2007. Spatial and seasonal Variability in the water quality characteristics of an ephemeral wetland. Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci., 87, 45–54.Google Scholar
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), 1994. Water Quality for Agriculture, FAO, Rome.PubMed
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), 2003. Towards Sustainable Agricultural Development in Iraq: The Transition from Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction to Development, FAO, Rome.
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), 2007. Coping with Water Scarcity-Challenges of the Twenty-First Century, FAO, Rome.
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), 2008. Irrigation in the Middle East Region in Figures, FAO, Rome.
Fawzi, I., Salman, H.H. and Al-Mudaffar, N., 1990. Temporal distribution of some chemical parameters of Garmat Ali River Southern Iraq. Marina Mesopotamica, 6, 251–261.Google Scholar
Huq, M.F., Al-Saadi, H.A. and Hameed, H.A., 1978. Phytoplankton ecology of Shatt al-Arab River at Basrah, Iraq. Verh. Int. Verein. Limnol., 20, 1552–1556.Google Scholar
IQS (Iraqi Bureau for Standards), 2001. Iraqi quality standards for drinking water. IQS 417/2001.
Karim, H.H., 1998. Estimation of hydrochemical characteristics of Shatt Al-Arab and southern Sadam River around Basrah area. Marina Mesopotamica, 13, 35–51.Google Scholar
Mahmood, A.A., 2008. Concentrations of pollutants in the water, sediments and aquatic plants in some wetlands in south of Iraq. Ph.D. thesis, University of Basrah, 244 p.Google Scholar
Massoud, A.H.S., et al., 1978. Seasonal variations of some physic-chemical conditions of Shatt Al-Arab Estuary, Iraq. Est. Coast. Mar. Sci., 6, 503–513.Google Scholar
Moretto, E.M. and Nogueira, M.G., 2003. Physical and chemical characteristics of Lavapés and Capivara rivers, tributaries of Barra Bonita Reservoir (São Paulo – Brazil). Acta Limnol. Brasiliensia, 15, 27–39.Google Scholar
Naddafi, K., Honari, H. and Ahmadi, M., 2007. Water quality trend analysis for the Karoon River in Iran. Environ. Monit. Assess., 134, 305–312.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Naff, T. and Hanna, G., 2003. The Marshes of southern Iraq: a hydro-engineering and political profile. In: Nicholson, E. and Clark, P. (eds.), The Iraqi Marshlands: A Human Environmental Study, 2nd edn, Politico's Publishing, London, 169–200.Google Scholar
Partow, H., 2001. The Mesopotamian Marshlands: Demise of an Ecosystem Early Warning and Assessment Technical Report, UNEP/DEWA/TR.01–3 Rev. 1 Division of Early Warning and Assessment, United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi.Google Scholar
Prasad, N.R. and Patil, J.M., 2008. A study of physico-chemical parameters of Krishna River water particularly in Western Maharashtra. J. Chem., 1, 943–958.Google Scholar
Rahi, K.A. and Halihan, T., 2010. Changes in the salinity of the Euphrates River system in Iraq. Reg. Environ. Change, 10, 27–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramsar Organization, 2010. The Convention on Wetlands. Accessed online 15 July 2012. http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/Hawizeh_MR_question_21.pdf
Wetzel, R.G., 2001. Limnology, 3rd edn, Academic Press, San Diego.Google Scholar
WHO (World Health Organization), 2008. Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality, World Health Organization, Geneva.PubMed
World Bank, 2006. Iraq: Country Water Resource Assistance Strategy: Addressing Major Threats to People's Livelihoods. Report No. 36297-IQ.
Yang, H., Shen, Z., Zhang, J. and Wang, W., 2007. Water quality characteristics along the course of the Huangpu River (China). J. Environ. Sci., 19, 1193–1198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar