Al-Azhar University-Gaza Master Program of Water and Environmental

Science

Background

• The Gaza Strip is a semi-arid region.

• area of 365 Km2.

• Location: It is situated in the southern part of the Mediterranean Sea of the Palestinian coastal plan Egypt borders the Strip from the south, the Negev desert from the east and the Mediterranean Sea from the west.

• It consists of five Governorates:

North, Gaza, Middle, Khan Younis, and Rafah.

Water table lowering Depletion Subsidence Saltwater intrusion Chemical contamination Reduced stream flows

Water Pollution is the contamination of water bodies (eg. Lacks, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater).occurs when energy and other materials are released into the water, contaminating the quality of it for other users.

We all need clean water. People need it to grow crops and to operate factories, and for drinking and recreation. Fish and wildlife depend on it to survive.

Many different pollutants can harm our rivers, streams, lakes, oceans and growndwater. The three most common are soil, nutrients and bacteria. Rain washes soil into streams and rivers. The soil can kill tiny animals and fish eggs. It can clog the gills of fish and block light so plants die. Nutrients, often from fertilizers, cause problems in lakes, ponds and reservoirs. Nitrogen and phosphorus make algae grow and can turn water green. Bacteria, often from sewage spills, can pollute fresh or salt water.

Environmental Protection Agency

Point sources Nonpoint sources

NONPOINT SOURCES

Urban streets

Suburban development

Wastewater treatment plant

Rural homes

Cropland

Factory

Animal feedlot

POINT SOURCES

Marine Dumping

Industrial Waste

Sewage, mainly

from households

Nuclear waste

Oil pollution

Underground

storage leaks

Consequences of a warmer world Pollution of freshwater streams Dilution and biodegradatoin Breakdown of pollutants by bacteria—

oxygen sag curve

Developing countries: half of world’s 500 major rivers are heavily polluted

Toxic water

Thermal heating

Our sources of water

Diseases caused by: Drinking

contaminated water Swimming in

polluted water Contact with

chemically polluted water

200 turtles in Australia’s surround waters die each year

Birds and mammals become coated with oil

Number of colonies of fecal coliform bacteria Bacterial source tracking (BST) Measure biological oxygen demand (BOD) Chemical analysis Indicator species Genetic development of indicator organisms

tests of water include temperature, solids concentrations (e.g., total suspended solids (TSS)) and turbidity

methods include pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD)

nutrients (nitrate and phosphorus compounds),

metals (including copper, zinc, cadmium, lead and mercury), oil and grease, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), and pesticides.

Biological testing involves the use of plant, animal, and/or microbial indicators to monitor the health of an aquatic ecosystem.

Ground water is the most precious naturalresource in the Gaza Governorates as it is the onlysource of water supply for domestic and agriculturaluse.•There are an estimated 4000 wells within the GazaStrip. Approximately 90 wells are owned andoperated by individual municipalities and are usedfor domestic supply.• Ensuring the Safety of our drinking water is oneof the most importance and critical issues for publichealth protection

Real problem of drinking water quality in respect to Cl and NO3 was found among all Governorates.

• Both Cl and NO3 concentrations have been significantly decreased in spring season.

•The overall quality of drinking wells water in Governorates of

Gaza is in a very real danger if no solution is found and quickly acted upon.

GovernorateNo. of wells

Mean Mg/l

WHO Higher

WHO Lower

Tested wells

High Sig

North24126.9123221

Gaza26402.41882013

Mid Zone6488.95133

Khanyounes11777.81101111

Rafah6514.75153

Total73397.140336131

Governorate

No. of wells

Mean Mg/l

WHO Higher

WHO Lower

Tested wells

High Sig

North24114.42132214

Gaza26121.32422017

Mid Zone6656032

Khanyounes111901101110

Rafah61105154

Total73126.26766147

About 2.4 million tons of pesticides are used 600 active chemicals mixes with 1200

solvents, ‘inactive’ ingredients About 25000 commercial pesticide products

Source GHS, Institute of Environmental Assessment & Water Research

(IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain; GHS, Dept Geotechnical Engineering and Geosciences, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, UPC-Barcelona Tech, Jordi Girona 1-3, 08034, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: annajuradoelices@gmail.com.

Abstract This paper reviewed the presence of emerging organic

contaminants (EOCs) that have been found in the groundwater in Spain in both, rural and urban areas. The list of compounds included pesticides, pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs), selected industrial compounds, drugs of abuse (DAs), estrogens, personal care products and life-style compounds

The main sources of pollution and possible pathways have been summarised in this review. EOCs are likely to enter to the aquifer mainly through the effluents of waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) and are present in groundwater at concentrations of ng/L to

g/L. The most studied compounds in Spanish μgroundwater were pesticides followed by industrial compounds and PhACs. It is important to mention that compared to other water bodies, such as rivers, groundwater is considerably less contaminated, which may be indicative of the natural attenuation capacity of the aquifers.

However, some EOCs have sometimes been detected at higher concentration levels in the aquifer than in the rivers, indicating the need for further research to understand their behavior in the aquifers. For a wide array of compounds, their maximum concentrations show values above the European groundwater quality standard for individual pesticides (0.1 g/L). Therefore, to preserve groundwater μquality against deterioration it is necessary to define environmental groundwater thresholds for the non-regulated compounds.

Turn off running water

Be careful about what you throw down your sink or toilet

Use environmentally household products Take great care not to overuse pesticides and

fertilizers By having more plants in your garden you are

preventing fertilizer Don’t throw litter into rivers, lakes or oceans

Be cautious of what you pour in your sink/flush down your toilet

Fertilize correctly

Organize or participate in a clean up

Join a special society devoted to the prevention of water pollution

Spread awareness