Water pollution

1. Al-Azhar University-Gaza
Master Program of Water and Environmental
Science

2. 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.

5. 



Water table lowering
Depletion
Subsidence
Saltwater intrusion

Chemical contamination

Reduced stream flows

6. 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.

7. 


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

8. 

Point sources
Nonpoint sources

9. NONPOINT SOURCES
Rural homes
Cropland
Urban streets
Animal feedlot
POINT
SOURCE
S
Wastewater
treatment
plant
Suburban
development
Factory

10. 
Marine Dumping

Industrial Waste

Sewage, mainly
from households

11. 
Nuclear waste

Oil pollution

Underground
storage leaks

12. 



Consequences of a warmer world
Pollution of freshwater streams
Dilution and biodegradatoin
Breakdown of pollutants by bacteria—
oxygen sag curve

13. 
Developing countries: half of world’s 500
major rivers are heavily polluted

14. 
Toxic water

Thermal heating
Our sources of water

15. 
Diseases caused by:
 Drinking
contaminated water
 Swimming in
polluted water
 Contact with
chemically polluted
water

16. 
200 turtles in Australia’s surround
waters die each year

17. 
Birds and mammals become
coated with oil

18. 





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

19. 
tests of water include temperature, solids
concentrations (e.g., total suspended solids
(TSS)) and turbidity

20. 


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.

21. 
Biological testing involves the use of plant,
animal, and/or microbial indicators to
monitor the health of an aquatic ecosystem.

22. Ground water is the most precious natural
resource in the Gaza Governorates as it is the only
source of water supply for domestic and agricultural
use.
•There are an estimated 4000 wells within the Gaza
Strip. Approximately 90 wells are owned and
operated by individual municipalities and are used
for domestic supply.
• Ensuring the Safety of our drinking water is one
of the most importance and critical issues for public
health protection

25. 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.


26. Governorate
No. of
wells
Mean
Mg/l
WHO
Higher
WHO
Lower
Tested
wells
High Sig
North
24
126.9
1
23
22
1
Gaza
26
402.4
18
8
20
13
Mid Zone
6
488.9
5
1
3
3
Khanyounes
11
777.8
11
0
11
11
Rafah
6
514.7
5
1
5
3
Total
73
397.1
40
33
61
31

27. Governorat
e
No. of
wells
Mean
Mg/l
WHO WHO
Higher Lower
Tested
wells
High Sig
North
24
114.4
21
3
22
14
Gaza
26
121.3
24
2
20
17
Mid Zone
6
65
6
0
3
2
Khanyounes 11
190
11
0
11
10
Rafah
6
110
5
1
5
4
Total
73
126.2
67
6
61
47

28. 


About 2.4 million tons of pesticides are used
600 active chemicals mixes with 1200
solvents, ‘inactive’ ingredients
About 25000 commercial pesticide products

29. 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

30. 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
μg/L. The most studied compounds in Spanish
groundwater 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.

31. 
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
(0.1μg/L). Therefore, to preserve groundwater
quality against deterioration it is necessary to
define environmental groundwater thresholds
for the non-regulated compounds.

33. Turn off running water

34. 
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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

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

37. Fertilize correctly

38. Organize or participate in
a clean up

39. Join a special society devoted to the
prevention of water pollution

40. Spread awareness