Concentration of heavy metals in Mirusha and Stanishor rivers of Gjilan municipality and their impact on pollution of the Morava river, Kosovo

Abstract

Pollution with the heavy metals of Kosovo's rivers has been and continues to be a serious concern not only for the population, but also for responsible institutions that deal with environmental protection in our country. Based on this fact and our doubts regarding the quality of the river waters of the Municipality of Gjilan, we were motivated to conduct a study of the quality of the Mirusha, Stanishor and Morava river waters. During our research, we have set eight monitoring points for determining the exact level of concentration of heavy metals in the river waters quoted above. The heavy metals analyzed in this study were: Pb, Hg, Mn, Cu, Fe, Ni, Cr, Cd, Zn and Ba. The analytical technique used to determine the concentration of heavy metals was ICP-OES. The obtained results show that Fe, Mn and Ba exceed the allowed level at several monitoring points of the Mirusha and Stanishor rivers and appears in the degree of pollution with these metals of Morava river waters. The presence of heavy metals in the waters of these rivers negatively affects habitat waters and indirectly human health. Therefore, the identification and then suggestions regarding elimination of polluting sources are the subject of this study.