Monitoring Water Quality of some Canals in Delta Region, Egypt

Abstract

Egypt suffers from the scarcity of water resources. The problem has been exacerbated by the steady increase in population density and the establishment of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Therefore, preserving the availability and quality of this resource is enormously important. Water quality is affected by a number of factors related to the characteristics of the watercourse and surrounding environment, like soil type, agricultural and industrial activity in the studied regions. Therefore, a comparative study was conducted on water samples collected from eight different locations at west and middle Delta regions from Beheira and Gharbia governorates. The obtained results showed that there are significant differences among the means of sample collection sites and dates, as well as the interaction between studied variables in all studied parameters. Although, most physical and chemical parameters were within standards limits except turbidity and chemical oxygen demand (COD). However, the average values of turbidity, color and pH were convergent in both governorates. While total dissolved salts (TSS) had a higher value (42.2 mg L-1) in the Beheira governorate. In the case of, the remaining studied parameters, the values recorded in Gharbia gov. were higher than the corresponding values recorded in Beheira gov. including COD and UV245 absorbance, which are associated with organic pollution. Thus, physical and chemical approaches can be used to evaluate the water quality in relevant locations. Further studies based on biological approaches should be also carried out.