Environmental Impact Assessment Of Wastewater Pollutants On Syrian Coastal Region

Dr.Haytham Chahin
Dean High Institute for Environmental Research., Tishreen University,Lattakia, Syria
It was published in proceeding of international conference on costal zone management & development, 18-20 March 2002, Kuwait.

Abstract

This experiment was performed in 1995 on 4 citrus groves; 333 trees each is 10 years old, and the area is 10 dounoms, in each groves; species are Grape fruit, Lemon, Washington navel, Clementine. The point is to know to development of infestation level. Samples of each species, a lone, were taken from a field every week, on average 100 new branches 20 cm in length. Infestation levels were calculated according to the following relation:
Infestation level = Number of infested leaves in 100 new branches/Total leaves number × 100
Depending on it, monthly average of infestation level was calculated. Four plants nursery 10 dounoms area, each plant is one year old. Total number of plants is 100.000 (Grape fruit, Lemon, Washington navel, Sour orange) samples were taken from each nursery on average 100 new branches 20 cm in length, every week, then the monthly average of the infestation level was taken in the same way.

Introduction

Pollution is a massive problem endangers the coastal zones, and those adjoining the shore, where most parts of the waste solution and increasing rate of the solid wastes produced by man activities at land will leak to the sea, the coastal zones receives the direct rivers drainage, and the water run-off besides the waste water from the internal zones, in addition to the domestic and industrial liquid wastes, and other pollutants caused by ships at the sea [1,2].
The Med. sea is one of the most important navigational regions in world, which intermediates the three continents of the ancient world, this sea, since the most ancient ages is still deemed vital and highly important, and through the ever developing human activity this sea remained vital as ever.
The harmful effects on the Mediterranean's ecology, caused by human activities have reached higher limits render those concerned in this problem worry.
Although the area of the Med. Sea is less than 1% of the total area of oceans it is still polluted with 20% of the floating oil in world, and it is almost a closed sea lacking ebb and tide movements, and its water needs more than 80 years to renew across (Jabal Tarek) mountain straight. Its coasts are full with increasing population reaching one hundred fifty millions inhabitant, to these is added one hundred and twenty millions visitors per year, they are one third of the third of the world tourists. The ratio of 20% of world oil shipments are across this sea to which water is disposed directly or via rivers disposal systems like those seen in cities as Barcelona, Marcelia, Roma, Alexandria, and many other cities, besides thousands of tones of metals and chemical agents discharged to it produced by the huge industrial complexes in France, Itay and Spain, to this we add the massive quantities of pollutants and oil waste discharged by millions of engines to the streams that terminate to the sea. 85% of the wastes in the Med. Sea region never treated [3].
The city of Lattakia dispose of the waste water (domestic, industrial and run- off) by combined sewage collection system which discharge at several coastal sites to the north and south borders of the city.
Till present, Lattakia city lacks waste water treatment facility, and all the waste water produced discharge directly to the coast zone near tourist areas which will harm and endanger the safety and health of inhabitants and impact the tourist activity and fish resources. Statistics reveals that the quantity of waste water discharge at the coast of Lattakia city, in Afamia site reaches 100 thousands cubic meters per day, not to mention the industrial wastes, these quantities drives with them quantities of organic pollutants measured by (BOD₅) standard to reach 30000 kgs per day in addition to other organic pollutants of industrial origins measured by COD standard wich have more dangerous impact on the marine aquaculture.
Based on the field study for the several private and public sector industries in Lattakia we realize that the most probable pollution risk sources to the existing water bodies are industries aluminum, detergents and oil, soft drinks, batteries, electrical motors and textile [4,5].The quantity of industrial pollutants is amounted to about two thousand kgs per day (BOD₅) and about 4000 kgs of suspended solids (SS) per day, these pollutants represent about 2000/ 30000 = 6% of the total quantity of Lattakia city pollutants volume measured with (BOD₅) standard. The waste water in Lattakia city drives with it bacteriological pollutants reaches 1017 of coilforms that are discharged to the sea every day [4]. Thus we realize the importance of this reseach work that aims to determine the source of pollutants born in waste water of domestic and industrial origins discharging to the sea, besides stating the risks these pollutants bear to the healh of inhabitants near the coast zone and the damage sustained to the marine ecology, to end with proposing solutions for waste water treatment; then recommendations for protection of marine ecology and coastal zones.

Pollution Source For Coastal Water

Although variants of pollutants reach the coastal water, we shall discuss two type of wich, due to the massive ecological problems they cause, these are: domestic and industrial waste water.
Waste water means all types of solid water by the domestic, and commercial activities, to these added in the large cities the industrial waste water either pre- treated or non treated ones [6]. Generally, the waste water consists of about 99% water and about 1% harmful pollutants (physical, chemical and biological pollutants).
The waste water forms about 80% of fresh water consumed in the city, the average daily per capita consumption of water ranges between 100 liters in lower socio-economic communities to 500 liters in developed ones.
The industrial waste water produced in factories is the liquid wastes remained following using of water in various processing activities for raw materials and other commodities. There exist a well-recognized difference between quantities and compositions of the industrial waste water compared to the domestic and city (the urban) waste water, due to the variation in the nature of production and type of materials employed in each industry, the production of which can be limited to certain periods of the year, seasonal [5]. Besides, there exist certain difference in the composition of each type of industrial waste water, in addition to its quantities and concentration, this resulted in establishing several specific technologies for treatment of such water and recycling aiming to reuse in various fields. Pollutants load of principal industries in Lattakia is listed in table 1.

Materials And Methods

By virtue of the agreement with the center for coordination on Mediterranean work plan, a plan was designed for pollution control in Mediterranean stopervised by the ministry of state for ecology in Syrian during year 1986, in which the objective is to detect the pollutants resulted from the human wastes and those produced by industrial activities at the Syrian coast, and during the work of the coordination unit (MED. POL), specifically for the periority activity programm (PAP) for the Syrian coast, there issued a primary report in year 1989 regarding the microbological types prevailing in the Syrian coast zone [4]. The Lattakia coastal central Lab. was in charge of arranging, collecting and analysis the bacteriological speciments that pollute the coastal water, stopervised by the experts of the coordination unit, a reasonable number of sea water samples was collected in the period between Nov. 1988 and March 1989 at six sites located in the Lattakia port and to the north and south from the city, the bacteriological analysis included total bacteria count of fecal coliform in each 100 ml, and on the light of the provisions of the Barcelona for protection of Mediterranean sea and the United Nations program for Ecology control, the Syrian coast was divided into sites which are in turn divided to detection points where measurements will be performed periodically two times per month in summer time and one time in the rest of the year ( see figure 1).
Where to perform the physical tests (water temperature- the PH value- wind velocity and direction- salinity value) and the microbiological experiments, and water at these sites was classified, into three levels [4]:

• The level one, 0-100 coliforms where is very clean.
• The second level, 100- 1000 coliforms in each 100 ml water where the water is acceptable
• The third level, more than 1000 coliforms in each ml water where the bacteriological pollution (contamination) is unacceptable.

Table 1. Pollutants load of the principal industries- case study the industrial zone in Lattakia [5]

Figure 1. Detection points at the Syrian Coast.

Results and Discussion

Recently, the pollution control department at coastal basin organization performed monthly testings for the samples collected at the detection points (see table 2) [7,8].
For testing pollution indices at the most important waste water disposal sites at the Syrian coast line, we selected the main sewage discharge channel, and the state textile factory site, and the river Alkabir Alshimali mouth during consequent years 1989- 1990- 1991, the higher pollutant rate is due to the lacking of waste water pre- treatment plant in Lattakia prior to discharge to the sea, besides, with regards to textile factory and the river Alkabir mouth, we meet incomplete measurements which are far from true fact. The higher coliform concentration here is due to discharge of waste water produced by residential areas and farms [4].
Through other field studies performed by (Coastal basin organization) in Lattakia year 1994 at the detection points in figure 1, we realize that the coastal water zones at the known tourist sites (Albassit cape- Wadi Kandeel- Blue Beach) own sound quality where the previous tests results have indicated that the fecal coliform count in most samples is less than 100/ 100 ml water [7], where as the sea water nearby waste water urban discharge sites (Lattakia- Jableh- Banyas- Tartous) is well polluted and unfit for swimming, where the count of fecal coliform is more than 1000/100 ml water. Through comparing the results stated in table 2 with the results of measurement in previous years we notice that microbial contamination is still existing in the following sites: south of Lattakia- Jableh beach- Banyas beach- Tartous beach- these sites are the zones near the points of waste water disposal in the said towns in addition to the bacteriologic contamination in the north of Lattakia at the detection points 1 & 2 (table 2).
The water of the swimming pools available in Lattakia city (Al-Bassle- Olympic- Children pools) is having good quality where the results indicated that the coliform counts are less than 100/100 ml water In addition to the good quality of other tourist sites like (Albassit beach- Wadi Kandeel).

Table 2.Results of microbiologic analysis of water in Syrian coast (Jan. - July 2000)[8]

Table 2.Results of microbiologic analysis of water in Syrian coast (Jan.-July 2000) continued

conclusions

1. The rise of the pollutants value at the main sewage line discharge point and at the discharge point of textile factory which directly discharge to sea, is due to the lacking pre-treatment waste water facility in Lattakia prior to discharging same to sea, the same is true to the wastes of textile factory.
2. Pollution indicative values obtained at river (Alkabeer Alshimali are considered unrepresentative ones, and the rise of coliform counts at this site is due to existing sewage at this site produced by the residential areas and the farms.
3. Coastal water at the tourist important sites (Albaseet- wadi Kandeel- Blue Beach site) and Alrima Alzahabieh site, is having good quality where the coilform count in most samples collected here is less than 100/ 100 ml water.
4. Zones which were bacteriologically contaminated in the previous years are still til present which are: south of Lattakia- Jableh beach- Banyas beach- Tartous beach.
5. The good quality of water in Lattakia city swimming poolls (Al-Bassle- Olympic- Children pools) where the coliform count is less than 100/ 100 ml water.
6. Sea water adjoining the points of sewage discharge in Lattakia- Jableh- Banyas- Tartous is contaminated and unfit for swimming where the coilfrom count is greater than 1000/ 100 ml water.
7. The sewage and waster water bears greater amounts of phosphor and nitrogen to the coastal water, these compounds which are components of detergents, fertilizers, animal and human wastes, help to feed the algae hyper growing which will serve to diminish solved oxygen in water and to the death of other species.
8. The untreated waste water will effect the quality of the coastal water and leads to physical, chemical and biologic processes that will influence the self clearing capacity of this water.

Recommendations

1. To establish a waste water treatment plant in Lattakia and Tartous as soon as possible.
2. To observe the recommendations specific for treatment of industrial waste solutions prior to disposing them in sea.
3. To econmize water consumption by reuse of polluted water in industry.
4. To coordinate efforts between industrial sector and those specialized in polluted waste water at university and at research centers, aiming to acquire positive results.
5. To seek protection of resources like fishing zones.
6. To stopport developing and control programs in coastal zones.
7. To strengthen cooperation and coordination seeking to development of coastal zones, benefiting of their tourist facilities and attempt to avoid the ecologic risk of the dense economic and building activities at those sites.

References

1. Clark,j.R(1996). CoastalZone Mmanagement, Handbook,CRCpress, Ink,USA.
2. GILBERT M.Masters.(1998)0.Introduction to Environmental Engineering. Seecond Edition, Prentichall, Inc.
3. Sabouh H.Chahin H.(1997).Environmental Engineering (2), Tishreen University publication, Lattakia,Syria.
4. Awad A.(1996).Marin Outfalls of wastewater,KFAS,Kuwait.
5. Awad A.(1996).Industrial Pollution Management, first Edition, Al-Shorouk press, Jordan.
6. Asfary A,Mmuzainy S.(1997).Sewerage and Sewage Treatment System,Kuwait Environment Protection Agency,Kuwiat.
7. Fadel M.(1997).Mediterranean sea pollution, conference on Pollution Sources in Coastal Region, Engineering Society Lattakia. 8-Fadel M.(2000).Microbiology Analysis of Syrian Coastal Water, Pollution Control Center, Lattakia.