Ecological Assessment of domestic and industrial Wastewater Pollutants on Syrian Coastal Region

• Haytham Chahin
• Dean High Institute for Environmental Research, University of Tishrin, Lattakia, Syria.
• The Regional Workshop on Marine Sciences & Natural Resources 25-26 May 2004.

Abstract

Syria's Mediterranean coastline stretches for 175 km from the Lebanese border south of Tartous to the Turkish border north of Lattakia. The narrow coastal plain is densely populated. As in other southern Mediterranean, Syria's coast is heavily polluted by domestic, agricultural and industrial sources. Tartous, Banias, Jableh, and Lattakia are traditional fishing villages but have developed into harbors with large industries and terminals for the export of oil. The coastal plain and the adjacent mountains are also a major domestic tourist destination. Sewage from domestic and industrial sources is discharged at the beach without any treatment. Intensive agriculture in the coastal mountains is the source of high sediment loads in the rivers leading to the sea. In addition, the prevailing winds and currents towards the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea cause a high concentration of chemical contamination in Syrian coastal waters. The fishery resources have been depleted by such destructive fishing methods as the use of dynamite and cyanide. Other marine life, such as natural sponges, have disappeared. Marine pollution has reached a high priority of importance through the last quarter of the twentieth century, specially after increasing tourist and traffic activities, untreated wastewater amount discharged to marine environment, and in obtaining a high oil production performance. Lattakia lacks wastewater treatment facility, and the wastewater stream is discharged nearby tourism facilities. This along with its content can cause serious problems to human safety and marine ecology. Total wastewater amount of Lattakia, which discharged to the sea is about (120000) m³/day. The estimated effluent of polluted wastewater from industrial area is about 160000 m³/day (It is equal the wastewater discharged from all Lattakia city on 2005 ) . And this large amount contains a high level of organic pollutants, measured as BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), (30000) Kg/day. In addition to other organic pollutants from industry measured by COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) indicator, which have a danger effect on marine Organisms. The research aims at study the impact of physical, chemical and biological pollutants of domestic and industrial wastewater on the Syrian coastal water and human safety.