Physico-chemical study of raw wastewater from Outat El Haj city, Morocco

Abstract

The climatic changes that the middle Moulouya region of Morocco has undergone in recent years, demographic growth and the development of urbanization have led to a significant decrease in the reserves of water that can be mobilized for domestic and agricultural uses. This deficit, between availability and need for water, will only increase with the increasing needs of the water consuming sectors. The main objective is to follow the physical-chemical evolution of raw wastewater in the city of Outat El Haj. Sampling took place over 12 months (2014-2015). The physical-chemical study of urban discharges from the city of Outat El Haj made it possible to define the pollution ratio per inhabitant between 17 and 21 mg/hab.day with BOD5 concentration between 525 mg/l and 2125 mg/l and pH values near neutrality. The ratio COD/BOD5 is from 1.92 to 2.04, shows the biodegradability of effluents, and may be treated by a biological system such as stabilization ponds as found nationwide. The values of the physical-chemical obtained are above the wastewater discharge standards recommended by the WHO and and the Moroccan standards. At the end of this research, it turned out that wastewater from the city of Outat El Haj is of lousy quality to very bad.