Assessment of Some Heavy Metals in Groundwater: Case Study Around an Archaeological Site, Abydos, Sohag, Egypt

Abstract

Water is extremely essentials for existence of the human life, livestock and plants. With grows of world population rapidly and increasing reclamation extension, their needs for water increased dramatically. However, the increase of water discharge and lack of the sewage treatment and system in the study area and adequate industrial disposal system increase the contamination. In the current study, analysis of heavy metals contamination has been studied around the Osireion Lake. The quality index of the collected groundwater samples indicated that the water is of poor to unsuitable water class for domestic use. Some heavy metals such, B-1, Al+3, Fe+3, Mn+2, Ni+2, Ba+2, Cu+2, Pb+2, and Sr+2 were measured in the in the present study to assess the risk factor. The heavy metals contamination has been reported as a potential risk in the groundwater in the study area. Iron and Manganese show some values higher than the maximum permissible of WHO. Iron might have resulted from the interaction of oxidized Fe minerals and organic matter. Strontium and Barium reveal higher values, therefore the higher concentrations of Sr+2 and Ba+2 indicating that the source could be a result of anthropogenic through fertilizer in agricultural activity causes an input of Sr+2 and Ba+2. It is believed that the mixing of groundwater with agricultural return flow and sewage waste, increase the concentration levels of pollutants.