Spatiotemporal Variation of Heavy Metals and Pollution Indices in Groundwater Around Al-Diwaniyah Open Dump

Abstract

Potential environmental hazards associated with heavy metals have been reported at Al-diwaniyah open dump in Iraq. Therefore, the levels of heavy metals and their spatial and temporal variability have been studied, in addition to pollution indices (HPI, HEI, Cd) to achieve environmental management and sustainability. Concentrations of seven heavy metals in groundwater wells at various distances around dumpsite were analyzed for the period 2022–2023 using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results revealed that heavy metals levels in samples examined decreased with the distance from the dumpsite W1>W2>W3 and it followed this pattern: Cd < Fe