Chemical survey on the River Nile water from Aswan into the outlet

Abstract

Inorganic nonmetals (free CO₂, CO₂ ^2‐, HCO₃ ^‐, Cl^‐, SO^2‐ ₄, NO₂ ^‐, NO₃ ^‐, PO₄ ^3‐, SiO₂, COD, TSS, TH, TDS), pH values trace metals (Al, Ca, Cd, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Na, Ni, Pb and Zn), and physical parameters (?^‐1 mSn^‐1 & T, °C) were determined in River Nile water samples collected from Aswan, Qena, Sohag, Assiut, El Menya, Beni Suef, Giza, Cairo, Mansoura, Damietta, Kafr El Zayat and Edfina (from the middle of the main stream and from the two branches of the Nile e.g., Damietta and Rosetta) . The results indicate that the Nile water characteristics are within the allowed and desired safety baseline levels, except those collected from Damietta which exhibit dangerously high levels of HCO^‐ ₃, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl^‐, SO₄ ^2‐, Na⁺, K⁺, Li⁺ , TH, TSS and TDS as a result of the industrial wastewater effluents (pickled herring making, tanning, dyeing and textile, soap making, fertilisers, and cheese making factories), domestic, sewage and agricultural discharges drained directly into the Nile. Statistical analysis of the database exhibits positive and significant correlation coefficient values (r=0.61–1.0).