The Impact of Heavy Metals on the Quality of Drinking Water in Some Villages of the Shala of Bajgora Mountain Massif – Kosovo

Abstract

Given that the Shala of Bajgora mountain massif geographically extends over a territory already known for its min - eral wealth, where heavy metals predominantly dominate, the groundwater and surface waters that traverse this part of Kosovo’s territory are in the vast majority of cases seriously contaminated with these metals. As a result of this pollution, the inhabitants of these 33 villages of this mountain massif, to varying degrees, both in the past and today, continue to face significant health problems, as the water they consume for drinking is taken from wells and natural sources of these settlements. Knowing the role that water plays in the health of humans and other living beings, our study object focuses on researching, analyzing, evaluating, and interpreting the actual condition of the presence or absence of heavy metals in the waters of some villages of this mountain massif. To ascertain the real condition of the quality of these waters, we have designated several monitoring points - representative, from where we will gather the necessary information about the state of these waters. To be as objective as possible in the analysis of water samples, we have applied classic (volumetric) and instrumental methods of chemical analysis. The results obtained were compared with the reference values of the EU Directive and the Administrative Instruction of Kosovo. The analyses have shown the presence beyond reference values of Pb, Zn, Cd, and Ni in some of the sampling sites.