Assessment of Surface Water Quality of the Nile River at Damietta Branch, Egypt

Nile River is subjected to many sources of pollution from municipal wastewater, agriculture, and industry, but little information is available on the quality of the river's water. This study aimed to assess the water quality of the Nile River at the Damietta Branch. Water samples were collected from the Damietta branch, the physico-chemical parameters and some heavy metals were analyzed which includes; temperature, pH, Turbidity, EC, TDS, alkalinity, total hardness, Ca +2 and Mg +2 hardness, chlorides, sulfates, and aluminum, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, iron, manganese, and silica. The results indicated that, the turbidity value was 7.81 NTU, while temperature, pH, EC, and TDS were 23ºC, 8.03, 403.75 µmohs/cm, and 266.25 mg/l, respectively. The concentrations of alkalinity, total hardness, Ca +2 and Mg +2 hardness were 142, 131.5, 82.5, and 49 mg/l, respectively. While chlorides, sulfates, and aluminum concentrations were 27, 34.25, and 0.063 mg/l, respectively; ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate concentrations were 0.13, 0.083, and 0.59 mg/l, respectively. Iron, manganese, and silica concentrations were 0.058, 0.05, and 1.3 mg/l, respectively. Results from Water Quality Index (WQI) reveal that Nile River waters were generally categorized as poor quality or unfit for drinking purposes leading to presence of high pollution in the river. Water sample with Pollution Index observed that heavy metals concentrations had moderately affected except Cu +2 , Co +2 , and Zn +2 were not detected in raw Nile River water. Perhaps, new recent trends of treatment have to be designed so as to decrease the pollution load of the rivers..