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Keywords

Contaminants, Wells, Rivers, Lebanese Urban Cities.

Disciplines

Architecture | Business | Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

Unsafe drinking water has been implicated in numerous health problems in developing countries. This latter is a result of the increase in human population and urbanization. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the water contamination in the Lebanese urban cities. Consequently, it has become necessary to monitor the chemical and microbiological parameters of different wells and rivers in Lebanese Urban Cities. In this present study, we analyzed the chemical and microbiological characteristics of water coming from different wells in Urban Cities (Baakline, Hasbaya, Kfarchakhna, Kesrwan, Antelias, Fanar, Lebaa, Tal Amara, Tyre) and seven Lebanese rivers (Hasbani, Rachiine, Kadisha, Awali, Ghzayel, Berdawni, Litani). Heavy metals (Mn, Pb, Cu, Fe, Zn, Cd, Ar, Hg), various chemical elements (Ca, Mg, Bicarbonate, Na, K, Nitrate and sulfur) and different microbial strains were determined for each source. The samples collected from the wells of the different cities were not conform (20 to 82%) in heavy metals, not conform (20 to 85%) in chemical elements as well as not conform (52 to 100%) in the microbial load to the Lebanese standard of water (LIBNOR). The chemical and microbiological characteristics of all river samples were not conform to the Lebanese standard of the water, with some samples even contaminated with mercury. Noting that many cases of bacterial infections were detected in some cities due to the bacterial contamination of the wells, a need of ensuring a reliable access of a safe drinking water is important to sustain our Lebanese cities.

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