A Study of some Environmental Characteristics of Hor Al-Dalmaj, Southern Iraq

This study tackles all possible aspects of the environmental characteristics along the four seasons of the year in one of the ecologically important and prominent and less studied river of the Middle Euphrates, which is Hor Al-Dalmaj as a highly important river on the national, regional and international levels. This research was done was conducted in order to take an idea about the current status of the targeted river during September 2017 till June 2018. Five field observation sites have been chosen with care that they represent different habitat scenarios in order to have as complete as possible idea about the water quality in Hor Al-Dalmaj. In spite of the ecological importance of Hor, it is under several severe pressures and threats like mismanagement of the hydrological scheme, agricultural expansion, pollution and habitat destruction. Depends on the results of this study of the water quality, the area is characterized by many merits that make it unique and outstanding from the ecological and recreational perspectives. Hence, it is recommended that a management plan for the purpose of the hydrological, ecological and developmental preservation for the Hor Al-Dalmaj. This can go side by side with certain activities on the part of the authorities like the enforcement of the Iraq environmental legislations and implementation of the international and regional guiding convention, especially those related to the establishment and sustaining of protected areas. The results of this work shows that the main drain water unsuitable for human drinking, because most of the variable rate has exceeded permissible limits and they are acceptable grade for livestock and poultry. The samples analysis has been taken for the water quality parameters like total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, TDS and Salinity. The results reflect that the concentration of (TDS) values ranging from 7728 in autumn to 2757 ppm in spring, and these concentrations depend on the amount of water received during the months of the year and that concentrations decrease in the winter season due to the high water levels and increase during the summer season due to low water levels, The lowest value of water temperature was 18.07 0C in winter, while the highest value was in summer 30.63 °C, the highest value of pH was 8.02 in winter, while the lowest value was 7.55 in spring, the concentrations of DO in Hor Al-Dalmaj were range from 2.74 mg/l in autumn, while the highest concentration was 6.18 mg/l in spring, the highest concentration of E.C. was 7.95 in summer, while the lowest concentration was 5.39 in winter, the lowest value of salinity was 3.33 ppt in winter, while the highest value was 5.7 ppt in summer, while the lowest value for turbidity was in winter 3145, while the highest value was found in summer at 7817 respectively.

کلیدواژه ها:

Main Outfall Drain ، MOD ، Hor Al-Dalmaj ، Wetlands ، Diwaniyah ، Iraq