Groundwater deterioration with heavy metals in northeast Cairo area, Egypt

Abstract EN

Groundwater in northeast Cairo is used for drinking, irrigation and industrial purposes.

The fast development in this region and its surroundings, as well as the diverse agricultural, industrial and domestic activities, provide many sources of groundwater pollution; such as smelters, industrial effluents, construction debris, and drainage wastes.

The pollution leads to deterioration in groundwater quality which affected the human's health, plants and animals.

Twenty two groundwater samples from Quaternary aquifer are collected and chemically analyzed to determine the areal distribution of heavy metals concentrations in the area between Anchas and Abu Zaabal at northeast Cairo.

The concerned heavy metals include Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn.

High concentrations of Cd, Co and Pb are recorded in most of the collected samples.