Abstract

Water is essential requirement for life. Water demand is increasing significantly due to the increase in population growth and industrialization. Increasing pollution levels in aquatic resources as well as climatic changes considered serious factors leading to deterioration of the freshwater resources which adversely impact the use of water, especially for drinking, food industry and irrigation. This has necessitated focusing on the available ground water as a potential alternative for drinking and irrigation; therefore, it must meet specific standards to achieve the required quality especially in the arid districts where ground water is the only source. The main sources of pollution in groundwater including careless disposal of waste materials on the soil, open dumps, unsanitary sewage disposal systems, under or over chemical fertilization and water wells drilled near septic tanks etc. which, transmit contaminants to the aquifer. Groundwater quality differs from season to season and from place to place according to important factors controlling its quantity and quality. These including type of aquifers, pumping rates, climate changes, precipitation, evapotranspiration, nature of recharging water, subsurface and surface water, hydro-geochemical processes in the aquifers, land-use/land-cover change, mining activities as well as mineralogy and the leakage water from irrigation and drainage networks. Temporal changes in the constitution and origin of the water recharged, and human factor, frequently cause periodic changes in groundwater quality. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a regular assessment of irrigation and drinking water quality. Egypt is facing constraints to satisfy water needs especially after completing the construction of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the upcoming years. The present study aims to investigate and enhance the suitability of water from 13 borehole ground wells at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) (Abu Qir Campus) near the eastern coast of Alexandria City (Abu Qir Area) for irrigation and/or drinking purposes. To achieve this aim, physical, chemical and biological characterization of water samples will be collected and assessed to define pollution status spatially and temporally (monthly for a year) and relate them with environmental and climatic factors. This will be followed by treatment using innovative nanotechnology to enhance water quality.