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Quality assessment of reclaimed water for irrigation purpose and aquatic life protection in the Mekerra sub-watershed (NW Algeria)

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Abstract

The present study was conducted to assess the characteristics of inflow and outflow of the wastewater treatment plant of Sidi Bel Abbes (SBA-WWTP) and Moulay Slissen and Ras el Ma lagoons on the basis of a daily analyses data over a 2016–2019 period. Monitored physical and chemical parameters concerned the pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, suspended solids, biochemical and chemical oxygen demands, nitrites, nitrates, ammonium, and phosphates. In this study, the water quality for discharged water and aquatic life was evaluated using the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environmental Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI) method. WWTP monthly water quality of was determined using the CCME-WQI and classified as poor. As for lagoons, CCME-WQI annual values were below 40 indicating poor treated wastewater quality. These values highlight that the cleaned water is under threat and its overall quality is not close to the WHO and CCME permissible standard values. The treated wastewater of the WWTP and the two lagoons was of poor quality for irrigation use and then is not suitable for irrigation according to the Algerian standards for irrigation use.

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Data availability

The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

The authors received no financial support. The physical and chemical analyses were carried out at The National Sanitation Office Laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hydraulics, University of Tlemcen, P.O. Box 119, Tlemcen, Algeria

    Imen Guasmi

  2. Department of Earth and Universe Sciences, University of Tlemcen, P.O. Box 119, Tlemcen, Algeria

    Fatiha Hadji & Lamia Yebdri

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  1. Imen Guasmi
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  2. Fatiha Hadji
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  3. Lamia Yebdri
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Correspondence to Imen Guasmi.

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The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. This manuscript is not under review at another journal or other publishing venue. All authors have participated in approval of the final version.

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Guasmi, I., Hadji, F. & Yebdri, L. Quality assessment of reclaimed water for irrigation purpose and aquatic life protection in the Mekerra sub-watershed (NW Algeria). Model. Earth Syst. Environ. 8, 3399–3412 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-021-01305-2

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