Seasonal Variation Of Water Quality In Oued Oum Er Rbia, Khenifra (Morocco)

Abstract

Assessment of seasonal variations in surface water quality is an important factor to evaluate temporal impact on water pollution. This study evaluates the seasonal variation of physicochemical and microbiological quality of the Oum Er Rbia river in Khenifra city, Morocco. Water samples were taken from nine stations along the river (ST0-ST8) during the wet and dry seasons, and analyzed for physicochemical and microbiological parameters. These samples have been analyzed using the guidelines of the water quality assessment techniques. The results of the study show significant seasonal variation between dry and wet periods, majority of parameters values increase during the summer such as water temperature, mineralization (conductivity, hardness, alkalinity), BOD₅ and microbial indicators. This variation shows a clear influence of the effects of the organic pollution caused by the agglomerations along the river, making the impacts steeper and more felt during the dry seasons, and less felt during the rainy seasons.