Studying The Impact Of The Military Operations On The Environmental Change Of Water And Studying Suitability For Human And Agricultural Uses In Anbar Province

Abstract

Military operations are one of the most important factors contributing to environmental pollution in water and land, in addition to the impact on the public health because of the massive destruction of buildings and infrastructure of residential complexes in cities and rural areas as well as direct impact in humans and other living organisms. Since the Euphrates River is, the main source of water in Anbar province and it was representing a major site for the military operations that caused the displacement of the population from most of these areas. Therefore, this research was carried out in order to explore the impact of military operations and displacement of the population in the qualitative characters of the water in the Euphrates River and its validity for human and agricultural uses in different regions in Al- Anbar province. The samples were analyzed in the laboratory and their physical and chemical properties were studied and were compared with the results of previous studies, which were done prior to the military operations, and the migration of the population. Results of the studies showed the high values of most physical and chemical properties in a number of locations. The upper levels of these values may exceed the maximum permissible limits globally. This confirms the impact of the military operations and the destruction they caused such as the destruction of bridges, buildings and the accumulation of debris in the river. The reduction of water level in the river is another factor contributing to the accumulation of environmental pollution of the river and threatens its validity for various uses. The recorded values of drinking water were close to the river's water and the pollution might be caused by broken water pipes and improper treatment by the filtration stations. Studies of physical properties showed that the rate of turbidity and electrical conductivity for post-displacement samples exceeded the maximum levels allowed while the soluble solids were higher than in samples taken before events. The study showed that the water of the river has neutral properties that tend to have weak base properties. The concentration of ions of bicarbonates did not exceed the permissible limits, and the dissolved solids, total sorption, calcium ion; magnesium and sodium were high but did not exceed the permissible values. Potassium and sulfate were lower than the standards in some study areas