Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Evaluation of irrigation water quality across major water resources in Albania during a five-year monitoring process

Author(s):

Uran Abazi ¹, Astrit Balliu ²

Recieved Date: 2012-01-04, Accepted Date: 2012-04-28

Abstract:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of water for irrigation from several surface water sources in Albania. The study was made in seven rivers: Drini, Fan, Mat, Erzen, Shkumbin, Seman, and Vjosa, and in four reservoirs: Tapize, Xhafzotaj, Thane and Kurjan. The study was realized during 2006-2010. The samples were collected in a one-week period every year (varying from June 1^st to August 30^th) and were analyzed for pH, TDS, EC, chemical parameters (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, Cl^-, CO₃^2-, HCO₃^- and SO₄^2-), nutritional elements (N-NO₃, N-NH₄ and P) and heavy metals (Fe,  Pb , Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn and Mn) for Fan and Shkumbin rivers in 2010. The analytical results obtained were mostly within the accepted values set by the State Standard Catalogue, with the exception of Thana reservoir with high EC and TDS values. This was attributed to the reduction of water supply during the second half of August and to the high amount of Na+ and Cl- in the reservoir basin. There were also relatively high concentrations of NO₃-N, NH₄-N and K⁺ in this basin. The content of heavy metals in the Shkumbini river follows the order: Cr>Cu>Ni>Mn>Pb>Fe>Zn, while for Fani river the order is: Cr>Pb>Ni>Fe>Cu>Mn>Zn. Most heavy metal contents  in Fani river were beyond the acceptable levels. Our results indicate that irrigation water resources of Albania, except for Thana, can be considered of good quality (class II). Anyway, since these water resources are continually threatened by urban, industrial and agricultural pollution, it is recommended to maintain a permanent monitoring program of the water quality. 

Keywords:

Water quality irrigation, pollution, resources, chemical parameters, heavy metals

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2012
Volume: 10
Issue: 2
Category: Environment
Pages: 919-924

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