Abstract
The considerable increase in population occurred in the last years in the City of Alexandria was accompanied by a large increase in urbanization and industrialization and consequently in the amounts of discharges. Sewage wastes from the northern side of this city are discharged into the coastal Mediterranean Sea water, including the Eastern Harbour, and those from the southern side are dumped into lake Mariut. Accordingly, these receiving waters have suffered from the large amount of untreated different pollutants.
The Eastern Harbour of Alexandria, a shallow semicircular basin, is mainly used as fishing docks and a place for recreation. It receives 10 000–15 000 m3 day-1 of domestic sewage from Alexandria. The present study deals mainly with the influence of sewage pollution on the levels of nutrients in this eutrophicated basin. The lower average values of surface salinity reflect the effect of domestic sewage. Deoxygenation of the harbour water at certain areas and the liberation of hydrogen sulphide caused local complaint. The accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus in the harbour water, as confirmed by comparison between the present data and those in the offshore waters outside the harbour or even with those in the harbour twenty years ago, reflects the anthropogenic influence.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
El-Kirsh, A. M.: 1969, ‘Study of Some Hydrographic Factors in the Waters of Alexandria Region’. M.Sc. Thesis, Alexandria University, 136 pp.
El-Maghraby, A. M. and Halim, Y.: 1965, ‘A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of the Plankton of Alexandria Waters’, Hydrobiologia. 25, 221–238.
El-Nady, F. E.: 1981, ‘Survey of Some Heavy Metals in Alexandria Waters and its Effect on Some Marine Animals’. Ph.D. Thesis, Alexandria University, 317 pp.
El-Rayis, O.: 1973, ‘Cycle of Nutrient Salts in the Mediterranean Sea Water Off Alexandria’. M.Sc. Thesis, Alexandria University, 128 pp.
El-Rayis, O. and Saad, M. A. H.: 1986, ‘Heavy Metals in Suspended Matter and Sediments from a Confined Lagoon on the North African Coast, Egypt’, Rapp. Comm. Int. Mer. Médit. 30(2), 50.
El-Rayis, O., Saad, M. A. H., and El-Nady, F. E.: 1986, ‘Accumulating Mechanisms of Metals in Surface Sediments of a Coastal Bay on the North African Coast’, Rapp. Comm. Int. Mer. Médit. 30(2), 65.
El-Sayed, M. K., El-Sayed, M. A., and Moussa, A. A.: 1980, ‘Anthropogenic Material in Sediment from the Eastern Harbour of Alexandria, Egypt’, Ves Jounées Etud. Pollutions, pp. 215–222, Cagliari, CIESM.
Halim, Y., Khalil, A., and Handahl, Y.: 1980a, ‘The Diatoms and Flora of a Eutrophic Bay, the Eastern Harbour of Alexandria’, Acta Adriat. 21, 271–298.
Halim, Y., Samaan, A., and Sultan, H.: 1980b, ‘Primary Productivity in the Eastern Harbour of Alexandria’, Acta Adriat. 21, 255–269.
Korringa, P.: 1968, ‘Biological Consequences of Marine Pollution with Special Reference to the North Sea Fisheries’, Hydrolànder Wiss. Meersunters. 17,126–140.
Kremling, K. and Petersen, H.: 1981, ’The Distribution of Zinc, Cadmium, Copper, Manganese and Iron in Waters of the Open Mediterranean Sea’, “Meteor” Forsch. Ergebnisse, Reihe A/B No. 23, 5–14.
Riley, J. P. and Chester, R.: 1971, Introduction to Marine Chemistry, Academic Press, 420 pp., Lond., N.Y.
Riley, J. P. and Skirrow, G.: 1975, Chemical Oceanography, Vol. I, Academic Press, London, 547 pp.
Saad, M. A. H.: 1972a, ‘Effect of Pollution on the Sediments of Lake Mariut, Egypt’, Rapp. Comm. Int. Mer. Médit. 21(3), 125–127.
Saad, M. A. H.: 1972b, ‘Dissolved Oxygen as an Indicator of Water Pollution in Egyptian Brackish-water Lakes’. Marine pollution and sea life. FAO. Fishing News (Books) Ltd., England, 161–163.
Saad, M. A. H.: 1973, ‘Distribution of Phosphate in Lake Mariut, a Heavily Polluted Lake in Egypt’, Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 2, 515–522.
Saad, M. A. H.: 1974, ‘Influence of Organic Pollution on Lake Mariut, a Highly Eutrophicated Lake South of Alexandria’, Rev. Intern. Oceanogr. Méd. 34, 23–36.
Saad, M. A. H.: 1980, ‘Eutrophication of Lake Mariut, a Heavily Polluted Lake in Egypt’, Agrochem. Resid. Biota Interact. Soil Aquatic Ecosyst., IAEA, Vienna, 153–163.
Saad, M. A. H.: 1985, ‘Influence of Pollution on Lake Mariut, Egypt’, Rev. Int. Oceanogr. Méd. (79–80), 33–77.
Saad, M. A. H., Ezzat, A., and Shabana, A.: 1973, ‘Effect of Pollution on the Blood Characteristics of Tilapia zillii G’, Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 2, 171–179.
Saad, M. A. H., Ezzat, A., El-Rayis, O., and Hafez, H.: 1981, ’Occurrence and Distribution of Chemical Pollutants in Lake Mariut, Egypt, II’. Heavy metals, Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 16, 401–407.
Saad, M. A. H., El-Rayis, O., and Ahdy, H.: 1984, ‘Status of Nutrients in Lake Mariut, a Delta Lake in Egypt Suffering from Intensive Pollution’, Mar. Poll. Bull. 15(11), 408–411.
Saad, M. A. H., McComas, S. R., and Eisenreich, S. J.: 1985, ‘Metal and Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in Surficial Sediments of Three Nile Delta Lakes, Egypt’, Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 24, 27–39.
Strickland, J. D. H. and Persons, T. R.: 1972, A Practical Handbook of Sea Analysis. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada, Bull., No. 167.
Stumm, W.: 1962, In discussion following ‘Methods for the Removal of Phosphorus and Nitrogen from Sewage Plant Effluents’ by G. A. Rohlich, Proc. 1st Conf. Wat. Poll. Res. London 1962, 2, 216–230.
Technical Report: 1978, ’The Study of the Water Pollution Along the Coast of Alexandria as a Consequence of the Sewage Discharge’. Alexandria University and Acad. Sci. Res. Technol. Egypt (in Arabic).
Wahby, S. D., Kinaway, S. M., El-Tabbach, T. T., and Abdel-Moniem, M. A.: 1978, ‘Chemical Characteristics of Lake Mariut, a Polluted Lake South of Alexandria, Egypt’, Estuar. cstl. mar. Sci. 7,17–28.
Wahby, S. D. and Abdel-Moniem, M. A.: 1979, ‘The Problem of Phosphorus in the Eutrophic Lake Mariut’, Estuar. cstl. mar. Sci. 9, 615–622.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 D. Reidel Publishing Company
About this paper
Cite this paper
Saad, M.A.H., El-Rayis, O.A., El-Nady, F. (1988). Problems of Sewage Pollution in Alexandria, Egypt. In: El-Sabh, M.I., Murty, T.S. (eds) Natural and Man-Made Hazards. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1433-9_37
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1433-9_37
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7142-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1433-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive