Abstract
In this paper, the first analytic emphasis will be on the main pressuring of the quality of the water resources in the Republic of North Macedonia, i.e. the pointing and diffusive sources of pollution as a result of the activities of the households, the industry and the agriculture. After that the emphasis of the analytics will be on the water quality through the indicators: Oxygen consuming substances in rivers (BOD5 and total ammonium) and Nutrients in freshwater (nitrate, nitrite and orthophosphate). The analysis will be taking into account the average annual concentrations of the mentioned parameters for the main rivers Vardar, Bregalnica and Crna Reka, for the period 2001–2015. In our country the quality of the watercourses is of worse quality downstream from the cities, mostly because from the lack of waste waters treatment. The regression analysis points to the fact that there are certain variations of the concentrations in the parameters. In Crna River and Vardar, it is recorded a moderate eutrophic status of the waters relative to the level of BOD5. These results reflect the situation, above all, of the small percentage of treatment of urban and industrial wastewater, as well as the inadequate regime for the protection of river basins. This essay aims to show the status of the quality of the major watercourses in the Republic of North Macedonia and to indicate the necessary measures to avoid further deterioration of the water quality and thus to achieve a good ecological status or potential of the waters.
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Notes
- 1.
According to the UWWT, p.e. (population equivalent) means the organic biodegradable load having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) of 60 g of oxygen per day.
- 2.
According to the UWWT, ‘eutrophication’ means the enrichment of water by nutrients, especially compounds of nitrogen and/or phosphorus, causing an accelerated growth of algae and higher forms of plant life to produce an undesirable disturbance to the balance of organisms present in the water and to the quality of the water concerned.
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Dimitrovska, O., Radevski, I., Gorin, S. (2020). Water Quality and Pollution Status of the Main Rivers in the Republic of North Macedonia. In: Negm, A., Romanescu, G., Zelenakova, M. (eds) Water Resources Management in Balkan Countries. Springer Water. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22468-4_15
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