A Master’s thesis at the College of Engineering, University of Basrah, discusses the Assessment Of Physicochemical Water Parameters In the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and identification of Treatment Methods Base On Demographic Load”

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A Master’s thesis at the College of Engineering, University of Basrah, discusses the Assessment Of Physicochemical Water Parameters In the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and identification of Treatment Methods Base On Demographic Load”

The Master’s thesis by researcher Mahmoud Karim Ahmed—conducted at the Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Basrah, under the supervision of Dr. Abdul-Wahid Abdul-Hassan Kadhim—was defended. The thesis is titled... Assessment Of Physicochemical Water Parameters
In the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and identification of Treatment Methods Base On Demographic Load”

This thesis aimed to assess the physicochemical characteristics of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and relate water quality to population density and water demand to identify the most appropriate treatment system for each governorate.

The investigated parameters included turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), pH, total hardness (TH), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulphate, sodium, potassium, phosphate, nitrate, oil, and grease.

QGIS was used for the spatial representation of the study areas and monitoring stations, while IMSDesign was used to design and evaluate the reverse-osmosis system.

The engineering design included intake, screening, coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, multimedia filtration, activated-carbon filtration, disinfection, clear-water storage, and pumping units. The advanced treatment system also incorporated ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO).

The results indicated that turbidity and suspended solids exceeded the permissible limits in several governorates, while salinity and hardness problems were more pronounced in the southern governorates. The water-supply assessment also revealed a gap between water demand and production, which is expected to increase with future population growth.

The study recommended conventional water treatment for water dominated by turbidity and suspended solids, while advanced treatment using ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis was proposed for water with high salinity and hardness. The proposed approach provides an engineering basis for improving drinking-water quality and reducing water-supply deficits across Iraqi governorates.