Assessment of Ground Water Pollution by Heavy Metals in Some Residential Areas in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Groundwater is a precious resource, and the life of humans depends on its quality. Public health is extremely concerned about the contamination of groundwater with heavy metals that come from either anthropogenic or naturally occurring soil sources since it can have detrimental impacts on both plant and animal life. The main objective of the present study was to determine and assess the concentration of heavy metal contamination in groundwater and to understand potential sources of contamination. Heavy metals such as Zn, Cu, Pb, Mn, Fe, and Cd are examined. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) testing was done on groundwater samples that were taken from 10 wells in the study area. In groundwater samples, physical factors, including Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), and metals like Cd and Pb were found to be over the allowed levels advised by international standards. The analysis revealed that the levels of Cd and Pb in the groundwater samples exceeded those recommended by the World Health Organization, Environment Production Agency and Iraqi standards. According to the findings, the maximum concentrations of Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe were, respectively, 0.693, 0.42, 0.402, 0.0851, 0.068, and 0.04 mg/L. The groundwater samples from the research area demonstrated levels of the heavy metals in the following order: Cd> Pb> Zn> Cu> Mn> Fe. It was concluded that two heavy metals, cadmium and lead, and the percolation of dissolved salts were to blame for the groundwater's declining quality. Due to elevated amounts of harmful metals, the community's groundwater is therefore dangerous for drinking in some areas. It was recommended that either chemical precipitation, ion exchange, or reverse osmosis be used on a regular basis to treat the heavy metal concentration in groundwater sources.