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sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : A Methodological Framework for Water Quality Management of the Barada River in Syria

Auteur : Essam Mahmoud Saleh El Abbas

Université de soutenance : Cairo University

Grade : Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2004

Résumé
With increasing population, ambitious development plans and limited water resources in Syria, management of existing water resources is becoming a national priority. This thesis presents a management framework for protection of the water quality of Barada River basin, which feeds the Damascus area and surroundings with fresh water for the different uses. Barada River derives its water from several springs with good water quality. However, due to human activities along the river and limited attention to wastewater treatment and pollution control, water quality rapidly deteriorates, falling below standards for ambient river water quality. Statistical analysis is applied to the available historical river water quality data, and the temporal and spatial trends and patterns are identified. For setting priorities of intervention to improve water quality, it is important to assess the environmental cost of water pollution. An economic approach is introduced to analyze these costs by placing values on the damages incurred from poor water quality in the study area. To this end, a mathematical model is calibrated and verified for the study area using historical water quality data. The model is applied to simulate scenarios of water quality management, quantifying the impact of pollution control on river water quality with the objective of keeping water quality within standards throughout the river. Cost of pollution (foregone benefits) is compared to the cost of remedial actions as identified by the simulated scenarios. The study results of several pollution control scenarios indicate that the benefits of improved water quality outweigh the cost of pollution control. Finally, a preliminary action plan for water quality protection of the Barada River basin is presented.

Mots clés : BOD, DO, Coliform, Pollution, Management

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