Physico-Chemical Characterization of an Urban Wastewater Effluent and its Impact on the Receiving Environment: Oued Nfifikh (Morocco)

Oued Nfifikh is among the least studied Moroccan rivers. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to shed light on the quality of this undervalued stream. Its downstream part is affected by one of the most crucial environmental issues. It receives the discharges of wastewater evacuated precariously without prior treatment, which might lead to the degradation of the overall ecological status of this fluvial hydrosystem. This research work aimed to study the physicochemical water quality downstream the river Nfifikh through a monthly monitoring of the physicochemical parameters' indicator of pollution, from August 2018 to July 2019. The results obtained show that the stream is exposed to high pollution which is mainly organic. Consequently, the wastewater represents a major cause of water quality degradation of this receiving environment: ecological and health impacts are therefore to be expected.