Environmental Assessment of Lack Infrastructure on Ground and Surface Water Quality ,Physical Biochemical and Possible Engineering Solutions for Tugu’ Area Bethlehem

Abstract

Tuqu’ lacks a public sewage network; most of the population uses cesspits as a means for wastewater disposal. According to PCBS's Population and Housing Census in 2007 and PWA data, the majorit y of Tuqu’'s housing unit s (99.7%) use cesspits for wastewater disposal, 0.1% of the housing units have no means for wastewater collection and disposal, while the means for wastewater disposal is unknown for the remaining units (0.2%). The wastewater collected by cesspits is discharged by wastewater tankers directly to open areas or nearby valleys without any regard for the environment. Here it should be noted that there is no wastewater treatment either at the source or at the disposal sites and this poses a serious threat to the environment and the public health. The main objectives of the study is to investigate and specify the impacts of the rawwastewater (septic tank ) on the quality of groundwater and household cisterns in the drainagebasin, as well as the socio-economic factors, and to pinpoint on possible measures to improve the situation. On the other hand, this study aims to:fill the gap regarding the lack of the environmental studies about the study area,Assist the Palestinian decision-makers to make the right decisions related to the current situation in the region, based on the main results of this study, Designing a sanitary network for Tuqu' area. Determine the water quality of the household cisterns and ground water to improve the quality of the water sources . Two data sources have been identified for this research:The primary data are extracted mainly from the direct observations from the study area. The primary data used are conceptual and provides visions for the future, it is also informatics and helps to understand the current situation. Meanwhile, the secondary data are built through circulations of the available data in the forms of archived researches, literature reviews, published documents, mapping, and interpretation.Mainly the methodologies of data collection classified according to the aspects to be investigated in this thesis research are the water quality and the Socio-economic aspects. The methodology of water quality assessment consisted of four samplings campaigns for the study area which are: in order to evaluate the different trends of water quality regarding the chemical, microbial, physical and biological composition. All the samples of water were analyzed in Palestine polytechnic university laboratories. water samples were also collected by 1-Leter sterilized glass bottles and analyzed for pH, TDS, EC, TC and FC . The other part of methodology is statistical; the adopted approach for this assignment based on a written questionnaire that has been designed for this study, seeking for representing most of the life’s aspects, it consists of the three following sections :Healthy section , Socio-Economic section ,Environmental section The survey was conducted for a random sample, which amounted to 375 persons The results have been analyzed through SPSS Statistics application; a software package that is used for statistical analysis. And the survey results were presented by means of tabulations, charts and graphs, by which a clear vision would be created about the significance of wastewater effects on the two localit ies life’s aspects , In addit ion, a sewerage system for the Tuqu' area will be designed as a solution to these problems. as an expected result for this reseach, evaluating the social, economical and environmental issues for tuqu area and design sanitary network.