Assessment of biogenic pollution caused by anthropogenic factors in the Iori River
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52340/idw.2025.11Keywords:
Antropogenic pollution, biogens, nitrates, nitrites, sulphates, amonia ionsAbstract
The Iori River basin in eastern Georgia is in the Kakheti and Mtskheta-Mtianeti regions. Agriculture and the industrial sector are well developed here. Recreational facilities such as the balneological resort of Ujarma and the resort of Gombori are currently functioning. The Iori River is used for irrigation. Its water irrigates more than 90,000 hectares of the Iori Upland. The Iori River basin includes the Tianeti Municipality, Sagarejo Municipality, Dedoplistskaro Municipality, and partly the Sighnaghi Municipality.
We conducted research on the Iori River in 2023-2024 seasonally in the territory of Sagarejo Municipality. We selected this point according to the following criteria: it is a densely populated area and includes the city of Sagarejo and 44 villages. Anthropogenic pressure is observed on the Iori River basin and its ecosystem.
Since the content of biogenic elements accurately reflects the degree of pollution of water bodies by domestic and communal wastewater and fertilizers used excessively in agriculture, it is relevant to determine their individual forms NO2-, NO3-, NH4+, PO43- in the water of the Iori River, which are indicators of fecal pollution.
The results of our seasonal research show that in the summer and autumn of 2023-2024, the ecological state of the Iori River at the point we selected is unsatisfactory. The impact of anthropogenic factors is indicated by the concentration of nitrogen-containing ions recorded in the Iori River. In the summer and autumn seasons of 2023-2024, the ammonium ion indicator exceeded the maximum permissible concentration. In 2023, its content was recorded in the summer at 0.552 mg/l, in the autumn at 0.693 mg/l. In 2024, the ammonium content in the summer was 0.489 mg/l, and in the autumn at 0.477 mg/l. The high concentration of ammonium observed in the water of the Iori River, in our opinion, is caused by the excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture, biogenic elements washed away from farms, untreated domestic and communal wastewater, and illegal landfills on the riverbank.
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