Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT THE COVARIANCE OF SUSPENDED PARTICULATES CONCENTRATION LEVELS OVER KIRKUK GOVERNORATE, IRAQ

Abbas Mohammed Noori, Ali Abdul Khaliq Kamal, Ghadah Hasan Mohamed and Mohamed Ahmed Najemalden

Abstract

Due to the health effects of suspended particulates matter in the air as well as consider a major concern for many of the major cities in Iraq and all over the world, so this study was designed to monitor, mapping and assess the extent of variability in the levels of suspended particulate matter in the air of Kirkuk governorate using statistic and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation method has applied for spatial spreading mapping of total suspended particulates at the study area. Also, the findings were aligned with Iraqi standards locally and the World Health Organization (WHO) International requirements. In addition, determine the most important factors contributing the increase of this pollution. The study was carried out by measuring the concentrations of suspended particulate matter in the air of Kirkuk governorate by relying on three fixed and main stations distributed over the Kirkuk governorate for a period of five years from January 2014 to January 2019. The annual concentration rate for 2014 at Layaln Station is 74.16 μg/m3, 144.08 μg/m3 at the Taza station, while 229.15 μg/m3 at the Amal shaby station. The annual rate of concentration for particulate matter in the Layaln zone was within the specifications and determinants of Iraqi standards which identified by 150 μg/m3 throughout the study period. However, when the results were compared with WHO standards, the annual concentration rate for 2015 exceeds the allowable limits which identified by 60 μg/m3 to 90 μg/m3. In Taza zone, we find that all annual concentrations were identical and within the limits allowed in the Iraqi specifications, however in 2014 and 2017 it exceeded the limits in the international WHO standards. While the zone of Amal shaby the measured annual rate exceeded both the Iraqi standards and WHO throughout the duration of the study except in 2018, the annual concentration rate of both Iraqi and international standards, all areas were within the limits permitted.