Physicochemical Characterization and Metallic Contamination of the Waters of Oued Nfifikh (Morocco)

Oued Nfifikh is a coastal stream of the Bouregreg and Chaouia watershed (Morocco). It passes through many rural and urban areas and receives different types of liquid and solid discharges from anthropogenic activities adopted along the watercourse. This study aims to evaluate the physicochemical quality of the water from the most acces-sible sites upstream and downstream of Oued Nfifikh, along with highlighting the impact of human activities on these waters’ quality. For this purpose, water samples were collected and analyzed within normalized methods. Statistical analysis of the collected data shows significant spatial variations (p value < 0.05) for pH, electrical conductivity, nitrate and chloride, and for metallic trace elements (Zn, Fe, Ba, Mn, Cr and Al). Unlike (temperature, Pb, Ni, Cu and Cd), whose values do not present statistically significant variations (p value > 0.05). The study of the physicochemical quality reveals that the waters at the upstream are classed as good quality, except for site (S2), located at the upstream part of the river, it is affected by human activities. Consequently, its physicochemical composition is quite similar to that of waters of poor quality at the downstream sites. The Principal Component Analysis of the results followed by the Ascending Hierarchical Classification on the same data matrix allowed to regroup the sampling sites with similar characteristics into three distinct groups. A group of highly mineralized waters, a second group dominated by elements indicating urban pollution, and a group of waters with low mineral content and low metallic contamination indicating agricultural pollution.