Studying the Impact of Pollution from Wadi Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea Using GIS and Remote Sensing Techniques

Abstract

Wadi Gaza is considered as one of the most important coastal wetlands located on the Eastern Mediterranean Basin. It is witnessing rapid degradation due to anthropogenic activities including but not limited to discharge of municipal sewage, dumping of solid wastes, rampant use of pesticides and illegal poaching. They form a river of untreated wastewater, more than 5 km long, before its discharge into the Mediterranean Sea. This study aims to perform an analytical study of Wadi Gaza and study its effects on the pollution of the seawater opposite to it using GIS and remote sensing techniques. The flow accumulation, the watershed and the stream orders inside and outside the Gaza Strip are determined based on a DEM which involves a radar terrestrial scanning of Palestine carried out by NASA’s Endeavor Space Shuttle. The area of the watershed inside Gaza is estimated to be equal to 58.792 km2. The Study also shows that the total amount of contaminated water that flows into the sea can be estimated to reach 146.5 mm3/year. The total area of coastal sea contamination approximately reaches 38.8 km2 and is oriented to the north direction along the coastal shore and its influence extends to Gaza seaport, 10 km apart from the Wadi.