The two lecturers at the Marine Science Center at the University of Basra, Prof. Dr. Falah Marouf Mutlaq and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Abdul-Ridha Jassim, participated in the discussion committee of the postgraduate student (Kazem Hashim Hassan) in the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources at the College of Agriculture at the University of Basra, his thesis entitled (The impact of sewage flows on the composition of the fish community in the Shatt al-Basrah Canal - Iraq).
The study aimed to determine the type of flows and the extent of their impact on the environmental characteristics of the canal and to estimate the levels of heavy elements and their accumulation in the water, sediments and muscles of resident fish, in addition to determining the effects of fish consumption on human health
By comparing the accumulation of pollutants with the permissible global levels.
The study concluded that the number of freshwater species decreased and marine species prevailed, and that lead levels in the water and muscles of the studied fish increased from global determinants. By using some diversity and pollution indicators, the nature of the Shatt al-Basrah Canal was in a state of continuous change as a result of the increased concentration of pollutants.
The study recommended the establishment of special units to treat sewage water and activate the supervisory aspect, in addition to increasing water releases and regulating the operation of the Shatt al-Basra regulator to contribute to limiting the aggravation of the problem of pollutants and the rise in salinity concentrations.
