Abstract

The main objective of this study is to evaluate thedegree of pollution of Wadi Ykem through a geochemical studyallowing highlighting the physicochemical characteristics aswell, the evaluation and the distribution of the heavy metalcontents in the sediments. For the environmental assessment ofits sediments, a study was carried out to determine theconcentrations of major elements and trace elements (Cd, Cr,Al, Pb, Zn, Cu and Ni) during two different hydrologicalseasons: in summer (June 2017) and in winter (April 2018). Inthe two campaigns 20 sediment samples were collected in 10sampling sites. The various sampling sites were distributedupstream and downstream of the Ykem river. These metalswere analyzed at CNESTEN using the ICP MS technique. Thegeo-accumulation index, the Enrichment Factor (EF) and thePollution Load Index (PLI) were used for the assessment ofmetallic contamination of the sediments. The results of thisstudy show a homogeneous distribution of the contents of majorelements with a dominance of the elements SiO2 and TiO2 in thetwo campaigns. High Cd contents which exceed the contents ofgeochemical backgrounds. High levels of Cd, Pb and Al. Andlow concentrations for (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn) for the two campaigns.The PLI variations show that all the stations have PLI valuesgreater than 1. The Enrichment Factor does not showcontamination at all sampling stations. The values of Igeo showlevels which vary from uncontaminated to moderatelycontaminated.