ISSN: 2689-8039
Authors: Al-Abbawy DA*
This study aimed revealing the qualitative characteristics of medical wastewater in large health institutions and its potential effects on freshwater rivers. Due to the lack of studies in this field, the research focused on the current treatment reality in two private hospitals, Al-Saadi and Al-Mawaddah. The objectives were to assess the liquid waste management, detect the efficiency of treatment units, evaluate the handling of liquid medical waste on fresh waterways, and compare the results with the required treatment levels. The study analyzed water properties from the sewage systems of the targeted hospitals. Samples were collected in 2022 from direct sources of discharged water and the treatment plant before mixing with public sewage. Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, including pH, suspended solids, oxygen demand, nitrates, and phosphates, were measured before and after treatment. The highest removal efficiency was observed in the chemical and biological oxygen demand values, recorded at 83.73% and 84.39% for Al-Saadi Hospital, and 89.99% and 87.89% for Al-Mawaddah Hospital.
Keywords: Basra; Efficiency; Iraq; Private Hospitals; Wastewater
