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Al-Tamimi, et al.

Mediterranean Sea. However, it is heavily polluted the National School of Tunisian Engineers in El Manar
by wastewater from domestic and industrial activities University.
in the Hebron area. This contamination is concerning,
as elements such as lithium, zinc, barium, and copper Funding
originate primarily from anthropogenic sources,
including industrial activities, municipal sewage, None.
domestic wastes, and industrial discharges, all of which
increase their concentrations in groundwater. Conflict of interest
Water serves as the primary medium through which
trace elements enter the environment, and the HPI The authors declare they have no competing interests.
effectively characterizes groundwater pollution in this
region. The overall HPI for Wadi Al-Samen was found to Author contributions
be 17.2 in the dry season and 11.99 in the wet season, both
below the critical threshold of 100. The MI was 2.3 in the Conceptualization: Rachida Bouhalila, Marwan
dry season and 2.2 in the wet season, indicating moderate Ghanem
contamination. Groundwater was classified as poor in the Formal analysis: Waseem Al-Tamimi, Marwan Ghanem
Al-Hejreh well (W10) and very poor in the Al-Fawwar1 Investigation: Fadoua Hamzaoui-Azaza, Waseem
well (W11), rendering it unsuitable for drinking. The Al-Tamimi
concentrations of barium, lithium, zinc, copper, and se Methodology: Waseem Al-Tamimi
exceeded permissible limits in some samples, signaling a Writing – original draft: Waseem Al-Tamimi
potential threat to water resources in the Wadi Al-Samen Writing – review & editing: Rachida Bouhalila, Fadoua
area that necessitates immediate attention from the Hamzaoui-Azaza
Palestinian local administration and the Water Authority.
This finding highlights the urgent need for Availability of data
wastewater treatment in major human settlements to
prevent hazardous chemicals from polluting water Data are available from the corresponding author upon
bodies. Expanding the sampling network, increasing reasonable request.
seasonal sampling frequency, and incorporating
advanced geochemical analyses to differentiate between Further disclosure
natural and anthropogenic contamination sources would
enhance the robustness of future studies. In addition, The research is part of the Ph.D thesis of Waseem
evaluating the efficiency of existing wastewater Tamimi at the University of Tunis El Manar in Tunisia.
treatment facilities and proposing targeted remediation
measures would strengthen the study’s practical impact References
on water resource management and policy development.
Our study underscores the importance of coordinated 1. Al-Khuzaie MM, Abdul Maulud KN, Wan Mohtar WH,
efforts by the Water Authority, Hebron Municipality, Yaseen MZ. Assessment of untreated wastewater
and other responsible agencies to implement biological pollution and heavy metal contamination in the Euphrates
and chemical wastewater treatment in Wadi Al-Samen. river. Environ Pollut Bioavail. 2023;36(1):2292110.
We also recommend the rapid rehabilitation and doi: 10.1080/26395940.2023.2292110
construction of a wastewater treatment plant to improve 2. Kana AA. Heavy metal assessment of groundwater
water quality in the region, safeguard public health, and quality in part of Karu, Central Nigeria. Water Pract
Technol. 2022;17(9):1802-1817.
protect aquatic ecosystems. doi: 10.2166/wpt.2022.102
3. Brindha K, Paul R, Walter J, Tan ML, Singh, MK. Trace
Acknowledgments metals contamination in groundwater and implications

on human health: Comprehensive assessment using
The authors are grateful thanks to the Palestinian and hydrogeochemical and geostatistical methods. Environ
Tunisian Higher Education and Scientific Research Geochem Health. 2020;42:3819-3839.
ministries as well as the University of El Manar in Tunisia doi: 10.1007/s10653-020-00637-9
for their support. Thanks goes also to the Laboratory 4. Khalid S, Shahid M, Natasha SAH, et al, Heavy metal
of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering (GHE) at contamination and exposure risk assessment via drinking

Volume 22 Issue 2 (2025) 60 doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025040020