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ASSESSMENT OF CYTOTOXICITY AND GENOTOXICTY OF TREATED WASTEWATER BY ALLIUM CEPA BASED BIOASSAY: A CASE STUDY IN TABUK, KSA

Zahid Khorshid Abbas; Zahid Hameed Siddiqui*

Water is an elixir for life, yet we are not able to replenish it to nature at the same pace with which we are extracting it. Tabuk, the capital city of the north-west region of KSA produce 110,000 m3/day of wastewater. This wastewater is treated on the outskirts of the city. KSA is considering wastewater as a major water source and aims to achieve its 100% usage by 2025. In Tabuk, most of the treated wastewater is used for groundwater recharge; our aim was to evaluate the water quality by Allium cepa bioassay. This is the first report from the KSA and gives an insight into the cyto-genotoxicity of treated wastewater in the arid environment. In this current study released treated wastewater from Tabuk, wastewater treatment plant was collected from different locations and its physicochemical properties were examined, tap water and distilled water was used as the control. In addition, assessment of cyto-genotoxicity of the said treated wastewater was done by A.cepa bioassay. The water quality parameters such as pH, temperature, conductivity, TDS and Turbidity values shows an increasing trend as we move from S1 to S4. Salinity values were constant and dissolved oxygen value was highest at S1 as compared to all other sites. The heavy metal values of Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb were decreased from S1 to S4. In A. cepa test, macroscopic parameters, root number, and root length were increased from S1 to S4. The microscopic parameter like mitotic index was significantly inhibited at S1 as compare to other sites. Abnormal cell shape, spindle disorientation, chromosomal adherence, fragmentation, chromosomal bridges, and micronuclei were recorded after 5 days. The values concluded that water at S1 and S2 was more harmful compared to S3 and S4. The elemental analysis at S4 and the values of root number, root length, fewer abnormalities in the cell shows possible phytoremediation effect of Phragmitis sp. Key words: Cytotoxicity, Genotoxicity, Chromosomal bridges, Phytoremidiation, Aquifer recharge.

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