The Impact of Treated and Untreated Wastewater on Soil Properties in Famagusta, Cyprus

ABSTRACT A random sample of soil from Famagusta, Cyprus, was used in the study to examine the effects of treated and untreated irrigation wastewater on the physicochemical parameters of the soil. Soil samples of various textures (sand, clay, and silt) were collected at a depth of 20 cm and mixed with treated (TWW) and untreated wastewater (UWW). Parameters, such as trace metals, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), cations, and anions, were analyzed for all samples. Pollution indices, such as geo‐accumulation index ( I geo ), enrichment factor (EF), and metal contamination index (MCI), were utilized to assess the level of soil pollution caused by irrigation wastewater. The results reveal that TWW and UWW were higher in trace metals than the background sample, whereas the results of pollution indices indicate geo‐ I geo revealed the order Cu > Zn > Ni > Cr > Ti as heavily contaminated (3 < I geo 4) for Cu (UWW–SC), and EF shows a descending order of metal as Cu < Zn < Ni < Ti. For factor analysis, Al, Ti, Mn, Ni, Cu, Cr, and Zn had a higher factor loading (>0.5), implying that the concentration of the elements during wastewater treatment significantly affects quality, characteristics, and variability of the soils. The K ‐means cluster showed final cluster centers with Zn having the highest mean clusters of 0.41 and 2.02 for clusters 1 and 2, respectively. The result also indicated that there were positive (direct) and negative (inverse) relationships from covariance analysis. According to the study, reusing treated or untreated municipal wastewater for agricultural irrigation unquestionably improves the qualities of soil as a medium for the growth of living things.