Vardar water in Veles shows fecal contamination and elevated nitrites
Veles CPH samples from 17 September found nitrites at river entry (Bashino Selo) and exit (Dolni Dukjani); turbidity and ammonia reached class 5.
Analyses carried out by the Veles Center for Public Health (CPH) and published by the Municipality of Veles show that water in the Vardar River at the town’s entry and exit points contains nitrites, a sign of both old and new fecal contamination. Samples were taken on 17 September.
What the measurements found
The CPH results indicate that at both measurement points on the Vardar through Veles — at Bashino Selo (river entry) and at Dolni Dukjani (river exit) — bacterial contamination is classified as class 3. That means the water is not in the worst category: it is improved compared with about ten years ago, when parts of the river reached the highest, class 5, level of bacterial contamination.
Other tested parameters scored worse: turbidity and ammonia were placed in class 5, while phosphates were in class 4. The report notes that elevated phosphates point to untreated sewage discharge and household wastewater from detergents that contain phosphates, as well as industrial and processing wastewater that use phosphorus compounds.
CPH notes that the remaining parameters examined in the samples fell into class 2 and class 1, indicating better quality for those measures.
The published results underline ongoing pollution pressures on the Vardar in the Veles area and point to sources that include both municipal sewage and industrial effluents. The Municipality of Veles released the analyses but did not attach additional measures or a timetable in the publication.
Photo: SDK.MK)
