الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
A comprehensive survey of the operational status and potential environmental The present study was conducted to assess water quality (physicchemical factors) in three differing-water quality habitats across the Nile Delta of Egypt, namely River Nile (Damietta Branch), Bahr Al Mallahah (Manzala Lake) and an Agricultural Drain nearby Mansoura City. In addition, the present study aimed to determine selected heavy metal elements (Zn, Fe, Mn, Cr, Cd, Ni, Pb, Co and Cu) in water, sediment as well as three teleosts, namely Clarias gariepinus, Mugil cephalus and Oreochromis niloticus. Explored aquatic habitats varied greatly in physicochemical characteristics and heavy metals burden. Heavy metal pollution was ordered as follows: sediment fish water. Heavy metals accumulation in fish was as follows: Manzala Lake Agricultural Drain River Nile. The level of metals in water was ranked as follows: River Nile Manzala Lake Agricultural Drain. Regarding level in fishes’ organs, the accumulation tendency was ordered as follows: Liver Gills Gonads Muscles. The order of metal accumulation was: Liver Gill Gonad Muscle in Clarias gariepinus. The order of metal accumulation in Mugil cephalus was: Liver Gill Gonad Muscle. The order of metal accumulation in Oreochromis niloticus Liver Gill Gonad Muscle. Obtained data from the computation of Hazard Index (HI) related to metals in muscles of fish species in investigated aquatic environments was beyond the recommended level. River Nile and Manzala Lake are polluted with a range of heavy metals as well as other categories of contaminants can pose adverse impacts on the biodiversity of biological communities dwelling the river and modifying the ecological balance of aquatic habitats. Regarding the riverine habitats, heavy metal pollution emerges from numerous natural and human created sources, for example agricultural arrangements, precipitation, weathering, and domestic as well as industrial waste discharges. Water pollution in the Nile Delta is triggered primarily by poorly treated and/or untreated waste discharges which become the core threat to the River Nile and Manzala Lake biodiversity.