The role of urbanization in soil and groundwater contamination by heavy metals and pathogenic bacteria: A case study from Oman

Urban Farm DB summary

A study in A'Seeb city, Oman, combined a sociological questionnaire survey of residents' perceptions with sampling of pathogenic bacteria, water-soluble metals, basic cations, salinity and texture in soil and groundwater near urban gardens and municipal waste disposal sites. Most surveyed residents were not paying attention to the negative consequences of their activities on soil and the environment. Heavy metal concentrations were significant at some contaminated sites though still below international standards, while fecal contaminants were reported in some garden, waste-site and groundwater samples, identifying human pathogens in risk group 2 including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella spp. and E. coli.