Survey of Nitrate and Nitrite Concentration in Jiroft Groundwater Resources in 2009

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concentration of nitrate and nitrite in groundwater resources of Jiroft city and compare them with WHO standard.
This was descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study. The samples were taken from 55 wells in different parts of Jiroft in a one-year-period study. Each season three samples were taken from each source. Nitrate and nitrite concentrations were determined by spectrophotometry. SPSS 16 software were used for data analysis. Statistical tests used, included One-way ANOVA and Post Hoc Tests (Tukey HSD and the Tamhane).
The annual average concentration of nitrate and nitrite in the water wells of Jiroft were 10.05 and 0.01 mg/L, respectively. Nitrate and nitrite levels in different seasons showed no significant differences (P>0.05). Nitrate concentrations were significant differences between first zone and zone 2 and 3, second zone and zone 5 and 6, Third zone and zone 5 and 6. Nitrate concentrations in residential areas was more than garden and vacant lands (P Nitrate and nitrite concentrations in wells were less than WHO standard but It is likely that some wells will have nitrate concentrations above the standard level, in the future. It is suggested that nitrate increasing factor in wells have to be controled and proper strategy should be considerd for prevention, reduction and control of nitrate concentration.