Evaluation of indicator bacteria distribution in the headwaters of the Qeshlaq and Gawh Roud rivers of the Javah dam in Kurdistan Province

Evaluation of microbial indicators of water resources such as rivers, seas, and dams is important because these microorganisms can change the quality and sanitary of water and also affect the quantitative and qualitative changes of other organisms. In this study, the distribution of indicator bacteria including heterotrophic bacteria, coliforms, and fecal coliforms was investigated in the headwaters of the Qeshlaq and Gawh Roud rivers of the Javah dam in Kurdistan Province. The investigated stations include upstream of the Qeshlaq, Qeshlaq river branch 1, Qeshlaq river branch 2, Gaveh Roud branch, and Sirvan branch. The results showed that the mean and standard deviation of the heterotrophic bacteria in autumn 2020, winter 2021, spring 2021, and summer 2021 in five stations were 7.300±0.22, 6.54±0.63, 7.08±0.67, 7.58±0.32 CFU/100 mL, respectively, the coliform count was 4.11±1.07, 3.61±1.27, 4.48±0.55, 5.23±1.22 CFU/100 mL, respectively, and the counting fecal coliforms count was 2.84±1.07, 3.042±0.79, 2.86±1.18, 3.44±1.98 CFU/100 mL, respectively. The pollution of the river exceeded the standard range, which is caused by the inflow of rural sewage from agricultural fields and the inflow of sewage from agricultural areas. In this research, the most polluting resources of the Qeshlaq and Gaveh Roud rivers were the untreated sewage of Sanandaj city, but other contamination resources such as sewage from livestock, various poisons, and fertilizers resulting from the agricultural activities, washing, and soil erosion cannot be ignored. One of the suggested solutions to reduce the number of indicator bacteria from the Qeshlaq river is optimizing the sewage treatment plant process and completing its construction and equipment.