Rabigh area is one of the most promising areas in the Southwestern province in Saudi Arabia. Forthcoming governmental developments and vigorous activities are planned to be located in and around Rabigh area.
Pollution rates have increased significantly in Rabigh Governorate recently due to industrial development in the region, as well as the presence of landfills designated for hazardous industrial waste, and unqualified sewage landfills. In addition, marine environment pollution is caused by direct industrial discharge into the sea in the coastal area of Rabigh. As a result, there is an urgent need for many studies that must clarify the pollution hotspots in the city, as well as determine the nature of pollutants on site.
In the present study, samples of soil, groundwater, seawater and sediment were collected and analyzed to measure the concentration of pollutants in soil and water. Also, air quality measurements were made in the study area. Arc GIS software was used to analyze the data and identify pollution hotspots in the study area.
The environmental land-water quality map (Fig. 15) assesses five classes with varying degrees (very low, low, moderate, high, and very high) of environmental quality zones. The environmental quality map (Fig. 15) shows that the study area is in a high environmental quality zone, but most of the areas surrounding it are in a very high to moderate environmental quality zone Except the southern part of the study area (Landfill area) it is in the moderate quality to low quality zone. The low-quality zones in the seawater among the study area, especially the southern part of the study area because of the increasing development therein.