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Water scarcity has evolved into a pressing global issue, significantly impacting numerous regions worldwide. The use of treated wastewater stands out as a promising solution to this problem. However, the proliferation of various contaminants, primarily Antimicrobial Resistance Genes (ARGs), poses a significant challenge to its safe and sustainable use. In this study, we assessed the composition and abundance of 373 ARGs, corresponding to 31 different classes of antibiotics, in six wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in Agadir city of Morocco. Influent and effluent samples were collected during the months of February and July in 2020, in addition to samples from the Atlantic Ocean. In total, 223 ARGs were uncovered, highlighting in particular resistance to aminoglycoside, macrolide lincosamide, beta-lactamase, chloramphenicol, sulfonamide, tetracycline, and other antibiotics. The mechanisms of action of these ARGs were mainly antibiotic inactivation, antibiotic target alteration, efflux pump and cellular protection. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were detected at high levels their co-occurrence with ARGs highlights their involvement in the acquisition and transmission of ARGs in microbial communities through horizontal gene transfer. While many wastewater treatment methods effectively reduce a large proportion of gene material and pathogens, a substantial fraction of ARGs and other contaminants persist in treated wastewater. This persistence poses potential risks to both human health and the environment, warranting the need of more effective treatment strategies., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Wastewater treatment is a crucial step in preserving public health and the environment. The quality of treated wastewater depends on the efficiency of the treatment system, which necessitates the evaluation of effluent quality. This is the first study to evaluate the efficiency of three treatment processes used to treat wastewater in Agadir, Morocco. Microbial biodiversity was characterized at the inlet and outlet of three treatment plants based on sequencing of seven hypervariable regions of the 16 S rRNA gene. Based on the relative abundance of bacterial biodiversity between the inflow and effluent of AOURIR and ANZA WWTPs, activated sludge emerges as the more efficacious treatment in comparison to lamellar decantation. These two treatments reduced the relative abundances and even eliminated several bacteria, including pathogenic bacteria. However, the primary M'ZAR treatment increased bacterial biodiversity from the influent to the effluent, which requires secondary and tertiary treatments to eliminate pathogenic bacteria and prevent environmental pollution. This study demonstrates the importance of assessing effluent quality to protect public health and the health of systems that receive effluents., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no financial or commercial ties that could be considered as apotential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In order to use the purified wastewater for the irrigation of a golf course in the Taghazout area (Southwestern of Morocco), this study was conducted to evaluate the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of the treated wastewater in the new Aourir plant (Activated Sludge technology). In order to achieve these objectives, three types of water were analyzed: raw water (RW), biologically treated water (BTW) and water treated by ultraviolet radiation (UV-TW). The physicochemical parameters analyzed were Temperature, pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), five-day Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Total Suspended Solids (SS), Nitrate (NO3), and Orthophosphates (PO4). Otherwise, the analyzed biological parameters are Total Coliforms (TC), Fecal Coliforms (FC), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Fecal Streptococci (FS). The physicochemical parameters showed that temperature is always lower than 30°C, the pH is close to neutrality and a strong fluctuation of the high electrical conductivity (2700 μS/cm) occurs in UV-TW. At all stages of wastewater treatment, COD, BOD5, SS, NO3 and PO4 were below the limit values recommended by Moroccan standards. The bacteriological results showed a high level of bacterial contamination in RW and BTW, but in UV-TW the loads did not exceed 3 log10. The average loads of TC, FC, E. coli and FC in UV-TW were 2.13, 1.67, 1.77, and 2 (log10 CFU/100ml) respectively. Activated sludge treatment combined with UV has demonstrated sufficient quality to reuse treated water in irrigation; however, the UV treatment requires control to avoid any effect on the microbiological and physicochemical quality of green spaces and groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estuaries are among the ecosystems most affected by human actions worldwide. Economic development in Morocco puts pressure on these aquatic systems, making them vulnerable. This study compares the state of benthic communities between a pristine estuary (Massa estuary) and a polluted one (Souss estuary). Both ecosystems belong to the Souss Massa National Park (SMNP), registered in the Ramsar list for its ecological importance as a Marine Protected Area (MPA). Twenty-one benthic species were identified in the pristine estuary, but only six species in the polluted one. Similar differences were detected for the species abundance and biomass. The total organic matter and the water-dissolved oxygen also revealed a notable negative effect of the sewage discharge. The results confirmed human disturbances on faunal communities related to direct wastewater inputs and indirect anthropogenic activities such as the urbanization and the litter generation. A combination of ending wastewater discharge and adding tertiary-level water treatment plants is recommended. The findings highlight the importance of MPAs in conservation strategies if coupled with continuous surveillance of pollution. [Display omitted] • Study of benthic communities in two estuaries of a marine protected area (MPA) in Morocco • Significant difference found between pristine and polluted estuaries • Wastewater inputs influenced the load of organic matter and the dissolved oxygen. • Urgent addition/upgrading to tertiary-level water treatment plants and ending wastewater discharge is needed. • MPAs are effective if coupled with continuous surveillance of pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]