Abstract
Effluents released from wastewater stabilization ponds are re-used for irrigation while sludge is directly applied to agricultural lands as potential fertilizer. However, some treatment schemes are less efficient on the treatment, and not designed for removal of contaminants of emerging concern (CEC). Thus, the current study investigated the occurrence of CEC and physicochemical characteristics of Swaswa wastewater stabilization ponds (SWWSP). Sample partitioning followed by full scan mode GC/MS analysis for screening of CEC was adapted. It was observed that both influent and effluent from SWWSP had a significant amount of CEC such as metronidazole in the range of 0.065-0.104 ppm. It was further observed that physicochemical analysis before and after partition had insignificant differences among EC, salinity, pH, ammonium, and TDS. Nevertheless, turbidity and DO were significantly affected by the partitioning process. The presence of metronidazole poses an unclear environmental threat that requires immediate intervention since this chemical and other CEC have no local and international guidelines and do not fall under routine monitoring activities.