1. Introduction
Soil pollution of agricultural areas surrounding big
cities is a major environmental problem. The Damascus
Ghouta is an area with intensive agricultural and
horticultural production surrounds Damascus city in
the East. It is one of the major agricultural areas of
Syria. Based on the water shortage in the area, parts of
the Ghouta are irrigated with treated but also untreated
sewage effluents from Damascus city.
Continuous urbanisation of Damascus leads to an
increased pollution of soil and water resources and