News > "Mobile laboratories used for in-situ water monitoring programmes at Iraqi dams"
Mobile laboratories used for in-situ water monitoring programmes at Iraqi dams October 28, 2009 12:36
The mobile laboratories and associated water testing equipment have been supplied for use in the city of Koya in KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government), Iraq.
The vehicles were procured by the Ministry of Water Resources as a 
pilot scheme for
an ongoing water monitoring programme at the Durkan and Darbandikham dams. Officially re-established in 2004, the Ministry assumes responsibility for overall water management, including maintenance of the extensive system of irrigation canals and dams across the country.
The vehicles will be used to establish fully equipped laboratories, enabling for both sampling and water testing procedures to be carried out. The use of the vehicles allows for the equipment and personnel to be moved around the sites freely, and facilitates the obtaining of rapid in-situ procedures with laboratory accurate results.
Located on the Lesser Zab River, approximately 220 km upstream from its confluence with the Tigris River, the Dukan dam was built in 1953 and is capable of storing 6.8 billion square meters of water. The Darbandikhan dam is located on the Diyala-Sirwan river in a narrow valley between the Baranan mountains, approximately 55km south east of sulaimaniya city and 230 km north east of Baghdad. Construction of the dam started in 1956 and was completed in summer 1961. The dam can hold 3 billion square meters of water.
Together with the adjacent power stations at each site with capacities of 400 MW and 249 MW respectively, the structures are part of a multipurpose scheme for power reduction and irrigation. The dams are primarily used for irrigation, recreation, flood control and energy production for the local areas.
The mobile laboratories used, were the Land Rover Defender models which are designed to bespoke specifications through partnership between Land Rover and Wagtech. Every mobile laboratory Wagtech supplies is built and optimised for exact customer specifications. The vehicles supplied to the Ministry of Water Resources included laboratory furniture such as sinks, refrigerators/freezers, laminated work surfaces and storage cupboards.
The tender specification then required bespoke Wagtech water testing equipment to also be installed. The Wagtech Potalab, a market-leading water test kit will be used for the determination of micro-biological and physico-chemical parameters. A full set of Photometer reagents were included to be used with the Potalab Photometer, allowing for the testing of up to 40 different chemicals.
The Wagtech Metalyser, a portable heavy metals analyser will be used to test for Arsenic, Copper, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, and Zinc to parts-per-billion (PPB) levels. The first of its kind in the world, the Metalyser requires no reagents or consumables and allows for significantly lower cost in-situ analysis compared to traditional laboratory based methods.
The Wagtech Portable Hydrocarbon Analyser was included to detect C6 and higher MW petroleum hydrocarbons, and a portable Autoclave for sterilising all equipment used for the Potalab tests. All equipment provided fits neatly into the designated interior designs with consumables and accessories providing the complete laboratory setup required for long term sustainable monitoring programmes to be undertaken.
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