Groundwater quality assessment and its suitability for agricultural purposes in the Behbahan Plain, SW Iran

Abstract

Groundwater is the main agricultural water resource in arid and semi-arid regions, so, preserving it is extremely important. In this study, groundwater quality was assessed for irrigation, using the principal chemical and physical quality parameters from 30 wells in the study area. Groundwater classification on the basis of electrical conductivity reveals that more than 85% of the samples taken fall into the 'unsuitable' and 'doubtful' classes. On the basis of Richards's classification, 67% of the samples are unsuitable for irrigation. Most, however, appear suitable for irrigation based on their sodium adsorption ratio, %Na, permeability index, magnesium adsorption ratio, Kelly's ratio and residual sodium carbonate water quality indices. The concentration of boron varies between 0 and 2 mg/l, within the FAO's (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) acceptable standard range. About 60% of the wells are not suitable for drip irrigation because of the water's potential for clogging. There will be no water infiltration problem, if groundwater in the study area is used for irrigation. With respect to the SO 4 2À and Cl À concentrations, 53% and 13% of the samples collected are unsuitable for irrigation, respectively. Less than 10% of the samples have 'severe' constraints restricting their use for irrigation with respect to nitrogen. For sprinkler irrigation, however, the groundwater is subject to 'severe' restrictions. Geochemical investigations indicate that the water chemistry is affected by processes including evaporation, water-rock interactions and human activities.

Hydrogeochemical assessment of streamwater quality for its suitability for irrigation: the case of Manthong village, Kanglung (Bhutan)

“…The RSBC values are lower than 5 mEq/L, which implies that the risk of sodium carbonate salt accumulation in the soil is low, indicating little hazardous effect of alkalinity on irrigation water quality. Thereby, the streamwater in the study area is safe for irrigational usage (Durov 1948;Ehya & Marbouti 2018). Based on the PI values, 99% of the streamwater samples from WS-1 and WS-2 fall in the excellent category while only 1% fall in the good category, showing the suitability of the streamwater for irrigational usage (Table 3).…”

“…Irrigation waters with high concentrations of CO 3 À and HCO 3 À have high pH values and make soil infertile due to sodium carbonate deposition (Ehya & Marbouti 2018). As the concentrations of CO 3 À and HCO 3 À increase, so does the potential sodium hazard because of the tendency of Ca and Mg ions to precipitate as carbonates increase which in turn will increase Na in solution.…”

Water Quality Index for Assessment of Potability of Groundwater Resource in Langata Sub County, Nairobi-Kenya

“…In agriculture, [104] assessed groundwater quality for irrigation, using the principal chemical and physical quality parameters from 30 wells in Behbahan Plain, SW Iran. The study reported that groundwater classification on the basis of electrical conductivity showed that more than 85% of the samples taken were either 'unsuitable' or 'doubtful' water quality.…”

Geoeconomic interest of minerals assemblage of sebkha El Melah, southeastern Tunisia

“…In endorheic saline systems, this brine accumulated due to either dissolution by water (e.g. rivers) of the outcropping rocks along the hydrological basin (Ehya & Moghadam 2017) or the groundwater-rock interaction along the hydrogeological basin (Ehya & Marbouti 2018;Chen & Gui 2019). Added to these processes, in exoreic systems, saline water is accumulated mainly due to seawater contribution (Ben Smida 2016).…”