Groundwater quality assessment for drinking purposes: a case study in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Abstract

Groundwater serves as an important resource for people in the Mekong Delta, but its quality has been continuously declined from human activities. Current status of the groundwater quality needs to be evaluated for sustainable groundwater resource management. This study aimed to evaluate the groundwater quality for drinking purposes in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, using multivariate statistical methods and integrated-weight water quality index. Data comprised 8 water quality parameters (pH, total hardness, nitrate (NO3−), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), and coliforms) obtained from 64 observation wells in An Giang province, Dong Thap province, and Can Tho city, were analyzed by cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), and integrated-weight water quality index (IWQI). The results indicated that most parameters were within standards while excessive hardness and Fe contamination were found in some regions. More than 80% of samples were detected with serious coliform contamination. The CA results revealed that groundwater quality heavily depend on geological locations with 4 clusters of the sampling locations. Three principal components obtained from PCA could explain 77.2% of the groundwater quality variation. The IWQI values ranging from 4 to 2761 classified groundwater quality as excellent (53.1%), good (25%), poor (9.4%), very poor (4.7%), and undrinkable (7.8%), which were associated with coliform contamination. These findings have provided insights into the groundwater quality status in the region, which can benefit in developing a water protection strategy.

Application of Judgmental Sampling Approach for the Monitoring of Groundwater Quality and Quantity Evolution in Mediterranean Catchments

“…Another approach that has seen significant development in recent years is hydrological modeling, which can represent the transport and transformation processes of pollutants in the environment [8]. Groundwater quality indices (GQIs) have proven to be a straightforward and effective methodology for assessing the overall groundwater quality being performed in numerous studies in different regions of the world [9]. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for groundwater quality prediction and simulation also proved to produce accurate results [10,11].…”

Assessment of Groundwater Quality in Ho Chi Minh City by Groundwater Quality Index (GWQI)

“…In order to assess the groundwater quality for drinking in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, multivariate statistical methods and an integrated-weight water quality index with data comprising 8 water quality parameters (pH, Total hardness, Nitrate (NO3 -), Iron (Fe), Plumbum (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Arsenic (As), and Coliforms) were used. These results have shed light on the region's groundwater quality state and can help with the formulation of a water protection policy (Giao et al, 2023). The quantity and quality of groundwater used are deteriorating in Ho Chi Minh City, one of Vietnam's largest and most populous cities.…”

Assessment of groundwater quality for human consumption and its health risks in the Middle Magdalena Valley, Colombia

“…Groundwater constitutes the largest source of drinking water on the planet 1 – 3 and the major water supply source in many regions 4 . In recent decades, groundwater use has shown a remarkable increase even in tropical countries, where the use of surface water sources has historically been prioritized 5 – 9 .…”