Groundwater quality evaluation for potable and irrigation uses in the semi‐arid region of southern Iran

Abstract

Iran is in a serious freshwater shortage crisis because its major part is located in arid and semi‐arid areas. This research evaluated the groundwater quality in terms of potable and irrigation uses in the wet and dry seasons in the Kazeroon plain, southern Iran. In this study, a total of 408 groundwater samples were gathered from 68 boreholes to measure water quality indices, such as acidity (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), bicarbonate (HCO3−), chloride (Cl−), sulphate (SO42−), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+). Geographical information system technology was also applied to draw maps of spatial changes of water quality parameters. The results showed that groundwater quality indices had the minimum and maximum values of pH (6.9–8.6), EC (414–9,813 μmho cm−1) and TDS (278–6,180), TH (175–3250), HCO3− (152–518), Cl− (5–1950), SO42− (17–2371), Ca2+ (30–681), Mg2+ (12–607), Na+ (1–1303) and K+ (0.8–18) (mg L−1). Based on World Health Organization standards, the results indicated that all of the aquifer water in the plain except for the northern region was of poor and very poor quality for potable usages. Also, the United States Salinity Laboratory diagram showed that the groundwater quality is doubtful for irrigation. Therefore, the cultivation pattern in this plain should be switched towards salt‐tolerant crops.

Topographical and Hydrological Investigations for the Design of a Drainage Network the Fields of the College of Agriculture are a Model

“…Figure 6 shows the values of total dissolved salts (TDS) in the ground water for the studied samples during the summer and winter periods before drainage operations for the study area, as the contour lines show the variation of the total dissolved salts (TDS) of the ground water within the study area, as the lowest value of the total dissolved salts (TDS) was noted (1.2)) and the highest value of total dissolved salts (TDS) (26.1) in summer, the lowest value of total dissolved salts (TDS) (2.94), and the highest value of total dissolved salts (TDS) (17.4) in winter. The figure shows the variation in the distribution of dissolved salts values For the summer and winter seasons of ground water before the start of drainage operations .We also notice that the values of the dissolved salts followed the same behavior as the electrical conductivity, as it rose as we approached the source of the feeding, and the values of the dissolved salts ranged between 17.4-1.2 l / g in the summer, as the values of well 9 recorded the lowest value and well 15 the highest value, and the variation is attributed to the increase in the concentration of salts The total dissolved salts in the study area indicate the presence of the source of fossil nutrition and the lack of falling rain, which represents the main source of water supply, which contributes to reducing the amount of total dissolved salts, while the dry seasons lead to an increase in the concentration of salts, and is consistent with the findings of [3,9]. Figure 7 shows the values of total dissolved salts (TDS) in the ground water of the studied samples during the summer and winter periods after drainage operations for the study area, as the lowest value of total dissolved salts (TDS) (1.9) and the highest value of total dissolved salts (TDS) (16.3) were observed in summer season…”

“…As the decision was taken to establish 35 monitoring wells according to the ground network that was established and a depth of (0-120) cm. The ground water monitoring holes were distributed to the right and left of the drainage line to be established, so that the ground water monitoring wells became (1,2,3,4,5,6,12,13,14,15,16,17,24,26) located on the left side of the drainage path and the rest of the wells are located on the right side of the drainage line path3.…”