Groundwater Quality of Drinking Water Wells in the West Bank, Palestine

Mahmoud, Nidal; Zayed, Omar; Petrus̆evski, B.

doi:10.3390/w14030377

Cited by 10 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The pH values of the sampled groundwater wells were found to vary from 7.1 to 8.3, showing properties that are almost neutral to slightly alkaline, and this slightly reflects the waterrock interactions. These pH values fall under the permitted limits of drinking water regulations [26,46], and they are in line with those in two different studies in the same study area [22,27]. When the pH is > 8, the water is usually unsuitable for effective chlorine disinfection, but if the value goes below 6.5, pipe erosion starts to increase [27].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…The fluoride (F − ) in groundwater usually helps to promote dental health by reducing dental caries when consumed in small doses, while large doses may result in fluoride toxicities [9,21]. The F − concentration has been found to be within the permissible level in the West Bank, but not in the Gaza Strip [22,23]. The chloride (Cl − ) in groundwater may originate from natural sources or anthropogenic sources, such as wastewaters, cesspits, and fertilizers [24,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The minerals in water are essential for the development of the human body, but only when found within the permissible limits [30,31]. Mahmoud [22] reported that there are three main hydrochemical facies in the West Bank: freshwater, freshwater mixed with another water type, and an extreme water type. Using a variety of water quality parameters, the water quality index (WQI) is a useful tool for evaluating water quality [32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of Groundwater Quality Using the Water Quality Index (WQI) and Human Health Risk (HHR) Assessment in West Bank, Palestine

Zohud,

Alam,

Goh

2023

Hydrology

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Access to clean and safe water is extremely important, not only in Palestine but also worldwide. In the West Bank, groundwater is particularly valuable because of its scarcity and inaccessibility, and, due to the nature of the area’s aquifers, is currently regarded as being at high risk of pollution. Moreover, the water quality in this area is also of wide concern, with its effects being directly linked to human health. Certain parts of the West Bank groundwater suffer from high concentrations of nitrate and potassium. In total, 38.8% of nitrate and 10% of potassium concentrations in well samples exceed the permissible limit set by the WHO and PSI, and, therefore, health problems arise as a limiting factor for life quality and welfare in this region. Moreover, 87.7% of samples are classified as having very hard water. To evaluate the well water in the study area, an assessment was conducted based on the WQI and HHR. Therefore, 49 samples were taken from a group of wells distributed across the study area during the year 2021. The physico-chemical parameters of each sample were analysed. The WQI values showed that 78% of the well samples were of good quality. Moreover, in the classification of the water based on a Piper diagram, 65% of the groundwater was determined to be calcium–magnesium–bicarbonate-type water. Likewise, health risk assessments were evaluated for fluoride and nitrate in drinking water for adults, children, and infants. The main values of the estimated total hazard index (THI) obtained from the analysed data on the health risk assessments revealed a diverse effect on the local population based on age category. The ranges of THI in all sampling locations varied considerably and extended from 0.093 to 3.01 for adults, 0.29 to 3.08 for children, and 0.302 to 3.21 for infants. These results widely indicate that infants are more exposed to health risks.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of Groundwater Quality Using the Water Quality Index (WQI) and Human Health Risk (HHR) Assessment in West Bank, Palestine

Zohud,

Alam,

Goh

2023

Hydrology

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“…The region of the Middle East is a typical example, where countries depend heavily on groundwater resources. In the West Bank, Palestine, about 90% of the water supply is provided from groundwater [1], mainly from the so-called 'Mountain aquifer system' that covers most of its territory. The same aquifer system provides additional groundwater for irrigation in support of agriculture, which puts further stress on the available groundwater resources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision Support System for Sustainable Exploitation of the Eocene Aquifer in the West Bank, Palestine

Jonoski

Ahmed

Almasri

et al. 2023

Water

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Groundwater is a crucial resource for water supply and irrigation in many parts of the world, especially in the Middle East. The Eocene aquifer, located in the northern part of the West Bank, Palestine, is threatened by unsustainable groundwater abstractions and on-ground pollution. Analysis and management of this aquifer are challenging because of limited data availability. This research contributes to the long-term sustainability of the aquifer by model-based design of future abstraction strategies considered within an uncertainty analysis framework. The methodology employed started with development of a single-layer steady-state MODFLOW groundwater model of the area, followed by uncertainty analysis of model parameters using Monte Carlo simulations. The same model was afterwards coupled with a Successive Linear Programming (SLP) optimization algorithm, implemented in the Groundwater Management tool (GWM) of the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The purpose of optimization was deriving five optimal abstraction strategies, each aiming to maximize groundwater abstraction, subject to different constraints regarding groundwater depletion. Given the uncertainty of model parameters, the sensitivity and reliability of these optimal strategies were then tested. Sensitivity was checked for two optimal strategies by performing re-optimization with different values of uncertain model parameters (one at a time). Reliability of the five strategies was tested by analyzing the extent of constraints’ violation for each strategy when varying the uncertain parameters using Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, the model was used for determining capture zones of wells for the five optimal abstraction strategies, land-use in these capture zones, and the associated estimates of on-ground nitrogen loading. The developed strategies were then deployed in a web-based decision support application (named Groundwater Decision Support System—GDSS), together with other relevant information. Users can analyze results of different optimal strategies in terms of groundwater level variations and total water balance results, and test consequences of uncertain parameters. Capture zones of wells for different abstraction strategies, together with land-use and on-ground nitrogen loading in these capture zones, are also presented. Results show that critical uncertain parameters are recharge, hydraulic conductivity, and conductance at key boundary condition locations. Optimal abstraction strategies results indicate that an increase in total abstractions could be between 5% and 20% from the current level (estimated at about 56 × 106 m3/year, which is about 74% of estimated annual recharge). The uncertain parameters, however, are impacting the sensitivity and the reliability of the optimal strategies to variable degrees. Recharge and hydraulic conductivity are the most critical uncertain parameters regarding sensitivity of the optimal strategies, while reliability is also impacted by the level of abstraction proposed in a given strategy (number, locations, and abstraction rates of new wells). The main novelty and contribution of this research is in combining modelling, uncertainty analysis, and optimization techniques in a comprehensive decision support system for the area of the Eocene aquifer, characterized with limited data availability.

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“…Palestine and other countries in the Middle East suffer from water shortage due to predominantly semiarid to arid climatic conditions [ 11 ]. Water is a critical issue in the Middle East [ 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Bacteriological Quality and Physiochemical Parameters of Domestic Water Sources in Jenin Governorate: A Case Study

Al-Khatib,

Al-Jabari,

Al-Oqaili

2023

Journal of Environmental and Public Health

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Water quality of drinking water is a concern in Palestine due to possible pollution sources. There is a demand for investigating the quality of municipal water supply. This study aimed to assess the quality of domestic water in Jenin Governorate located in the north of the West Bank. The methodology of this research was based on field sampling and laboratory standard testing. The tested parameters included (1) physicochemical parameters of electrical conductivity, turbidity, total hardness, salinity, pH, and total alkalinity, (2) chemical contents including the contents of nitrate, nitrite, sulfate, chloride, sodium, potassium, aluminum, and fluoride, and (3) biological contents including total coliforms and fecal coliforms. The water quality parameters were compared with the acceptable limits set by local and international standards. The findings confirm that most of the values of the investigated parameters are within the acceptable standard limits. No pollution of heavy metals is detectable. On the other hand, there are limited pollution contents in terms of the total dissolved solid (TDS), total hardness, and calcium. Furthermore, the biological parameters indicate that there are low to very high risks in a fraction of the water quality samples in terms of total coliforms and fecal coliforms. This is believed to be due to the presence of septic tanks in the neighborhoods of the sampling locations. For these cases, biological disinfection treatments are recommended before human use with an essential need for the construction of urban sewer systems. Furthermore, water treatment for harness removal may be required.

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Groundwater Quality of Drinking Water Wells in the West Bank, Palestine

Cited by 10 publications

References 22 publications

Evaluation of Groundwater Quality Using the Water Quality Index (WQI) and Human Health Risk (HHR) Assessment in West Bank, Palestine

Evaluation of Groundwater Quality Using the Water Quality Index (WQI) and Human Health Risk (HHR) Assessment in West Bank, Palestine

Decision Support System for Sustainable Exploitation of the Eocene Aquifer in the West Bank, Palestine

Assessment of Bacteriological Quality and Physiochemical Parameters of Domestic Water Sources in Jenin Governorate: A Case Study

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