Hydrochemical characteristics and quality assessment of shallow groundwater in a coastal area of Southwest Bangladesh

Abstract

In this study, the hydrochemical characteristics of shallow groundwater in a coastal region (Khulna) of southwest Bangladesh have been evaluated based on different indices for drinking and irrigation uses. Water samples were collected from 26 boreholes and analyzed for major cations and anions. Other physico-chemical parameters like pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and total dissolved solids were also measured. Most groundwater is slightly alkaline and largely varies in chemical composition, e.g. EC ranges from 962 to 9,370 ls/cm. The abundance of the major ions is as follows:Interpretation of analytical data shows two major hydrochemical facies (Na ? -K ? -Cl --SO 4 2-and Na ? -K ? -HCO 3 -) in the study area. Salinity, total hardness, and sodium percentage (Na%) indicate that most of the groundwater samples are not suitable for irrigation as well as for domestic purposes and far from drinking water standard. Results suggest that the brackish nature in most of the groundwaters is due to the seawater influence and hydrogeochemical processes.

Suitability assessment of deep groundwater for drinking and irrigation use in the Djeffara aquifers (Northern Gabes, south-eastern Tunisia)

“…The TDS in water is represented by the weight of residue left when a water sample has evaporated to dryness (Bahar and Reza 2009). The analytical results have been evaluated to ascertain the suitability of groundwater of the study area for drinking, by comparing with the specifications of TDS set to the standard guideline values as recommended by the WHO (1993).…”

Hydrogeochemical investigation of groundwater in shallow coastal aquifer of Khulna District, Bangladesh

“…However, most crop lands in the coastal areas of Bangladesh remain fallow in the dry season because surface water resources are saline and unsuitable for irrigation, while groundwater is not intensively utilized because of the fear of seawater intrusion into aquifers . Seawater intrusion is a major threat in the coastal aquifers of Bangladesh, especially in southwestern region (Bahar and Reza 2010;Islam et al , 2016bIslam and Bhuiyan 2016). The over dependence on groundwater for drinking, agricultural and industrial sector and different climatic and natural phenomenon causes coastal groundwater contamination (Srinivas et al 2015).…”

Investigation of Groundwater Quality and Its Suitability for Drinking and Agricultural Use in the South Central Part of the Coastal Region in Bangladesh

“…In the southern part, it has approximately 710 km coastal line with highly susceptible areas to sea level rise. Water and soil salinity are regular hazards for many parts specially south east, central (Shammi et al 2012(Shammi et al , 2015, and southwest (Shammi et al 2016;Bahar and Reza 2010;Halim et al 2010) part of the coastal areas of Bangladesh are being affected by different uses of water including drinking, irrigation, household, fisheries, and functioning of the ecosystem (Egis 2001).Regarding 90 % of drinking water (Mridha et al 1996) and nearly 75 % of irrigation water in Bangladesh (Shahid et al 2006) are supplied from groundwater sources. There are three types of GW aquifer (UNDP 1982) in Bangladesh; upper shallow unconfined aquifer, middle confined aquifer, and deep confined aquifer.…”